Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Asenath Tinkham

Asenath Tinkham, Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleboro, MA, 1806

Miss Asenath Daughter
of Mr James
Tinkham and Mrs
Chloe his wife
Died the 12 of April
1806 aged 22 years
and 11 Months

Another Asenath.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: William Tarbell

William Tarbell, Groton, MA, 1757

Here Lies Ye Body of
Leut William Tarbell Who
Departed This Life Desmbr Ye
26th AD 1757 in Ye 69th Year
of His Age
Here lies intomb'd in this grave here
A Husband kind, a parent dear
A Neighbor good, the poor man's friend
Whom death hath brought unto his end.

It looks like the "AD" was added in after the rest of the line was finished.

Also, this is one of the more pathetic original verses I've seen.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Sarah Lamson

Sarah Lamson, Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA

SARAH DAUR
OF EBENEZAR &
SARAH LAMSON
AGED 5 MO
& 23 D
DIED SEPT ye

This stone looks like it was carved by the same carver who made the "She that lies here needs no vercifying" gravestone in Malden.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: William Waters

William Waters, 1691, Copp's Hill, Boston
HERE LYETH BURIED
Ye BODY OF
WILLIAM WATERS
Ye SON OF 
SAMSON & REBECCA
WATERS AGED 21
YEARS 3. MO. & 12 DS
DECD JUNE Ye 15
1691

Friday, November 26, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Mary Soule

Mary Soule, Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleboro, MA, 1777

In Memory of Mrs
Mary Soule
Widow of Mr.
Zachariah Soule
of plymton who
Decd May ye 14th
1777 in ye 74th year
of her Age

This stone looks like  it was carved by a member of the Soule family. I'm not sure how Zachariah and Mary were related to the carvers, but it doesn't seem presumptuous to assume that there was some connection.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Katherine and Shem Drowne

Katherine and Shem Drowne, 1774, Copp's Hill, Boston, MA

HERE LIES BURIED
THE BODY OF
Mrs. KATHERINE DROWNE
WIFE TO
DEACON SHEM DROWNE
DAUGHTER OF THE LATE
TIMOTHY CLARKE ESQr.
& SARAH HIS WIFE
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
APRIL 21st, 1754.
AGED 67 YEARS & 4 DAYS

The REMAINS
of
Deacon SHEM DROWNE
who departed this Life
JANUARY 13th:
1774.
AGED 90 YEARS
1 month & 9 days.
For if we beleive [sic] that JESUS
died & Rose again even so
them also who Sleep in Jesus,
will GOD bring with him.

I don't know why the carver decided to go with all caps on the left and a mix of upper and lower cases on the right. Since 20 years elapsed between the deaths of Katherine and Shem, it seems possible that the two sections of this stone may have been carved at different times.

Shem Drowne was a coppersmith/tinsmith in 18th-century Boston. He is best known for making the grasshopper weathervane for Faneuil Hall (1742). He made other weathervanes, too: the Indian Archer for the Province House (1716), a rooster for the First Church of Cambridge (1721), and the swallowtail banner for Old North Church (1740).

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Dyer Family

Dyer Family, 1786-1837, Plymouth, MA
Cap. CHARLES DYER,
died at Sea, March
1786; aged 46 yr.s.
BETHIAH, his wife
died June 8, 1837;
aged 87 yr.s.
Their son CHARLES,
died May 7, 1822:
aged 46 yr.s.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Happy Birthday, Brighid!

Mom, Biddie, and Wheeler, 1996, Gettysburg, PA

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:

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: John and Mary Pitman

John and Mary Pitman, 1711, NCBG, Newport, RI
Here lyeth
the Body of
John Pitman,
WHo dyed
Novemr: ye 21st:
1711: Aged 48 Years.

Here lyeth
the Body of
Mary ye Wife
of John Pitman
Dyed Decembr:
the 1st: 1711
Aged 45 Years

This is a lovely stone in wonderful condition. I wonder why John Stevens decided to use "ye" in "Novemr: ye 21st," but use "the" in "Decembr: the 1st."

