Does anyone out there have information on the potential meaning of backward characters on gravestones? I have a crudely carved gravestone in a nineteenth century, family plot that was part of a central Maryland farm, with all of the D's, N's, J's, and 1's carved backward. Plenty of folks have suggested dyslexia or partial illiteracy as potential explanations, but I have a few archaeologist/historian colleagues who seem to recall that backward orthography can have specific meanings on gravestones. For what it's worth, here's the text as it appears on the stone (again, picture the aforementioned letters backward):

WM ONEAL
DIED.JAN
THE.1.1893
AGE.72.

The stone appears as the final photo in the larger site's state registration form, located here: https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Howard/HO-1109.pdf

For some physical context, two adjacent stones (1906 and 1917) are professionally carved marble markers without any "incorrect" writing. The remainder of the graveyard consists of partial lines of unmodified, vertical slabs of fieldstones located west of the carved stones, presumably as markers for the graves of servants, the enslaved, or the poor. 

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!