Need help with Hebrew text

I uploaded a picture of Yehoshua Asher Zelig's gravestone to the documents page for this discussion, so you can see the mother's name (Asher ben Rachel). The writing on the grave matches that on one of the uploaded pages of Hebrew text.

This is tremendously enlightening, thank you all! If anybody has the time and patience to translate all of it, we'd be very grateful. If not, we surely understand and appreciate all you've done.

I have quite a few Rabbi Shmuel Smelke Horowitz in my Horowitz Family Database. My website has various names including Horowitzfam.org and Famroots.org.

Check out this link and check out the people listed:

http://horowitzfam.org/search.php?mybool=AND&nr=50&tree=-x-...

Dave Howard (nee Horwitz)
San Jose, CA

On the bottom of the page it is written what was on his tombstone.

Here is the translation of the bottom of the page:

On the winter of 1887 (Taf Reish, Mem, Chet ) he passed away on 18 of January ( 5 Shvat) . Before his death he was repeating his study in the Holy Scriptures, and was buried on the same day with the people of his town following him crying and whiling.

Tombstone

Here is buried the great and righteous Rabbi, the sublime our holly teacher Asher Zelig Planter, may he rest in peace

A rabbinical judge (Dayan) and ??? here who passed away on 5 Shvat Taf, Rash, Chet, Samach *

He was revered by his friends and his people and his good name was praised by all.
A loyal shepherded of his community who dedicated his time to study Tora, and the glory of his faith and beliefs illuminated his people and community.

………….. his place in heaven is with the unblemished and his rest is with his creator.

* The Hebrew year of his death on the tombstone in the book is miswritten and conflict with the date year that is mentioned above before the tombstone. Looking at the photo of the tombstone it seems that is also incorrect.
The Hebrew year is written with the values of the Hebrew letters:
Taf = 400
Resh = 200
Chet = 8
Samech = 60
It could not be that the 8 will be written before the 60. So I think it has been transposed by the tomb carver. If it is so his death year is 5668 which will translate to 1907. The year mentioned in the book is 5648 which is 1887, twenty years difference.

Judith, I believe the year is written correctly and that is says:
Taf
Resh
Ches (chet)
MEM sofit, whose value is 40. Since it is written in Rashi letters it is easy to confuse with a samech. Furthermore, since the year spells out the word "Tirachem". When the ches is before the mem, meaning 'may He have mercy', it was very likely written that way on purpose.

Now I know why genealogy is so addictive. What a wonderful set of comments. Just seen them today. Thankyou everybody! Good Shabbos or Shabbat Shalom to all you relatives out there.I look forward to investigating our Horovitz/Horowitz connections further.

Read the first page so far. It notes that the father of Asher Zelig, Yisochor Dov, was a rich man and there is a story there about how he became rich. I don't have time right now to read it thoroughly but if anyone is interested I can do it after Shabbos.
Also the first city where he went to study is Verbo/Vrbove in Slovakia today. He studied with R' Koppel Charif who was one of the great rabbis in his time. He studied with him 5 years after which he went to the yeshiva of the Chasam Sofer. As stated above he stayed on after the death of the Chasam Sofer when is son the Ksav Sofer took over.