Monday, May 31, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Henry W. Green

Henry W. Green, 1819, Providence, RI
Henry W. Green
Son of Mr. Thomas
and Ann Green.
he died October
13th 1819, aged
1 Year 9 Months
& 24 Days.
Weep not for babes for they are blest,
And in their saviors arms do rest.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Edward

Edward, 173[9?], Newport, RI
Here lieth Edward
Negro Servant to Mr
Henry Collins died
Febry ye 16 173[8]/[9]
in ye 21st year of
his age.
He was faithfill
and well Beloved
of his Master.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Abigail Alden

Abigail Alden, 1725, Duxbury, MA
HERE LYES ye
BODY OF MRS.
AbIGAIL ALDEN WIFE
OF CAPT. JONATHAN
ALDEN WHO DECd.
AUST. ye 17th.
1725 IN
ye 81st. YEAR
OF HER AGE

Friday, May 28, 2010

Red-Tailed Hawks Again

I've started bringing my camera along every time I go to the grocery store on the off chance that I might catch a glimpse of the juvenile red-tailed hawks on Alewife Brook Parkway. I got lucky today — they were posing for the cameras. No flying yet, though the committed birdwatchers said that the two older ones have started stretching their wings and hovering over the nest. They certainly look like they're thinking of taking the plunge.



Update:
Here are some videos of the nesting pair (Buzz and Ruby - the chicks are Lucy, Larry, and Lucky) and the chicks' early days:

More videos here.

Gravestone of the Day: Mary Lyon

Mary Lyon, 1760, Cambridge, MA

Here lyes Interr'd ye Body
of Mrs MARY LYON, in her
first Marriage Consort to Mr 
THOMAS PRENTICE whom she 
survived more than 50 Years, &
Expired March ye 2d 1760 in ye 84th
Year of Her Age: not Impatient
of Life, but Satisfied with it:
Her Children rise up & call her blessed

A bit of Mary's history can be gleaned from this genealogy of her first husband's family:

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Farnum Chickering

Farnum Chickering, 1824, Providence, RI
In Memory of
Mr.
Farnum Chickering
son of
Capt. Dean & Sarah Chickering
of Andover, Mass.
He died Dec. 1, 1824.
in the 37th year
of his age.

The Tingley family carving machine strikes again. I'm sure we can find a place for Farnum Chickering in The Memoirs of Fanny Forward.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

More Red-Tailed Hawks

Any bird watchers out there? There is a nest of juvenile red-tailed hawks on Alewife Brook Parkway in Cambridge, just across from the shopping plaza with the Whole Foods and the movie theatre. The bird watchers gathered there assure me that the two oldest chicks (45 and 43 days old) are just about ready to fly.


Execution of Children and Adolescents in Early America

I am glad to see that J.L. Bell has taken up an exploration of the history of capital punishment for juveniles in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent decision in Graham v. Florida.

I have commented on this issue in my guest post over on Executed Today regarding the execution of Hannah Ocuish in 1786. I agree with Bell that this story cannot be told without acknowledging that all of the youngest children put to death in the United States have been children of color.

More discussion on the Early American Crime blog.

Name of the Day: Polycarpus Snell



I found this name in East Bridgewater yesterday.

Gravestone of the Day: Ezra Alden

Ezra Alden, 1767, East Bridgewater, MA
Here lies Buried
Mr. EZRA ALDEN
Who Died
NOVEMBER 5th
1767 In ye 36th
year of his age.

There are several stones in the Old Grave Yard in East Bridgewater, MA carved by Nathan Hayward. Many of them have unusually deep relief carving like that found on the Ezra Alden stone.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Exsperience Doggett

Exsperience Doggett, 1736, Trumbull Burying Ground, Lebanon, CT
[???] DEATH
EXSPERIENCE
DOGGETT
EXSPIERED
NOVM --
1736 IN Ye
28 YEAr
OF HER
AGE

Monday, May 24, 2010

Back from California

I apologize for not really keeping up with comments for the past week or two — between the frenzy of final grading, my prospectus defense, and a week-long trip to California for my brother-in-law's graduation, I have not been tending to this blog as I should. The auto-posting seems to have worked well, though, so I have no complaints.

