Oh, fascinating! I hadn't heard of these before. Based on the detail, and seeming care given, I'd guess they were meant to honor someone who died at
sea, or in distant land, as some supposed. I could see that. A simple memorial, that one could visit, to remember a loved one lost.
That video ends with a one line explanation of their belief. It is related to the Westport Murders of 1828. There were 17 people murdered by the
pair of men mentioned at the end of the first video. They believe that someone made these in order to give the victims a proper burial. There was
another video, involving the same guy done for the Travel Channel show Mysteries in the Museum: When you click the link, it take a bit for the video
to start.