A. L. Comstock - Russett Cemetery - Russett, OK, USA
N 34° 10.869 W 096° 48.626
14S E 701790 N 3784407
A Dove of Peace bearing an olive branch appears on the marble monument marking the final resting place of A.L. Comstock in Russett Cemetery, Russett, OK. This was likely placed by the Woodmen of the World.
Waymark Code: WM12EQZ
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 05/11/2020
Views: 1
The Woodmen of the World are known today as WoodmenLife, a fraternal society that provides insurance to its members. Visitors to older cemeteries can frequently spot the marble tree trunk monuments that they placed at the graves of their members, although not every tree trunk monument out there was placed by the Woodmen of the World: It was common in the late 19th century to use a log to note that a person had died young. Eventually, those tree trunk monuments became too expensive to produce, and headstones would be marked with a Woodmen of the World emblem of some kind. Earlier ones featured a dove of peace with an olive branch in its beak, flying over a fallen log where the tools of the woodmen's trade -- hatchet, mallet, and wedge -- can be seen. Later ones would show a simple tree stump instead, and the dove and tools are worked into the fabric of the monument. While we can't be 100% certain that Mr. Comstock was a member of the Woodmen of the World, the remaining screws at the top of the monument are a pretty good indication that there was a bronze plaque here. It wasn't uncommon for the Woodmen of the World to attach such a plaque on their memorials, and an example is
here.
The dove of peace perches atop the inscription scroll, which reads:
A.L. Comstock
Born
Dec. 12, 1873
Died
Mar. 9, 1906.
Sleep on dear one and
take thy rest,
God called thee home He
thought it best.