This summer, I will be working for two professors, doing course development on two new Gen Ed courses.

The first, to be offered in the Spring 2011 semester, is called Tangible Things: Harvard Collections and World History. It is meant to be an introduction to Harvard's many material object collections as well as an exploration of the birth of academic disciplines and the porous boundaries that separate them. This course has been in development for a year and is in the nitty-gritty stage of planning actual assignments, hammering out a syllabus, and honing readings. It is a tricky course to plan because so much of it involves traveling to museums and archives, but Harvard does not have preregistration (and this is a new course), so we have no idea whether we will have 25 students or 250.

The second, to be offered in the Fall 2011 semester is called Dead or Alive. It is an historical approach to many contemporary issues of life and death, including abortion, medical research, eugenics, reproductive technology, end-of-life care, disposal of the dead, etc. This course will use the case study method to introduce students to these issues and their histories. Another grad student and I have been researching and writing cases this semester and are meeting later today to determine which cases will make the cut. We also designed several assignments for possible use — my favorite involves asking students to design an environmentally sustainable cemetery that will serve the material and spiritual needs of Cambridge residents for the next 200 years.

I will also be starting serious work on that tiny project called my dissertation. At the moment, it is just a daunting pit and I can hardly stand to tiptoe to the edge. I think my first step is to make a To Do list that breaks it down into manageable parts so I can start somewhere.

And, of course, I will be going out with my camera to photograph gravestones. The weather is beautiful today, but I have meetings and email to catch up on. If the weather holds, I'll go out tomorrow.

Looking forward to a great summer!

Jump Rope Hat

Brooklyn, NY, May 29, 1886, from Life Magazine Archive
Kids just don't wear their jumping hats anymore.

Gravestone of the Day: Abigail Thomas

Abigail Thomas, 1753, Marshfield, MA
HERE LYES THE
BODY OF Mrs ABIGAIL
THOMAS WIFE OF Mr
GIDEON THOMAS WHO
DIED SEPTEMBER ye
25th 1753 AGED 52
YEARS & 9 MONTHS
AND 28 DAYS

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Robert Gibbs

Robert Gibbs, 1762, Providence, RI
Here lieth Interred
the Body of Robert
Gibbs Junior, Son
of Robert Gibbs Esqr.
who died Octor. 7th.
1762, in the 32d. Year
of his Age.
Blessed are the Dead
Who die in the Lord.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Abiel Goodin

Abiel Goodin, 1762, York, ME
Here lyes Interrd ye Body
of ABIEL GOODIN, Who
was one of ye ruling Elders
of ye first Church in this Town;
He was Exemplary
for his prudence, patience
Piety and Industry.
He died Octor 28th 1762
Aged 69 Years

Friday, May 21, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Rebekah Hooper

Rebekah Hooper, 1675, Copp's Hill, Boston, MA

REBEKAH
HOOPER THE
DAVGHTER OF
GORG HOOPER
AGED 2 YEARES
AND 10 WEEKES
DYED THE 15 OF
OCTOBER 1675

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Ann Erinton

Ann Erinton, 1653, Cambridge, MA
HERE LIES Ye BODY OF ANN
ERINTON AGED 77 YRS DECD
DECEMR 25 1653

I think there's a good chance that this stone is backdated. It looks very much like these stones from the 1670s and 1680s:

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Penuel Cady

Penuel Cady, 1754, Brooklyn, CT
penuel son
to mr Na~
hum & Mary
Cady died
Oct 5: AD 1754
in ye 5 year
of his age

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Charles Chadwick

Charles Chadwick, 1682, Watertown, MA
HERE LYES Ye BODY OF
CHARLES CHADWICK
AGED 86 YRS LIUED HERE IN WATER-
TOWN ABOUT 51 OR 52 YRS DECD
APRIL Ye 10 1682

Monday, May 17, 2010

Pheasant Hat

Portrait of a Young Boy, 1605, van Zelven
I do not know whether it was wise for the subject of this painting to dress as a pheasant. That dog looks hungry.

