Friday, March 26, 2010

Gravestone of the Day

Jane Crouningshiel, 1771, Marblehead, MA

In Memory of Mrs. JANE CROU-
NINGSHIEL the Beloved Wife of
Mr. WILLIAM CROUNINGSHIEL
& only Daur. to Mr. JONATHAN &
Mrs. JANE THOMSON, died ye 27th
Janry. 1771 in ye 37th. Year of her Age.

Naked as from the Earth we came,
And crept to Life at first
We to the Earth Return again,
And mingel with our Dust
The dear Delights we here injoy
And fondly call our own
Are but short favours borrow'd now
To be Repaid anon.

The epitaph is from a hymn by Isaac Watts, based on Job 1:21. I like the letters on this one — they are so clear and precise.

2 comments:

Jim Blachowicz said...

This was carved by Abraham Codner. Do you know which cemetery?

Caitlin GD Hopkins said...

It is on Old Burial Hill in Marblehead. From the sequence of my photos, it looks like it is in the Northeastern section of the cemetery, near the Thaddeus Ridden stone.