"The anvil symbolizes the primordial forging of the universe...In Christian symbolism, the anvil is an attribute of St. Eligius, the patron saint of blacksmiths." (Douglas Keister, Stories in Stone: The Complete Guide to Cemetery Symbolism)
This anvil is carved into the granite ledger marker placed for Christopher Columbus "Lum" Howell (1879-1965) at Goodwin Cemetery in Duluth, Gwinnett County, Georgia.
Photos © 2010-2011 S. Lincecum
6 comments:
The anvil on the marker is very impressive, as is the symbolism. Is there any chance that Lum Howell was an actual blacksmith by trade?
That's my guess, but I haven't documented it.
Mr. Howell was truely a blacksmith by trade and a good one. He lived in Norcross, Ga where he served as blacksmith for the folks in Norcross. He was very well liked here.
His sister in-law was Clara Nesbitt, a local educator. She was the namesake for Nesbitt Elementary here in Gwinnett County.
Thank-you very much for the information!
Hello,
I just happend to run across this while surfing the net.
I am Lum Howell's grand daughter.My mother Ida Bernice Howell Stokes is buried next to him. Yes, he was a blacksmith, in Norcross. I actually have some of his original tools and I still live in the Duluth area.
If you would like to further discuss this you can contact me at karen_stokesgarcia@live.com.
Thanks so much, Karen. How cool to have some of his tools! I'm sure they are a treasure.
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