Gravestone of the Day: Elisabeth Priest

Elisabeth Priest, 1737, Harvard, MA
HERE LIES THE BODY
OF MRS ELISABETH
PRIEST THE RELIKS
OF MR DANIEL PRIEST
WHO DIED SEPTEMBEr
THE 6Th 1737 IN
THE 53d
YEAR OF HER
AGE

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Seasar Olny

Seasar Olny, 1747, Providence, RI
In
Memory of
SEASAR Son
of Ame Olny Negro
Decd Nour. ye 5
1747 Aged 15
years & 10 Months

I have only seen a handful of children's gravestones that name a mother, but no father. All of these are the gravestones of slaves. Slavery often separated enslaved fathers from their children through death, sale, or the inability to establish recognized households and marriages. Perhaps that is what happened to Seasar's father. It is also possible that Seasar's father was a white man (a slaveowner?) and thus unacknowledgeable.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Maud Graves

Maud Graves, 1666, Charlestown, MA
MAVD GRAVES
DIED THE 7 DAY
OF APRIL 1666

Friday, May 14, 2010

Pompe Stevens

It occurs to me that I never actually posted my Pompe Stevens paper here. Since it's been a while since I posted anything substantial, I feel that I should post some serious content. You can read the full text (with footnotes and everything) on Google Docs: This Stone Was Cut By Pompe Stevens.

The images for this paper were too big for Google Docs, so I have reproduced them below the fold.

Gravestone of the Day: Benjamin Spaulding

Benjamin Spaulding, 1737, Chelmsford, MA
HERE LIES BURIED
Ye BODY OF
BENJAMn SPAULDING
SON OF DEACn
ANDREW & MRS
ABIGAIL SPAULDING
WHO DECd
DECEMBR Ye 13th
AD 1737
IN Ye 18th YEAR
OF HIS AGE

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Cato

Cato, 1763, Newport, RI
Here lyes the Body
of CATO formerly Servt.
of Mr. JOB ALMY &
lately a Servt. to Mr.
SILAS COOK of 
this TOWN He
died MAY 13, 1763
Aged about 40 Years.

This appears to be a Boston-style stone, which is unusual for Newport.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Lydia Hartshorn

Lydia Hartshorn, 1776, Providence, RI
In Memory of
LYDIA
Daughter of
STEPHEN
and SILANCE
HARTSHORN,
who died October
20th. 1776, in the
2d. Year of
her age.

Mourn not for babs,
For thay are blest
[For they in Abraham's
Bosom rest.]

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Grading Done!

At 8:51 p.m. on May 11, 2010, I assigned the final grade on my final student paper for this school year. I have a few meetings and conferences to attend in the next three days, but the hard work is done for now. It will be nearly nine months before I see another student paper/exam/section and I am so happy!

Gravestone of the Day: Hannah Webb

Hannah Webb, 1720, Hingham, MA
HERE LYES ye
BODY OF HANNAH
WEBB
WIFE TO PETER
WEBB DECD. JANry. ye 10th
1719/20 IN ye 20th
YEAR OF HER
AGE

Monday, May 10, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: John Gove

John Gove, 1704, Cambridge, MA
HERE LYES ye
BODY OF JOHN
GOVE AGED
ABOUT 77 YEARS
WHO DECEASED
NOVEMBER ye 24th
1704

White House Hats

Quentin Roosevelt and Roswell Pinckney
The White House
17 June 1902

Quentin, son of President Teddy Roosevelt, and Roswell, son of White House Steward Henry Pinckney, were playmates. Along with Quentin's siblings, other children of staff members, and an extensive menagerie, they made sure that there was never a dull day at the White House.

via the Library of Congress

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Top 1000 with Spellings Added

Oooh, look. Name Nerds has published a list that calculates all of the spellings of the top 1,000 names.

