Daily AncestorAll-seeing eye
An all-seeing eye on a gravestone stands for God watching over all; it is also a common emblem of Masons and Odd Fellows.
The single eye, often inside a triangle for the Trinity and surrounded by rays, means God is all-knowing and ever-present. Christians used it long before fraternal orders did.
Masons, Odd Fellows and other lodges adopted the eye for watchfulness. On a stone with other lodge signs it points to membership, and to lodge records worth looking for.
As seen in a recordTown cemetery, 1850 to 1930
Eye in a rayed triangle above square and compasses: Bro. Silas K. Dempster, 1832 to 1898
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "All-seeing eye." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/all-seeing-eye. Last checked 2026-10-15.