Post by Angela on Apr 19, 2009 12:11:48 GMT -5
Q: What exactly is the inscription on the Lawson Tombstone, and where does it come from?
A: The epitaph that Charlie Lawson's brother Marion chose for their tombstone which was: "Not now but in the coming years, it will be in the better land, we'll read the meaning of our tears, and there someday we'll understand." It comes from an old English hymn entitled, “Someday We’ll Understand”. You can hear it in the film during the funeral when we see the Lawson family gravestone.
I learned that the name of the man who built that tombstone was Lucien Wall of Wall Monument Company in Winston-Salem. I talked to the Company's owner and he said I could come to the Company to get a copy of a booklet about Wall Monument Company that has a photo of the tombstone in it, as well as a photo of Lucien Wall who crafted the tombstone along with his Father whose photo is also in it.
He also gave to give me a copy of the beautiful poem titled THE LAWSON TRAGEDY that was written by his Grandfather Wesley Lucien Wall. I am really excited about this. He said it took his grandfather a year at least to build the elaborate tombstone that for 77 years has kept vigil over the graves of the Lawson Family. The booklet was written in 1930.
I went to see Mr. Wall at Wall Monument Company again yesterday and he gave me an 8x10 photo of the Lawson tombstone his grandfather made. What I like about this photo is that it was taken the day it was installed in Browder Cemetery and was brand new. The carving of the names, dates, etc. are so clear and perfect and of course shows no fading and is not stained or scratched as it is today. Also it shows a different fence behind the tombstone that is not there today. The fence in this photo is made of wire much like a cage and has a flat wooden top across the fence. Today’s fence is a single piece of chain link hooked into several metal poles. It also had the metal stand with the Wall Monument Company’s name on it stuck in the ground at the base of the tombstone.
I received this same identical poem from a woman a year and a half ago but there is one slight difference in the one I got of the poem (which is written on a card like a greeting card with the Lawson house on front, the tombstone on the back and the poem inside)yesterday from Mr. Wall and that is that the one I received by email early last year does not have the copy right beneath the title of the poem like the one Mr. Wall gave me.
The copyright is included on the front of the card beneath the house but no copyright beneath the poem. It looks as though the one I received last year had the copyright cloned out or otherwise removed from beneath the poem. That is one reason I am so glad I got this copy yesterday from Mr. Wall. It has the copy right beneath the poem. That authenticates it for me.
The front of the card with the poem in it has the copyright photo of the Lawson home on it and says THE LAWSON TRAGEDY and right above it says (copyrighted 1930 M. F. Lawson used by permission) and below the title says Composed by W. L. Wall , Winston-Salem, N.C. All Rights Reserved. There is also inscribed the copyright notice beneath the tombstone on the back of the card.
The tombstone copyright says Copyright 1930 by J. A. Wall and son, Monument designers and Builders 23rd street, Winston-Salem, N.C. J. A. Wall was Lucien Wall's father. Doug Wall also said that their Monument Company which was started in 1905 made a lot of the tombstones in Browder cemetery. But the only tombstone that was patented was the Lawson tombstone.
A: The epitaph that Charlie Lawson's brother Marion chose for their tombstone which was: "Not now but in the coming years, it will be in the better land, we'll read the meaning of our tears, and there someday we'll understand." It comes from an old English hymn entitled, “Someday We’ll Understand”. You can hear it in the film during the funeral when we see the Lawson family gravestone.
I learned that the name of the man who built that tombstone was Lucien Wall of Wall Monument Company in Winston-Salem. I talked to the Company's owner and he said I could come to the Company to get a copy of a booklet about Wall Monument Company that has a photo of the tombstone in it, as well as a photo of Lucien Wall who crafted the tombstone along with his Father whose photo is also in it.
He also gave to give me a copy of the beautiful poem titled THE LAWSON TRAGEDY that was written by his Grandfather Wesley Lucien Wall. I am really excited about this. He said it took his grandfather a year at least to build the elaborate tombstone that for 77 years has kept vigil over the graves of the Lawson Family. The booklet was written in 1930.
I went to see Mr. Wall at Wall Monument Company again yesterday and he gave me an 8x10 photo of the Lawson tombstone his grandfather made. What I like about this photo is that it was taken the day it was installed in Browder Cemetery and was brand new. The carving of the names, dates, etc. are so clear and perfect and of course shows no fading and is not stained or scratched as it is today. Also it shows a different fence behind the tombstone that is not there today. The fence in this photo is made of wire much like a cage and has a flat wooden top across the fence. Today’s fence is a single piece of chain link hooked into several metal poles. It also had the metal stand with the Wall Monument Company’s name on it stuck in the ground at the base of the tombstone.
I received this same identical poem from a woman a year and a half ago but there is one slight difference in the one I got of the poem (which is written on a card like a greeting card with the Lawson house on front, the tombstone on the back and the poem inside)yesterday from Mr. Wall and that is that the one I received by email early last year does not have the copy right beneath the title of the poem like the one Mr. Wall gave me.
The copyright is included on the front of the card beneath the house but no copyright beneath the poem. It looks as though the one I received last year had the copyright cloned out or otherwise removed from beneath the poem. That is one reason I am so glad I got this copy yesterday from Mr. Wall. It has the copy right beneath the poem. That authenticates it for me.
The front of the card with the poem in it has the copyright photo of the Lawson home on it and says THE LAWSON TRAGEDY and right above it says (copyrighted 1930 M. F. Lawson used by permission) and below the title says Composed by W. L. Wall , Winston-Salem, N.C. All Rights Reserved. There is also inscribed the copyright notice beneath the tombstone on the back of the card.
The tombstone copyright says Copyright 1930 by J. A. Wall and son, Monument designers and Builders 23rd street, Winston-Salem, N.C. J. A. Wall was Lucien Wall's father. Doug Wall also said that their Monument Company which was started in 1905 made a lot of the tombstones in Browder cemetery. But the only tombstone that was patented was the Lawson tombstone.