Gravestone of the Day: Theodore Hall

Theodore A. G. Hall, 1864, Providence, RI
THEODORE A.G. HALL.
Troop C. 1st R.I.C.
Died Aug. 2, 1864
of disease contracted in
the U.S. service during
the Great Rebellion.
Aged 32 years.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Timothy Carpantar & Daberah Iovning

Timothy Carpantar & Daberah Iovning, 1749, Providence, RI
In Mamory of mr
Timothy Carpantar
Decd August ye 2th 1749
Aged 57 Year
&
Daberah Waif of Mr
Timothy Iovning

This is a strange one. Assuming that "Waif" is supposed to be "Wife" and "Iovning" is a last name, this gravestone commemorates two adults whose relationship is not immediately apparent.

I've seen some double stones dedicated to unrelated adults, but there is usually a story there. Teenagers Paul Harrington and John Ball drowned together in 1771. Richard Fisher, John Jacobs, and William Wright died together in a similar accident in 1826.

I'm not quite sure what relationship might exist between Timothy and Daberah/Deborah. My initial thought was that they might be siblings. Timothy was born in 1680 in Pawtucket to Timothy Carpenter and Hannah Burton, but there doesn't seem to be a Deborah among his siblings.

My other thought was that "Iovning" might not be a last name. This carver wasn't the most experienced gravestone cutter around — note how he scratches "mr" into an empty space and messes up the date (2th) — so it is possible that this could be the misplaced word "loving," as in "Deborah, his loving wife." I haven't been able to find anyone in Rhode Island with a name that looks like Iovning/Jovning/Iouning/Jouning — perhaps "Young"? or "Jovin"? I don't know, and it's really tough when there's no death date.

All theories welcome.

Friday, May 7, 2010

2009 Social Security Name Lists

The 2009 Social Security Name Lists are out! Oh, how I love them.

Some highlights:
  • Isabella took the top spot by storm, beating out Emma by over 4,000 babies.
  • There are seven spellings of Caitlin in the top 1,000 (Kaitlyn (#67), Katelyn (#89), Caitlyn (#255), Caitlin (#266), Katelynn (#316), Kaitlin (#577), Kaitlynn (#634)). I did not bother to count the Kailyns and Kaylees. There are a lot.
  • Jacob is the top name for boys with 20,858 little Jacobs born in 2009. Yet, if you add up the number of babies named Aidan/Aiden/Aden/Adan/Ayden/Aydan/Aydin/Aedan/Aaden, it blows Jacob out of the water with 31,365. Jaden/Jayden/Jaeden/Jaydin/Jaydan/Jaydon/Jaiden also beats Jacob with 25,568.
  • For twin girls, the #7 combo is Heaven/Nevaeh. Also noteworthy: London and Paris (#18).  Another palindrome combo, Aidan/Nadia, is charting at #10 on the mixed-gender twin list. My favorite twin combo (anagram Alice/Celia) remains unlisted.
  • My name has slipped to to #3 among my siblings in terms of popularity — Graham is now #262, just edging Caitlin (#266). Benjamin continues to beat us all soundly. Wheeler and Brighid remain out of the running.
And some awards:
  • Shortest names: Ty (#222m), Bo (#782m)
  • Longest name: Maximiliano (#460m)
  • Most patriotic name: Liberty (#521f)
  • Highest combined m/f ranking: Taylor (#298m, #22f)
  • Tolkien-est name: Rohan (#531m)
  • Best use of letter X: Maxx (#958m)
  • Name with most to live up to: Messiah (#663m)
  • Least beating around the bush: Unique (#929f)
  • Scariest name: Aryan (#772m)
Laura Wattenberg has more analysis over at The Baby Name Wizard.

P.S. A hint for anyone who is interested: Snapdragon's name is not among the top 1,000.

Gravestone of the Day: Ruth Mason Sheldon

Ruth Mason Sheldon, 1818, Providence, RI
In Memory of
MRS. RUTH MASON SHELDON,
the beloved Wife of
MR. DANIEL SHELDON,
and Daughter of the late Aaron Mason, Esq.
who, in full Assurance
of inheriting the Divine Promises,
fell asleep in Jesus on the 23d Day
of June, 1818, aged 39, 1 Month,
and 23 Days.

