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My wife is a graveyard expert, so I should really let her respond here. We frequently go "graveyarding," although a lot less frequently than we used to.
Some other bits of graveyard lore we've collected:
* Most Judeo-Christian graves face east and west, so that the sun rises at the feet and sets behind the head. If you find a grave that is turned perpindicular (north and south), then you have found someone who died in extreme disfavor with the church.
* In the South, seashells were placed on the graves of slaves as a secret indication from their family that the soul was finally free from bondage. Very old Southern cemeteries have separate sections for slave graves.
* In rural areas, families often place toys, tools, or other objects that they feel the departed may want with them in the afterlife. In secluded country cemeteries, you can find hundreds of graves all covered with little objects that no one ever disturbs.
* Also in rural areas, inverted coke bottles can be found inserted into the ground "bottom up" as a border to the grave. This is an example of what is called "making do with what you have," and is a form of country decoration.
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Living is easy with eyes closed.
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