Gravestone of the Day: Ruth Eastman

Ruth Eastman, 1739, Hadley, MA

RVTH

EASTMAN

DYED MARCH

30 1739 AGED

8 YEAR 4 MON

Gravestone of the Day: Benjamin Peirce

Benjamin Peirce, 1735, Phipps Street Cemetery, Charlestown, MA

Benjamin Peirce

Son of Jerathmil

& Rebeckah Peirce

Died Febry 2nd

1735. Aged 7

Months & 5 Days

Gravestone of the Day: Thomas French

Thomas French, 1733, Deerfield, MA

Here lyeth the body

of Deacon Thomas

French who dyed

April ye 5th 1733

Aged 76 Years

Thomas French and his family were captured during the 1704 raid on Deerfield. He survived the ordeal and was ransomed in 1706, but was never able to put his family back together. His wife, Mary Catlin French, and the couple's 1-month-old son, John were killed during the raid. The other French children, Mary (17), Thomas (14), Freedom (11), Martha (8), and Abigail (6), survived the raid and the march to Canada. Mary and Thomas were ransomed along with their father, but the three younger girls never returned to New England. Freedom was given to a French merchant in Montreal and was re-named Marie Francoise. She remained in contact with her sister Martha — the two girls eventually married into the same French Canadian family. Abigail was adopted by a Mohawk family and lived out her life as a Mohawk woman.

Gravestone of the Day: Frankey and Judey

Frankey and Judey, 1732, NCBG, Newport, RI

Here lieth two

Negro Sarvants

to Mr Edward Baner

Frankey died Sepr:

ye 14th 1732 & Judey

died ye [22?]

Gravestone of the Day: Elizabeth Lathrup

Elizabeth Lathrup, 1730, Norwich, CT

HERE LIES Ye BODY

OF MRS ELIZABETH

LATHRUP LATE WIFe

TO MR JABEZ LA-

THRUP WHO DIED

APRIL Ye 14 1730

AGED 79 YEARS 6

MONTHS & 9 DAYS

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:

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.

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.

Gravestone of the Day: Rebecca Barrett

Rebecca Barrett, 1738, South Burying Ground, Concord, MA

Here lyes Interred ye Remains

of Mrs REBECCA BARRETT late

Consort of Capt. JOSEPH BARRETT

Who Departed this life June 23d: 1738 AE 54

A person of true piety & excellent vertue

Exemplary in her religious Conversation &

Conduct being a diligent instructer & faithfull

guide to her Children kind & Charitable

to her neighbours truly virtuous & desirable

in her life & much lamented at her Death.

The Memory of the Just is Blessed.

Gravestone of the Day: Priscilla Tinkham

Priscilla Tinkham, 1739, Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleboro, MA

HERE LYES ye

BODY OF PRISCILLA

TINKHAM WIFE TO

SHUBEAL TINKHAM
WHO DIED JULY

ye 11th 1739

In ye 45th YEAR

OF HER AGE

Gravestone of the Day: Cornelious Tinkham

Cornelious Tinkham, 1739, Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleboro, MA

HERE LYES ye

BODY OF CORNELIOUS

TINKHAM SON TO

JOHN TINKHAM

WHO DIED APRIL

ye 16th 1739

Gravestone of the Day: Miriam Walton

Miriam Walton, 1732, North Burial Ground, Providence, RI

Here lies Inter'd (with her two

Infant Daughters) ye Body

of ye Vertuous & very Pious

Mrs. Miriam Walton, late

Wife of John Walton Gent.

she Gloriously Departed

this Life on ye 10th Day of

Novr. AD 17[3?]2. AEtatis

suae 29.

I don't know whether I've ever seen "Gent." as an honorific on a gravestone before.

Gravestone of the Day: Baby Tinkham

Baby Tinkham, 1730, Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleboro, MA

HERE LYES THE

BODY OF ye SON

OF SETH

TINKHAM AND

MARY HIS WIFE

STILL BORN

JANY 26 1729/30

Gravestone of the Day: Rosabillah Sterry

Rosabillah Sterry, 1738, Providence, RI

Here lies Inter'd

ye Body of Rosabillah

Sterry; ye Wife of

Robert Sterry

Decd. March ye 2d

1738, in ye 28th

Year of her Age.

Another good name.

Gravestone of the Day: Alice Foord

Alice Foord, 1733, Lincoln, MA

HERE LYES Ye

BODY OF MRS

ALICE FOORD

WIFE TO Mr PELEG

FOORD WHO

DYED MAY Ye 30th

1733 & IN Ye 38th

YEAR OF HER AGE

Gravestone of the Day: Sarah Cary

Sarah Cary, 1730, East Bridgewater, MA

SARAH CARY

Died; Iune . ye . 12 .

1730 . Aged . 28 .

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.

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

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

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