Gravestone of the Day: Amos Boardman

Amos Boardman, 1788, Wakefield, MA

IN

Memory of

MR. AMOS BOARDMAN,

who died Jan. 8, 1788:

in the 60 year

of his age.

Reader may this remind you

By the Grace of God

to prepare for a sudden Death.

Gravestone of the Day: Robert Ray

Robert Ray, 1784, Sheldonville, MA

IN

memory of

Mr. Robert 

Ray, who

died January

2d 1784.

Aged 66

years.

Gravestone of the Day: Anna Holyoke Cutts

Anna Holyoke Cutts, 1788, North Cemetery, Portsmouth, NH

Here lies (mix'd with the clods of the

valley) the Dust of Anna Holyoke Cutts

2d: daughr: of Samuel Cutts Esqr:

she cherfully resin'd her Soul to God

who gave it 28th of Augst: 1788. AE 20

With Life contented as in death resin'd

To sea's congenial flow the unspoiled mind;

Attending Angels hail'd her to that shore

Where Times dull [winter?]

Does this count as another way to say died? Number 60 is "Resigned His Soul to God" — do you think that "cherfully resin'd her Soul to God who gave it" is substantially different? I usually have no trouble booting a gravestone from 101 Ways to Say Died when I find a more interesting version of the phrase, but #60 is the gravestone of Yarrow, which is one of the few gravestones of African Americans in the series.

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.

Gravestone of the Day: Martha Warner

Martha Warner, 1787, Hadley, MA

In Memory of

MRS, MARTHA Wife of

MR, NOADIAH WARNER

Who was born July

17, 1750.

& died Octbr, 25, 1787.

Life is Uncertain

Death is sure,

Sin is the wound

& Christ the cure.

Noadiah is another name in the Zebina category — the Biblical Noadiah was an Israelite who returned from Babylon and is mentioned in Ezra 8:33.

Gravestone of the Day: Nehemiah Hobart

Nehemiah Hobart, 1789, Pepperell, MA

IN memory of, Mr.

Nehh. HOBART, who died

Jan. 5, 1789, in the 72 yr

of his age;

whose death was caused by

falling backwards, on a 

stick, as he was loading wood

Nobody present, but his 

grandson, who lived with

him.

A kind husband, a tender

parent, a trusty friend, respect-

able in his day, his death

remarcable!

Gravestone of the Day: Hannah Harskell

Hannah Harskell, 1788, Sheldonville, MA

 In memory of

Mrs. Hannah, wi-

fe of Mr. Cum-

fort Harskell, who

died Octb. 1st

1788

This stone — carved by the Sheldonville Geometric Carver — features the rare hyphenation of a single-syllable word. Anyone who is looking for Hannah in a genealogy should probably try searching for "Haskell," rather than "Harskell."

Gravestone of the Day: David Blood

David Blood, 1787, Pepperell, MA

IN Memory of

Deacon DAVID BLOOD

who was struck dead in the

70th year of his age, by an overturn

of his cart, Decr. ye 6th 1787.

He was industrious in his calling

peaceable in his behavior upright in his

dealings kind to the distressed friendly

to the clergy very constant in

publick worship, and faithful in his

office in the Church.

Death alas perhaps too nigh,

In the next hedge doth sculking lie;

There plants his engines thence lets fly his dart:

Which while we ramble without fear

Will stop us in our full career,

And force us from our airy dream to part.

Another cart accident.

Gravestone of the Day: Sylvanus and Freelove Jenckes

Sylvanus and Freelove Jenckes, 1780-1, North Burial Ground, Providence, RI

In MEMORY of

Capt. SYLVANUS JENCKES,

who died in Petersburg, in

VIRGINIA NOV. 25, 1781, aged

35 Years, 2 Mo. and 3 Days.

ALSO

Of his truly amiable Lady,

Mrs. FREELOVE JENCKES,

who died the 19th. of FEB.

1780, AGED 31 Years, 10 Mo.

and 26 Days. She was of

an antient and HON. Family,

and Daughter of Captain

JAMES FENNER. She

Possessed evry Grace, and

Virtue, both of Body and

Mind, which exalt Humane

Nature; and was a bright

Ornament to her Soul.

