Daily AncestorWeeping angel
A weeping angel on a gravestone stands for deep grief, usually over an untimely death; many copy the 1894 Angel of Grief sculpture.
A colonial list already gives a weeping angel as grief. The best-known version is William Wetmore Story's Angel of Grief, carved in 1894 for his wife's tomb in Rome and widely copied for cemetery monuments.
Some weeping angels hold a wreath or garland, ancient signs of victory or memory. The figure expresses the mourners' sorrow; it does not by itself tell you the age or cause of death.
As seen in a recordGarden cemetery, 1895 to 1930
Angel slumped over a pedestal, face hidden in her arm: Florence Adair Whitcomb, 1879 to 1901
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Weeping angel." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/weeping-angel. Last checked 2026-10-15.