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Elisabeth and James M[c]hard

Elisabeth and James McHard, 1736, Haverhill, MA

HERE LYES BURIED
the BODY OF
ELISABEth DAUGh
tER OF MR JAMES
& MARGEt
MttHARD WHO
DIED IULY Y 31
1736 & IN the 14
MONth OF HER AGE


JAMES the SON
OF MR IAMES &
MARGEt MttHARD
WHO DIED IULY
[the 31] 1736
IN the FEFH [fifth?] YEAR
OF HIS AGE

I don't know what letters those are supposed to be in the surname. Two lowercase ts? Does anyone know if this is an obsolete way of writing the "Mc" prefix?

The vital records of Haverhill transcribe this name as McHard or Mackhard:
As you can see from these records, the Mackhard family lost four children within two weeks in July of 1736. The others, John and Whitely, are buried near Elisabeth and James, but I don't have a very good photo of their gravestones:

Friday, November 19, 2010

Close, But Not Quite

This week, Andrew Sullivan published a 19th-century photo (c. 1870s) submitted by a reader who claimed that it depicts "a would-be transsexual." The person in question (far left) has not been positively identified, but he/she has short hair and the photo is labeled, "Howard."


Another reader wrote in to make the eminently reasonable point that we should not jump to conclusions when we view historical materials with 21st-century eyes:
Sometimes viewing things through a 21st century lens can be very misleading. I think there is a pretty good chance this young man is just a late bloomer and not a transsexual.  Most noticeably, he does not appear to be making any attempt to actually look like a girl.  He's just in a dress.  Of course I may be wrong, as I'm not an expert on the history of the practice of breeching, but I remember seeing pictures of my grandfather in a dress when he was at least five or six and nobody assumed he was a transsexual.
Close, but not quite.

First, dresses were for children — boys were breeched when they were kindergarten age. The person in the photo is an adolescent, not a child. Victorian boys sometimes wore military-style tunics over blousy pants until age 10 or 12, but this person is wearing an adolescent girl's dress.

Second, the reader is wrong when he/she says that there is no "attempt to actually look like a girl." As we've seen before, hair parted in the center is a strong indicator that the subject is female. The other adolescent in this picture has a more cutting-edge hairstyle: bangs. The prop, a parasol, is also a strong signifier of femininity.

The second reader makes a good point about the conclusions drawn by the first, but his/her supporting evidence falls short. Still, I am inclined to be skeptical about the possibility that the photo depicts a young boy. The original poster just makes too many assumptions. For instance, the person on the left looks like a boy to us because he/she has short hair. Yet, Victorian girls sometimes sported brutally short haircuts, particularly when they were recovering from serious illnesses. When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.

Could this be a photo of a boy in a dress? Sure. But I wouldn't bet on it.

Gravestone of the Day: Elijah Doubelde

Elijah Doubelde, 1750, Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA

Here lyes Buried
the Body of Mr.
ELIJAH DOUBELDE;
Who Departed this Life
July 2d, AD. 1750. in ye
45th Year of His Age

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: John and Zebina Montague

John and Zebina Montague, 1803, Hadley, MA
In Memory of
Lt, JOHN MONTAGUE.
who died
14th, June 1803.
Aged 753 Years.
Also ZEBINA his
son was Born
18th, Novr, 1786
& died Aged 10 mon-
ths.

Here's another example of a father and child buried together.

Zebina is really scraping the bottom of the Biblical names barrel. He is only mentioned once (Ezra 10:43) — he is one of the many, many Israelites who took a foreign wife in Babylon.

