Gravestone of the Day: Abihail King

Abihail King, 1755, Wrentham, MA

In Memory of

Abihail King

who Died Octbr.

the 5th 1755

in ye 16th Year

of Her

Age.

Not a typo. There were several Abihails in the Bible.

Obscure Bible Names Alphabet

Gravestone of the Day: Sarah Childs

Sarah Childs, 1752, Deerfield, MA

Mrs. SARAH

Wife of Deac

SAM'L CHILDS

Died March

21, 1752, In

ye 64 year

of her age.

Sorry about the lack of posting lately. In addition to the imminent start of the semester and my looming dissertation chapter deadline, Pete and I have decided to move to a new house. Also, there's the whole 3-month-old infant thing going on. So, I've been pretty busy. I hope that I'll be able to post some interesting things as I work on my chapter.

Gravestone of the Day: Subiner Clark

Subiner Clark, 1759, God's Little Acre, NCBG, Newport, RI

IN MEMORY of

SUBINER Daughter

of NERO CLARK

& PHILLIS his Wife

who died July

1759 in the 19th

Year of her Age.

Subiner is a name I haven't heard before and can't find in any source. Might it be a New England corruption of Sabina along the same lines as Annar and Marther?

I don't know whether Nero, Phillis, and Subiner/Sabina were free or enslaved.

Gravestone of the Day: Peter Hart & Jubaafford Greenhill-Hart

Peter Hart & Jubaafford Greenhill-Hart, 1763 & 1755, NCBG, Newport, RI

In Memory of

Peter Son of

Michael &

Jane Hart

died Novr ye

5th 176[3] in ye

[10?]th Year of

his Age

In Memory

of Jubaafford

Daughter of 

Harford Green

hill & Jane

Hart died Janr

[5th 1755]*

Peter and Jubaafford were the children of Jane Hart, a slave in Newport, Rhode Island. I don't know for sure which Newport slaveowner owned Jane and her children, but he/she was probably a member of the extensive Hart family, one of the largest and oldest Jewish merchant families in Newport.

The name that caught my eye here was Jubaafford. Google reveals no other Jubaaffords, Jubaffords, Jubaafords, or Jubafords whose records have made it to the internet. Juba is a tricky word to pin down; it is variously a term associated with African-American music, dance, and performers, a name for leftover food, and the Akan name for girls born on Mondays.

It is probably impossible to know for certain how Jubaafford Greenhill-Hart came by her name, but I will venture a tentative speculation. If her father's name was Harford, it seems possible that Jubaafford may be a compound name: Juba + Harford = Jubaafford. Venturing even further out onto the overreaching tendrils of conjecture, it is possible that Jane could have been the slaveowner-given name of an African-born woman named Juba, in much the way that Phibba was often mangled into Phoebe. Even if Jane Hart was named Jane at birth, any name containing "Juba" would be read as a link to West African cultural continuity in a city where many of the most prominent slaves (Newport Gardner/Occramar Mirycoo, Jack Mason/Salmar Nubia) were African-born. To me, Jubaafford seems like a name that is meant to do a lot of work by linking a child to West African language and culture, as well as preserving a link to a paternal name even when slavery prevented the establishment of legally-recognized families and surnames.

Thoughts? Other explanations?

*According to the Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Transcription Project, Jubaafford was born around 1749 and died in 1755.

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.

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

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]

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.

Gravestone of the Day: Jonathan Brown

Jonathan Brown, 1758, Grove Hill Cemetery, Waltham, MA

Here lyes Buried

the Body of Mr.

JONATHAN BROWN;

Who Departed this life

July ye 25th: 1758. in ye

65th Year of His Age.

He was a lover of Steady good Men,

he Remained Steady in ye Christian duties

through his life, & we trust Died their Death.

Gravestone of the Day: Obidiah Parker

Obidiah Parker, 1758, Groton, MA

Here lies the Body of

Ensign Obidiah Parker

who departed this Life

Septr. ye 28th 1758 in the

61st year of his Age

Halt passenger as you go past

Remember time it runneth fast

My dust in narrow bounds do lie

Remember man that thous must die

This dust revive it shall again

And in a grave no mor remain

When trumpet Sounds I shall be raisd

For this Gods holy word hath said

Gravestone of the Day: Richard Hazzen

Richard Hazzen, 1753, Haverhill, MA

HERE LIES BURIED

THE BODY OF MR

RICHARD HAZZEN

WHO DIED APRIL

20th 1753 IN THE

----------

Gravestone of the Day: William Blood

William Blood, 1759, Pepperell, MA

His sorrowful Widow erects

this Stone to the Memory of

Mr. William Blood, who died

in the Service of his King

and Country in the Camp at

Crown Point Novbr 6th 1759

in the 48th Year

of his Age

From deaths arrest no Age is free

Here is another stone that names its purchaser and has a self-referential epitaph.

Gravestone of the Day: Jerusha Mitchell

Jerusha Mutchell, 1755, North Burial Ground, Providence, RI

In Memory of

Mrs Jerusha Mitchell

ye Wife of Mr James

Mitchell Decd Sep-

tember ye 22d 1755

in ye 47th Year of 

her Age.

Gravestone of the Day: Amy Woods

Amy Woods, 1758, Pepperell, MA

Here lies the Body of

Mrs Amy Woods the

second Wife of Mr Isaac Woods

who departed this Life

September 10th 1758

in the 28th Year of

her Age

from Deaths Arrist no Age is free

Gravestone of the Day: Hannah and Daniel Glover

Hannah and Daniel Glover, 1760, Marblehead, MA

Hannah Glover

Who died Octob. 17

1758 Aged 1 year, &

3 days.

Daniel Glover

Who died Octob. 3.

1760 Aged 1 Year &

6 Months.

Children of Mr. John & Mrs. Han-

nah Glover.

Gravestone of the Day: Abigail Hobard

Abigail Hobard, 1757, Windham Center, CT

In Memory of

Mrs. Abigail

hobard wife

of Mr. Joseph

Hobard who

died Decr 8th

1757 in ye 79th

Year of her age

Carved by Gershom Bartlett.

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

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

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.

Gravestone of the Day: Molley Ussel

Molley Ussel, 1756, Duxbury

IN MEMORY OF

MOLLEY UFFEL

DAUGHTER TO

Mr. GEORGE UFF

EL & MRS MOLLEY

HIS WIFE WHO

DECd FEBry ye 22d

1756: O.S. AGED

18 Years & 1 MONTH

Here is an interesting bit of carving. This stone was carved by a member of the Soule family using mostly capital letters. The surname is rendered as UFFEL, with two capital Fs. Yet, Duxbury vital statistics indicate that the deceased's name was actually Molly Ussel. It would not be unusual to render Ussel using the long s in writing with lower-case letters, but I have never seen a double long s transcribed as two capital Fs on any other stone.