Gravestone of the Day: Abigail Blood

Abigail Blood, 1783, Pepperell, MA

N.B. The Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

In memory of

Mrs. Abig'l. Blood, relict of Mr.

John Blood deceas'd, who died

very suddenly (probably of the

apoplexy) upon ye 7th day of

Novr. 1783 In the 61st

Year of her Age.

She was a person of a tender heart;

constant & conscientious in her

duty to GOD & man. ~

"Blessed is that servant whom, his

"Lord when he cometh

"shall find so doing.

"N.B." is striking me as funny — maybe it just sounds incongruously legalistic preceding a Bible verse.

Gravestone of the Day: Freelove Windsor

Freelove Windsor, 1783, North Burial Ground, Providence, RI

IN Memory of

Mrs. FREELOVE

WINDSOR,

the late amiable

Consort of

Mr. Olney Windsor,

who died Feby. 17th.

A.D. 1783, in the

28th. Year of her

Age.

Freelove was a fairly popular name in 18th-century Rhode Island, though I have not seen it much elsewhere. Freelove Windsor was the wife of Olney Winsor, whose gravestone appeared yesterday.

Gravestone of the Day: Charles Stewart

Charles Stewart, 1783/1849, Castine, ME

In Memory of

CHARLES STEWART,

the earliest Occupant

of this Mansion of the 

Dead, a Native of Scotland,

& 1st Lieut. Comm. of his

B.M. 74th Regt. of foot,

or Argyle Highlanders,

who died in this Town, while

it was in possession

of the Enemy,

March A.D. 1783,

and was interred beneath 

this Stone, AEt. about 40 y's.

Charles Stewart, a British officer, is buried in Castine, Maine. In 1779, he was part of the British garrison that helped fight off the infamous Penobscot Expedition — not that it needed much fighting off. The leaders of the expedition — Commodore Dudley Saltonstall and Paul Revere — waged such an ineffective campaign to drive the British out of Maine that Saltonstall had to stand trial before a court-martial and Revere was dismissed from military service. The Americans more or less sailed to Castine, made a few feeble attempts at a ground assault, and then waited around in the harbor until the British navy arrived in such force that they were forced to scuttle their own ships and walk back to Boston.

Despite the fact that Charles Stewart was on the winning side of one of America's worst naval defeats, someone in Castine has chosen to honor him by placing an American flag at his gravesite. I do not know why. I am also slightly skeptical that Stewart was actually the first person buried in this particular graveyard, seeing as I found a marker bearing the date 1782 not 20 yards away:

Gravestone of the Day: Zephaniah Lothrop

Zephaniah Lothrop, 1781, West Bridgewater, MA

In Memory of

Zephaniah son of Mr

Zephaniah Lothrop &

Sarah his wife he died

Feb. ye 9th, 1781,

in his 5th Month.

Gravestone of the Day: John Angier

John Angier, 1787, East Bridgewater, MA

Erected

in memory of

the Revd. Mr. JOHN ANGIER

who died April 14th 1787

in the 86th year of his age,

and in the 63d year of

his ministry.

"Be thou faithful unto Death &

I will give thee a Crown of Life."

This stone was carved by Bildad Washburn (1762-1832). James Blachowicz includes a long description of Washburn's extensive carving practice in From Slate to Marble (pgs.227-237). According to Blachowicz, this depiction of Rev. Angier in his pulpit is one of only two portrait stones by Washburn. It is unusual among portrait stones because it embeds the portrait in a real-world landscape. Only a few portrait stones embellish the setting in this way.

Gravestone of the Day

Polly Harris, 1787, Charlestown, MA

this Stone is

in Memory of

Miss POLLY HARRIS

who departed this Life

NOVEMBER 26th 1787

Aged 30 Years.

Gravestone of the Day

Tabitha Taylor, 1789, Boxboro, MA

In Memory of

Tabitha Taylor,

Daugr. of Capt. Silas

& Mrs. Mary Taylor,

who departed this

Life Jany. 3d. 1789

Aged 4 years, 4

months & 18 days