In the book "A history of the Seymour family: descendants of Richard Seymour of Hartford, Connecticut, for six generations", by Donald L. Jacobus, George D. Seymour, Mary K. Talcott, and Tyler S. Morris, 1939, much information is given about our line of the Seymour family.
John Seymour II was my 9th great-grandfather, a son of John Seymour and Mary Watson. Click here to learn more about John and his family.
John's tombstone at the Ancient Burying Grounds in Hartford represents typical Puritan burial practices. In accordance with the Scriptures forbidding graven images, Puritans did not use religious symbols such as crosses or figures on their tombstones. The carving shown here on John Seymour's headstone is the "death's head" which was the first imagery used on headstones. The skull and wings and/or crossed bones were used to represent spiritual regeneration and prompt the living to ponder their eternal destination.
Source: A history of the Seymour family : descendants of Richard Seymour of Hartford, Connecticut, for six generations; with extensive amplification of the lines deriving from his son John Seymour of Hartford, by Jacobus, Donald Lines, 1887-1970; Seymour, George Dudley, 1859-1945; Talcott, Mary Kingsbury, 1847-1917; Morris, Tyler Seymour, 1863-1921. [Link]