See also Noadiah. Apparently, the citizens of Hadley had a thing for obscure names.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Joseph Vaughan

Joseph Vaughan, Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleboro, MA, 1734

HERE LYES BURIED
THE BODY OF CAPt
JOSEPH VAUGHAN
WHO DECEASED
MARCH Ye 2D
1733/4 IN
Ye 81ST YEAR
OF HIS AGE
JOB Ye 14 CHAP
& Ye 10th 11th & 12th VS

For those of you who do not have the Book of Job memorized, the relevant verses are:

10: But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

11: As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

12: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Ruth Heaton

Ruth Heaton, 1781, Sheldonville, MA
In memory
of Mrs. Ruth,
wife of Mr.
Isaac Heaton;
who died
March ye 26th,
1781. in
ye 61st year of
her age.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Katharine Poulter

Katharine Poulter, 1705, Lexington, MA
KATHARINE
POULTER DAUGHTR
OF JOHN & 
HANNAH POULTER
BORN APRIL 20th
1703 DIED 19th
OF AUGUST 1705
AGED 2 YEARS 4 MO

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Hannah Eayrs

Hannah Eayrs, 1760, Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA

Here lies ye Body of
HANNAH EAYRS, Daught.
of Mr. JOSEPH & Mrs. ANN
EAYRS, who died Feb
ye 17th 1760, Aged
2. Years.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Philomela Lawrence

Philomela Lawrence, 1775, Groton, MA
Here lies the
Body of Philomela
Lawrence Daughter
of Capt: Asa Lawrence
and Mrs: Abigail his
wife she was a 
Desierable Young
babe who died
Augt: 10th 1775 Aged

Friday, November 12, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Joseph K. Ayer

Joseph K. Ayer, 1820, Haverhill, MA

Lieut.
JOSEPH K. AYER,
A member of the masonic
Family.
died, June 1. 1820.
AEt. 28.
Friends, nor Physicians could not save,
My mortal body from the grave;
Nor shall the grave confine me here
When Christ commands me to appear.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor, 1809, Groton, MA
To
the Memory of
Mrs. Sarah Taylor
Relict of Mr. David
Taylor formerly wife of
Mr. Wm. Parker
and also wife of
Mr. Abiel Richardson
She died Febr. 9, 1809
Aged 80 years

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: William Burtt and James Wood

William Burtt and James Wood, 1682, 1693, Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA
WILLIAM BURTT
AGED ABOUT 40 YEARS
DIED NOUEMBER
Ye 10 1693
MR. JAMES WOOD
OF LONDON AGED
34 YEARS DIED
JANUARY Ye 5
1682/1

This is an unusual stone. It is rare to find a monument that commemorates two adult men who are not obviously related to one another. Sometimes, unrelated individuals who die together in accidents are buried together, but Burtt and Wood died more than a decade apart. Might they have been employees of the same company? Or servants of the same master? I don't know and their names are common enough that I haven't had much luck finding them.

Note also the practice carvings beneath the ground line.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Peggy Quailes

Peggy Quailes, Groton, MA, 1775

Here lies the
Body of Peggy
Quailes Daughter 
of Mr: Charles
Quailes and Mrs:
Susanna his wife
who died Augt:
17th: 1775. Aged 17
months & 28 days

Monday, November 8, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: James Foot

James Foot, Amesbury, MA, 1846

JAMES FOOT,
Died
July 9, 1846;
aged 58 yrs.
Adieu, dearest husband! thy sufferings are o'er!
And thou hast reached that heavenly shore,
Where seas of bliss immortal roll
And burst upon thy famished soul.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Ebenezer and Elizabeth Tinckham

Ebenezer and Elizabeth Tinckham, Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleboro, MA, 1718

HERE LYE[S] [Ye]
BODY OF DEACON
EBENEZER TINCKHAM
AGED 67 YEARS
DIED APRIL Y 8
1718

HERE LYES Y
BODY OF
ELIZABETH
TINCKHAM
AGED [64?] YEARS
DIED APRIL
1718

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Francis Davis Millet

Francis Davis Millet, 1912, East Bridgewater, MA

FRANCIS DAVIS MILLET
BORN AT MATTAPOISETT,
MASSACHUSETTS, ON THE
3RD OF NOVEMBER 1846,
AND DROWNED IN THE LOSS
OF THE SHIP "TITANIC"
ON THE 15TH OF APRIL, 1912,

Francis Davis Millet was a notable American painter.