"Blush not, recording marble, to proclaim
Whate'er was mortal of a spotless name,
Here lies entombed; the immortal spark above
Glows unextinguished in the realms of love.
And in new worlds enjoys the enraptured bliss,
That crowns the virtues of the just in this,
And just she was, if e'er imperfect man,
By Heaven's kind aid, accomplish'd Heaven's plan:
Each human virtue triumph'd in her soul,
And faith's ennobling signet stamped the whole."

"Blessed are they which do hunger and 
thirst after Righteousness: for the shall 
be filled."

TINGLEY, SO.

The Tingley & Sons monument company of Providence, RI had an engraving machine that could produce different fonts. They were not shy about using several styles on a single gravestone. I don't have precise statistics, but I imagine that mechanizing the process made long epitaphs cheaper (the Stevens shop charged by the letter until at least the 1780s). The new process made it easy to churn out stones with lengthy epitaphs.

This is also another example of the use of the term "marble" as a synonym for "monument," even when that monument is made of slate.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Anna Eaton

Anna Eaton, 1760, Haverhill, MA
HERE LIES
BURIED THE
BODY OF MRS
ANNA EATON
DAUGHTER OF
Mr JOHN EATON
WHO DEPARTED
THIS LIFE NOUr
26 1760 IN
THE 59 YEAR
OF HER AGE

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Happy Birthday, Pete!

Gravestone of the Day: Ruth Owen

Ruth Owen, 1750, Providence, RI
In Memory of
Ruth Daugtr. of
Ioseph & Mary [Marcy? Margy?]
Owen died April ye 20st
1750 Aged 3 years
& 2 Months &
19 Deys

I wonder who cut this stone. Some of the letter forms are quite sophisticated — look at the lower-case g and the capital A — but the spelling and spacing are amateurish. The portrait/cherub is lovely, but the stone shape is rough. This stone is in the African-American section of the North Burial Ground in Providence, but I am not completely sure that it belongs to an African-American child.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Flora Coggeshall

Flora Coggeshall, 1766, Newport
IN MEMORY of
Flora Coggeshall
Wife of Mark
Tillinghast who
died Dec ye
29th 1766 in 
ye 48th Year of 
her Age.

In most cases, is very unusual for colonial-era gravestones to identify a wife and her husband by different last names. Yet, there is one graveyard in New England where it is the norm: God's Little Acre, the section of the Newport Common Burying Ground where Newport's slaves are buried.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Annushka's Hat

Annushka, 1767, by Ivan Argunov

I found this little lady and her dainty hat over at The Dutchess of Devonshire's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century. Her name is Annushka and she was a Kalmyk serf in Russia. The artist, Ivan Argunov, was also a serf belonging to the same noble family.

Gravestone of the Day: Dorothy Manning

Dorothy Manning, 1692, Cambridge, MA
HERE LYES ye BODY
OF DOROTHY
MANNING WIFE TO
WILLIAM MANNING
AGED 80 YEARS
DIED IULY 26
1692

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Martha Green

Martha Green, 1768, Grove Hill Cemetery, Waltham, MA
Here lies the
Remains of Mrs. Martha
Green, wife of Mr:
Benjamin Green who
Departed this Life
December 25th: 1768. In
the 33d Year of her age.
who lived desired and died
Lamented
Coruption Earth and wormes
Shall but refine her flesh,
Tile her triumphant spirit comes
[To put it on afresh.]

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson, 1722, Duxbury
Here Lyes ye Body of
Mrs. MARY ROBINSON,
Daugty. of ye Revrd. Mr JOHN
ROBINSON of Duxbury
& Mrs HANNAH His Wife;
Drowned wth her Mother,
in ye passage from Duxbury
to Boston; Septr. 22d, 1722
AEtatis 16.
Then are they quiet, because
they are at Rest Psl. 107 30.