This 1770s slate gravestone, photographed for a 35mm 'stateside' negative series, marks the grave of David Ferguson, son of John and Jane Ferguson, who died May 29, 1773 at eleven years of age. The carved 'winged soul effigy' at its crest—a stylized face framed by outstretched wings—is a hallmark of New England Colonial gravestone art, symbolizing the soul's flight to heaven. Found in an overgrown rural burying ground, the marker offers a glimpse of pre-Revolutionary War funerary craftsmanship, likely documented here by a serviceman or archivist photographing historic American sites during the World War II era. Project: 218317