This is a hop out of chronology for me, but I am fascinated by cenotaphs dedicated to people who died at sea. This is the rarest of gravestones: a gravestone that marks an actual grave for someone who died at sea. Millet's body was recovered from the debris in the aftermath of the sinking and was returned to Massachusetts.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Jonathan Felt

Jonathan Felt, 1800, Wrentham, MA
In memory of
Capt, JONATHAN FELT
who departed this life Nov. 5th
1800
in ye 53d, Year of
his Age.

Thro wars & fiery Battles safe I've fled,
Yet slow disease has lodg'd me mongst ye dead,
Mourn not ye loss my friends in tears and sighs
Since we shall meet again beyond ye skies.

This cumbersome verse makes reference to Jonathan Felt's extensive service during the Revolutionary War. He responded to the Lexington Alarm on April 19, 1775 and served through the war until the Yorktown campaign. After the war, Felt returned to Wrentham, where he served as a Justice of the Peace until dying of consumption in 1800. He was a member of the the Society of the Cincinnati.

Also of note: Jonathan's mother's name was Lovewell Wells Felt. Let me say that again: she was born Lovewell Wells and became Lovewell Felt. Is there room for her in my novel?

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Caitlin and Ben, c. 1987

Gravestone of the Day: Chester Williams

Chester Williams, 1755, Hadley, MA
Here Rests ye Body of ye Rd.
Mr. CHESTER WILLIAMS,
In whom bright Parts, Solid Lear-
ning, unfeigned Piety, happy Elocution,
universal Benevolence, Hospitality,
& Christian Love, combined to form
the exemplary Pastor, ye kind Husband,
the tender Parent, the delightful
Companion, and the faithful Friend;
Who departed this life Octr. ye 13th
1755 36 [AEtatis Suae]

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Mercy Daby

Mercy, Phebe, and Sarah Daby, 1751, Groton, MA
Here lies the Body of
Mrs. Mercy Daby wife of
Mr. Simon Daby, who departed
this Life August 31st: 1751.
Aged 34 yeas & 10 days.

Also Phebe
their Daughter
who departed
this Life Septemr
20th: 1751 Aged 3
Years, 1 month & 25 days.

Likewise Sarah
their Daughter
Born at her
Mothers death
and lived 15 
days.

A loving Mother, a Pleasent Child,
An Infant dear, all lies here.
Naked as from the Earth we came,
and crept to Life at first,
We to the Earth return again,
And mingle with our dust.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: William Taylor

William Taylor, Holyoke, MA, 1761

WILLIAM Son of
Mr EBENEZER & Mrs
RUTH TAYLOR
died of ye small Pox
April ye 8th 1761 in
His 23d Year

Monday, November 1, 2010

Gravestone of the Day: Lydia Kingsbery

Sorry I don't have a better picture of this one:
Lydia Kingsbery, 1732, Wrentham, MA

HERE LIES THE
BODY OF LYDIA
KINGSBERY Who
Decd October
ye [10 d] 1732
IN 10 Year of
her Age

This is a crappy picture, but I wanted to post it anyway because the shape of the stone is intriguing. Although the stone has an irregular shape, the placement of the words shows that the stone was that shape before it was carved. Little or no effort was made to shape the stone into a regular rectangle , though the edges may have been smoothed. I have no idea why the carver decided to put the smaller edge on the bottom, rather than putting the widest side at the base. It seems reasonable to assume that the carver was not a professional working in a shop, but, at the same time, the lettering isn't all that bad. Could this have been carved by someone who was used to lettering/carving in another medium?

This gravestone is a relatively early survival for the Wrentham graveyard. The graveyard is very old, but most of the stones are post-1770. Many of the pre-1750 stones are from Boston or Providence, while this one looks local. Yet, the text follows the conventions of gravestones fairly closely, even while the form does not. The carver, whoever he was, was probably familiar with professionally cut gravestones, owing to his use of conventions such as Decd" and the order of the text. His style is old-fashioned — note the cross on the capital I — but not exactly rough. Is it possible that he may have carved wooden grave markers? That might explain the good letters and the wonky shape here.