Has anyone seen anything like this before?  I found three of these cards – not sure that’s what you would call them – in my great-grandmother’s genealogy box.  But for lack of a better word, the card is 4 1/4 inches by 6 1/2 inches, a black background with gold lettering and stenciling.  The card is not flimsy, but stiff enough that it would not easily be bent.  They are all very beautiful.  Two are exactly alike – W. P. Montgomery’s is just like the one above (except his has been damaged and taped).  Mary Linton’s has a Bible with her name and death information on the cover, and a scroll with a verse at the bottom.  Unfortunately, by the time these came into my possession, anyone who could tell me anything about them had died. 

I would say these were the protestant versions of a Catholic ‘holy cards’ that are handed out at funerals.  Generally there is a picture of Jesus or Mary on the front of the card with the name of the deceased, birth and death dates, and a prayer on the back.  But W. P. Montgomery was Catholic.  Perhaps this was just the custom of a bygone era.  In any case they are a lovely keepsake.