Monday, November 22, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Susanna Quailes

Susanna Quailes, Groton, MA, 1775
Memento mori
Here lies ye Body
of Mrs: Susanna
Quailes wife of
Mr: Charles Quailes
who departed this
life Augt: 28th: 1775.
Aged 25 years, 9
mons: & 25 days.

Sign:
SUSANNA QUAILS
ONE OF COMPANY OF WOMEN
WHO CAPTURED A TORY
CARRYING DISPATCHES TO
BRITISH ARMY AT BOSTON

According to the Samuel Abbott Green transcription of Groton gravestones, local legend claimed that Susanna Quailes was one of the women who arrested Capt. Leonard Whiting in 1775. J.L. Bell of Boston 1775 wrote a series of posts about this alleged incident in August.

For no particular reason,
the Quails house:

3 comments:

Peter Fisk said...

Terrific gravestone photo with excellent shadowing. Was this just after sunrise?

Natasha said...

How fascinating, I love to discover personal histories like this. Gravestones can provide some really interesting starting points.

Caitlin GD Hopkins said...

Sadly, no, this is not a post-sunrise photo. I am a lazy grad student and have only once made it to a graveyard before 7 a.m.

This was one of my experiments with lugging a mirror around. Good pictures, but lots of weird looks from onlookers, especially around Halloween.