Daily AncestorCherub
A cherub, a chubby child angel, on a Victorian or later gravestone usually marks a child's grave and stands for innocence.
On stones of the later 1800s and 1900s, a small child angel most often decorates the grave of a child and stands for innocence. Family historians use it as a hint to look for a young death in the dates.
Do not confuse it with the colonial winged cherub, which is the winged face of the soul effigy on 18th century New England slate and appears on adults' stones too.
As seen in a recordTown or Catholic cemetery, 1870 to 1940
Small cherub head with wings above the name: Baby Raymond, son of Wm. and Ida Keppler, 1904
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Cherub." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/cherub. Last checked 2026-10-15.