Gravestone of the Day: Othniel Tripp

Othniel Tripp, 1740, NCBG, Newport, RI

In Memory of 

Othniel Tripp, died

March ye 19Th 1740

In ye 66Th year

of his age.

Othniel is a judge in the Book of Judges.

Gravestone of the Day: Ellin Marion

Ellin Marion, 1744, Granary Burying Ground, Boston

Here lyes the Remains

of Mrs. ELLIN MARION wife

to Mr. JOSEPH MARION

who departed this life

on the 20th. of Ianuary

A:D 1744.

aged 56 Years 3

Months & 12 Days.

Ellen Bridge Marion was the daughter of Rev. Thomas Bridge. Her husband, Joseph Marion, was a notary public and sold fire insurance.

Gravestone of the Day: Catharine Almy

Catharine Almy, 1743, God's Little Acre, NCBG, Newport, RI

Catharine Almy

wife of Hurrican

Dunbar died

Augst: ye 1st: 1743

Aged about

35 Years.

These stones never cease to astonish me with their concise encapsulation of the cruelties of slavery. Catharine was the wife of a man whose name she could not share. Instead, her surname was the name of the people who owned her. No one knew how old she was, which probably means that she was born in Africa and that Catharine was not the name given to her by her biological family.

See my statement on naming the enslaved here.

Gravestone of the Day: Daniel Whitcomb

Daniel Whitcomb, 1746, Stow, MA

HERE LIES BURIED

Ye BODY OF DANIEL

WHITCOMB SON OF

CORNEl EPHRAIM &

MRS PARTHAIANS

WHITCOMB WHO

DECd SEPTMbr 13th

AD 1746

AGE 1 YEAR

2 M & 2 DS

"Parthaians" is Parthias Wheeler, who married Ephraim Whitcomb in 1731. Her name is also recorded as "Parthiana," but she may well have been named Parthians, as the stone suggests. Any guesses as to why an 18th-century New Englander is named after an ancient kingdom in Iran are welcome. The Parthians are mentioned once in the Bible (Acts 2:9), but the story is about Pentecost, and it is clear that "Parthians" are people from Parthia – it isn't a given name. Is there another Parthia/Parthias/Parthiana in classical literature?

Gravestone of the Day: Thomas Dorril Hasey

Thomas Dorril Hasey, 1741, NCBG, Newport, RI

In Memory of

Thos. Dorril Hasey

Son of Jacob &

Johannah Hasey,

died Septm: ye 9th:

1741: Aged 1 Year

& 9 Weeks.

I found this stone when I was going through my pictures to look for early examples of New Englanders with middle names. Johannah Hasey's middle name was Eggerton, but either she or Jacob may have been related to a Dorril family — I haven't found much evidence one way or another.

Gravestone of the Day: Joseph Peirce

Joseph Peirce, 1747, Grove Hill Cemetery, Waltham, MA

Here lyes ye Remains of Mr.

JOSEPH PEIRCE Who lived & served

his Generation by ye will of God Till ye

73d Year of his Age & then died Augst ye 29

1747 & was laid to his Fathers & saw corruption

& died in Hopes of a Glorious Resurrection

He Constantly did work He Earnest did Intreat

And then He Constantly did go & at Gods House did meet

To Here what God ye Lord would unto him Impart

& then He did Return again Rejoyceing in his heart

What an awkward epitaph.

Gravestone of the Day: Ezra Angier

Ezra Angier, 1747, East Bridgewater, MA

HERE LYES Ye BODY OF

EZRA ANGIER Ye SON

OF Ye Revd: Mr. JOHN

ANGIER & Mrs: MARY

HIS WIFE, WHO

DEPARTED THIS LIFE

JULY Ye 29th 1747

IN Ye 10th YEAR

OF HIS AGE ~

Reserved for a glorious

Resurrection

Gravestone of the Day: Benjamin Fisk

Benjamin Fisk, 1742, Wenham, MA

HEre Lyeth ye Body

of Mr Benjamin Fisk

Who Died Iune ye 6th

1742 Aged About

67 years

Gravestone of the Day: Bradbary Dweile

Bradbary Dweile, 1748, Norwell, MA

HERE LYES THE

BODY OF BRADBARY

DWEILE DAUGHTER

OF Mr JOSEPH &

Mrs MARY DWEILE

WHO DIED SEPTEMBER

ye 22th. 1748 IN ye 13.

YEAR OF HER AGE.

Good name. "Here lies the body / of Bradbary Dweile" sounds like the first two lines of a nursery rhyme.

Gravestone of the Day: James Pearson

James Pearson, 1744, Haverhill, MA

HERE LIES BURIED

THE BODY OF
CAPT IAMES PEARSON

WHO DIED DECEMBER

9th 1744 IN THE 67

YEAR OF HIS AGE

Gravestone of the Day: John Winshipp

John Winshipp, 1740, Arlington, MA

John Winshipp Son

of Deacon John &

Mrs Elizabeth

Winshipp Died

July 20th 1740 in ye

11th Year of His Age

Gravestone of the Day: Martha Angier

Martha Angier, 1747, East Bridgewater, MA

HERE LYES Ye BODY OF

MARTHA ANGIER, Ye

DAUGHTr: OF Ye Revd Mr

JOHN ANGIER & Mrs:

MARY HIS WIFE, WHO

DEPARTED THIS LIFE
JULY Ye 23d 1747

IN Ye 14th YEAR

OF HER AGE.

Gone but not lost

Gravestone of the Day: Nevenson Stone

Nevenson Stone, 1749, Watertown, MA

Here lyes ye Body

of Nevenson Stone,

Son of ye Revd. Mr.

James Stone, of

Holleston, Decd. & Mrs

Elizabeth his Wife; Who

Died Decemr. 8th: 1749. in

ye 13th Year of his Age.

There was a Nevenson/Nevinson family in early Boston. They may have been related to Rev. Stone or his wife. It looks like Elizabeth's maiden name was Swift, but could be related to the Nevinsons in another way. Alternatively, Rev. Stone may have named his son after a Harvard friend or colleague in the tradition of the mix-and-match Tufts/Mather/Cotton naming scheme.

Gravestone of the Day: Jacob Currier

Jacob Currier, 1742, Amesbury, MA

HERE LYES BURIED

THE BODY OF

MR IACOB CURRIER

WHO DIED IUNE 12

1742 IN ye 42ND

YEAR OF HIS AGE

Gravestone of the Day: Ann

Ann, 1743, Newport, RI

ANN A NEGRO CHILD

BELONGING TO Mr.

ROBERT OLIVER, &

DAUr. TO HIS NEGRO

MIMBO AGED 2 Yr

DIED JUNE 1743

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.

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.

Gravestone of the Day

Hannah Ruggles, 1742, Norwell, MA

HERE LYES ye

BODY OF Mrs

HANNAH RUGGLES

DAUGHTER OF MR

JOHN RUGGLES

WHO DYED APRIL

ye . 9th . 1742 . JN

ye . 12 . YEAR

OF HER AGE

carved by Jacob Vinal, Jr.