We studied the gravestones in the radius we chose and found that we could use the designs carved on them to tell us things about the people who produced them. The people in western Youk and eastern Adams counties were mostly Scotch-Irish, English, and German; the Germans and the English being the most dominant. They had very distinct ways of decorating their gravestones by using the popular symbols of their culture at the time. Typical English gravestone markings were found in the same cemeteries as typical German Gravestone markings. In many cases, the designs from both cultures were interated onto one gravestone.
The English desings that were found were the "fanned star" and the cherub. The German designs that were found were the six-pointed star and the heart symbol. By looking at the dates when the English and German designs begin to integrate on the gravestones, we are able to see a time period when the Germans and the English living in Pennsylvania began integrating into each other's cultures.
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