Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Jeremiah Scarborough

Jeremiah Scarborough, 1790, Brooklyn, CT
Sic Trancit Gloria Mundi
In Memory of Dean.
Jeremiah Scarborough
who Died Novr. 20th
1790
in the 78th year of
his age.
What virtue once adorn'd
the Dust below,
The Rising day to all
the world will show
In clearer Characters,
than Sculpture'd stone
Could ever make his much
lov'd [merit?] known.

As far as Google can tell, this is an original verse. It's another example of an epitaph referencing the medium on which it is engraved.

3 comments:

Jared Scarborough said...

We are especially interested in this gravestone because he is a great, great, great, great (great) grandfather.

Does anyone know if this is the original stone? It looks very different from one that I remember seeing many years ago.

Joel Scarborough (and son Jared)

Caitlin GD Hopkins said...

As far as I know, this is the original stone carved by Elijah Sikes. It is possible that iron or other metals in the stone may have changed over the years, which might have changed its appearance.

If you are interested in learning more about the carver, there is an article about him by Bob Drinkwater in the Spring 2010 issue of American Gravestone Quarterly.

Jared Scarborough said...

Thanks so much for all you do, Caitlin.

We really enjoyed finding your webpage and hope you get a pat on the back now and then for making things like this happen for people like us.

My dad seems to think the stone he saw maybe 50 years ago or so was different, though I imagine the discoloration may have something to do with it. He said that the grave was next to a famous Rev. war general, and that perhaps there was a need to move things around to memorialize the general.

In any case, thanks so much. We hope to get out to the east coast at some point to see the gravestone (and perhaps others) ourselves.

Jared Scarborough