H.L.S.? P.M.S.? Will the initial mysteries never end?

I believe if you read "H.L. S." as "Here Lies," or "Here Lies Buried" the phrase makes sense. As in, "Here Lies The Remains of Matthew"

People of old English descent were far more concerned with their epitaphs than we are today. The tried to cram as much into a stone as they could- and stones like this were expensive. Therefore carvers would throw abbreviations upon the stone to make as much of a statement as possible.

Odd when you think about it...

Why have "HLS" at all? The tombstone itself deeply implies that below it lies the mortal remains of someone. But this was considered a right and proper burial back then.

He must of been a man of some means or from a family of the same, to afford such a stone.

28 was considered to be a fairly mature male for the time.

It's yet another testament to the deadly nature of disease at the time- and our inability to stop it.

As to PMS... well this may have been an affiliation he belonged to, although I can't fathom what it is. People often mentioned that they were members of the Mason's Lodge and other such affiliations upon their stones that were critically important to their time. But "PMS" is a stumper.

I should have looked it up, first.

H.L.S.: could also stand for Harvard Law School. I don't think I'll have my Alma Mater inscribed on my marker, though.

P.M.S.: Piae Memoriae Sacrum or Pious Memory Sacred.

I believe you've hit PMS on the head. I didn't know that one.
As for HLS I'm inclined to think it's a contraction of Here Lies.

Ah yes, "PMS" a Latin inscription, often heard in church at the time.