Trends and inequality in longevity Throughout history, honoring the dead has been an important tradition, and one way to do this is by erecting gravestones that are usually personalized. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, life expectancy was much lower than it is today; “in 1842 the average age of death for gentlemen and professionals and their families was 45 years, for merchants and their families it was 26 years, while for mechanics, servants and workers and their families was only 16 years old” (Fabbro). Social status is displayed through the headstones of the deceased and in this essay the correlation between wealth and longevity will be explored, as well as the height and material of headstones depending on social status. Referring to the article "Socioeconomic differentials in mortality: evidence from Glasgow cemeteries" by George Davey Smith and actual samples taken from the Old Town cemetery will allow the dead to continue to tell their stories of health and wealth or, in many cases, the opposite. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A visit to the Old Town Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida, to collect data for this essay provided the opportunity to research differences in the material used, height, and extravagance regarding the wealth associated with each of the deceased a starting from 1829, when the cemetery was established. Much like George Davey Smith, “I set out to determine whether better socioeconomic status, indexed by taller obelisks, was associated with greater longevity during the period 1801-1920” (Smith). It quickly became relevant that the taller gravestones belonged to wealthier families and, as hypothesized, the dates on these particular stones had a greater amount of time between them than on the shorter, less decorated stones. “One way in which the question can be explored is through the uniformly designed memorial obelisks found in Glasgow cemeteries. The height of these obelisks varies greatly, but their shape remains standard. Since height would influence the cost of the obelisk, it is reasonable to assume that wealthier descendants would be commemorated by taller obelisks” (Smith). Photos collected from the Old Town Cemetery paint a picture that supports this idea written by Smith. Another important factor in this research is the materials used to create the headstones. For this essay, 43 photos of gravestones were taken and of these 43, 16 gravestones were made with sandstone. “Granite was and is the most expensive of these materials and sandstone the least expensive” (Smith). Photos show that 70% of headstones created for people who died before the 1960s were made of sandstone or slate. As time moves into the late 1900s and early 2000s, many more marble and granite headstones can be observed, indicating that these materials may have become more widely available and prices may have decreased. The longevity of people with sandstone or slate headstones after the 1960s was lower than those who had marble or granite headstones, showing that wealth and health had a strong link during this time period. The Victorian age was a time of new technological and commercial advances. , pushing the market to never-before-reached heights, and with these advances have come new attitudes toward children. The greed, dishonesty and opportunism displayed in the market have caused children to acquire an even more innocent appearance than before. “As innocent beings, young children were untouched by outside forces;they were not part of the “world”. And if they died, they were depicted in the cemetery in a way that would have been denied to them if they had reached adulthood” (Meyer). Photographs obtained in the Old Town Cemetery show that this description rang true in Tallahassee. 12 of the 43 photographs taken were of children's gravestones, and there is no doubt that these were more eye-catching than the gravestones of adults in the same time period. “The forms these gravestones took, and the props they used, placed them squarely in the realm of childhood, a realm totally removed from the adult world of men and the market. In the end, the children in the cemetery always remained young, more known for their deaths than for their short lives” (Meyer). As for the gender differences displayed on headstones, during the Victorian age, men owned and operated businesses, were active in the workforce, and were said to be the glue that held society together. For these reasons, it can be assumed that men's gravestones would be larger or more elaborate than women's. Although this was not the case in the Old Town cemetery, the pattern of placing "wife of" after the lady's name was quite relevant, as 90% of the women's headstones featured it. Many of these also had titles such as “loving mother.” From the dates shown on these gravestones it can be deduced that many women lived shorter lives than their husbands. This was largely due to death during childbirth, as women did not have good healthcare or resources to help them during this period of their lives. Women were also second to their husbands when it came to food consumption at home, so they often went hungry, causing a greater risk of death from health problems. One of the major health problems during the Victorian age was yellow fever. This affected women more heavily during this time period because in poor families they ate less, making their immune systems less resilient than those of men. “It is a cliché that Victorian society was obsessed with class. Burial arrangements could clearly reflect respectability and social aspirations as well as economic position” (Smith). It can be deduced that women's place in society was probably due to that of their husbands. While many women's headstones in the Old Town Cemetery boasted titles in relation to their husbands or other family members, some men's headstones linked them to certain organizations. One in particular that stood out was John R. Duval. Under his name was "First Grand Master of the Grand Lodge M.W. F. & A.M. of Florida Born June 8, 1790, Died December 4, 1854, Erected by the Grand Lodge." These titles mean he was a Freemason, an organization established primarily for fraternal relations and networking. Freemasonry involves elaborate traditions and secret rituals. Having a title on your tombstone forever establishes your status in society and shows a sense of attachment to an organization, which is very important in society. Many other headstones said things like “village blacksmith.” “The idea of ​​attachment to place, family, work, institutions, community and neighborhood is very often discussed in public debate today; and there is a strong presumption that it has decreased over time. Uprootedness and the sense of 'non-identity' of not having an established place in a community are repeatedly linked to social disintegration, crime and the erosion of national, familial and regional loyalties” (Snell). It is interesting to note how a simple connection with a parish or organization is so important for the.