"He Firmly Believed in Cats as an Article of Diet"

In honor of the day, I have an update to a story I tried to tell here nearly two years ago. I am much indebted to commenter Randy Nonenmacher for bringing this new information to my attention.

Some of you may remember Elizabeth Palmer of Little Compton, Rhode Island. Her gravestone proclaims that she "Should have been the Wife of Mr. Simeon Palmer."

Elizabeth Mortimer Palmer, 1776, Little Compton, RI

What an intriguing stone! What happened in this person's life to prompt such an epitaph?

The curious thing is that records show that Elizabeth Mortimer did marry Simeon Palmer in 1755. Back in 2009, I wrote:

So what on earth is that epitaph supposed to mean? Even if Elizabeth and Simeon were in love/engaged before he married Lidia, why would it still matter in 1776, after Elizabeth and Simeon had been married for over 20 years? It seems a strange grudge to hold. Perhaps Simeon, who outlived both his wives, was responsible for the epitaph and used the opportunity to apologize to Elizabeth for wronging her.

The whole thing is very strange. Among other things that raise red flags, Elizabeth Mortimer was 11 years older than Simeon Palmer, which certainly isn't outside of the realm of possibility, but would be unusual. Since Simeon married Lidia in 1744, when he was 21 years old, it would mean that any preexisting relationship between Simeon and Elizabeth would be between a very young man and a woman in her 30s. Again, not impossible, but strange for 18th-century New England.

Well, apparently, I did not know the half of it. In 1901, a reader named M.L.T. Alden wrote to the Newport Mercury to tell the editor about some local history he had picked up in the 1880s. It is hard to do his letter justice without quoting it at some length:

Twenty years ago this summer, I came first to Little Compton. I was much interested in this stone and made inquiries and also consulted the Town records. Aunt Sarah Charles Wilbur, the antiquarian of the village, and also Mrs. Angelina (Palmer) Griswold were then alive and they supplied the details that did not appear on the records of the Town.

The first church of Little Compton, R. I. was organized in 1704 under Rev. Richard Billings, a man of prominence and ability, much beloved, and exerted a strong influence over his charge. He had one idiosyncrasy, however; he firmly believed in cats as an article of diet, and fatted them for the purpose. Amongst his parishioners was a man, Simeon Palmer, of the fine old family resident in Little Compton. He was wealthy married first Lydia Dennis, Aug. 25, 1745, and had Susannah, Gideon, Humphrey, Sarah, Walter and Patience. At some time between 1745 and 1752 he had sunstroke which left him mildly insane and he adopted the views of his minister on cats and insisted on his family using them for food.

Pompe Stevens

It occurs to me that I never actually posted my Pompe Stevens paper here. Since it's been a while since I posted anything substantial, I feel that I should post some serious content. You can read the full text (with footnotes and everything) on Google Docs: This Stone Was Cut By Pompe Stevens.

The images for this paper were too big for Google Docs, so I have reproduced them below the fold.

Annushka's Hat

Annushka, 1767, by Ivan Argunov

I found this little lady and her dainty hat over at The Dutchess of Devonshire's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century. Her name is Annushka and she was a Kalmyk serf in Russia. The artist, Ivan Argunov, was also a serf belonging to the same noble family.

Gravestone of the Day: Daniel and William Packer

Daniel and William Packer, Haverhill, MA

TWINS

DANIEL PACKER

WILLIAM PACKER

This is a footstone. I was not able to find a corresponding headstone in the immediate vicinity.

Little Bits of Evidence

Mrs. Mary Winchcomb was buried in the old burying place, in the 67th year of her age, as her Relations tell me; though the Stone bear 69.: died suddenly.

- Diary of Samuel Sewall, August 22, 1717

I have not been able to find out exactly when Mary Winchcomb (Winchcombe? Whitcomb? Wincom? Winchon?) died, but if she was buried in August, I do not imagine that much time elapsed between burial and death. There seems to have been a carved gravestone present at her funeral. I only have a transcription of Sewall's diary, so I cannot tell if the part about the stone was added in later, but it seems to be integrated into the rest of the entry, so I would venture a guess that it really was written on August 22, 1717.

18th-Century Hoodie

Miss Crewe, c. 1775, by Joshua Reynolds

Gravestone of the Day

Hannah Angier, 1714, Cambridge, MA

Here Lyes Buried the Body

of Mrs. HANNAH, Wife of the

Revrnd Mr. SAMUEL ANGIER

and Daughter of the Revnd. Mr.

URIAN OAKES, Sometime President

of Harvard Colledge; and Pastor

of Harvard Colledge; and Pastor

of Cambridge Decd. Augt. 15th, 1714

AEtatis 55.

Gravestone of the Day

Jane Crouningshiel, 1771, Marblehead, MA

In Memory of Mrs. JANE CROU-

NINGSHIEL the Beloved Wife of

Mr. WILLIAM CROUNINGSHIEL

& only Daur. to Mr. JONATHAN &

Mrs. JANE THOMSON, died ye 27th

Janry. 1771 in ye 37th. Year of her Age.

Naked as from the Earth we came,
And crept to Life at first

We to the Earth Return again,
And mingel with our Dust

The dear Delights we here injoy
And fondly call our own
Are but short favours borrow'd now
To be Repaid anon.

The epitaph is from a hymn by Isaac Watts, based on Job 1:21. I like the letters on this one — they are so clear and precise.

Gravestone of the Day

Forty-eight of the fifty-six Deerfield residents who were killed during the raid of 1704 are buried in a common grave behind the Deerfield Academy ice rink.

Gravestone of the Day

Martha Nason, 1716, Ipswich, MA

HERE LYES JNTERRED

ye BODY OF MARTHA

NASON ye DAUGH

TER OF Mr. WILLA

BY & ESTHER

NASON WHO DIED

MAY ye 22th 1716

IN ye 21 YEAR

OF HER AGE

Gravestone of the Day

Jonathan Melven, 1737, Concord, MA

Here lies the Body of

Mr. Jonathan Melven

who died February 13th

1737 In the 49th Year

of his Age

Job, XIV. 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

Thomas Moody, 1737, Newburyport, MA

HERE LYES BURIED

the BODY OF MR

THOMAS MOODY WHO

DIED the LAST DAY OF

MARCH & IN the 69

YEAR OF HIS AGE

1737

Gravestone of the Day

Joseph Capen, 1704, Ipswich, MA

HERE LIES ye BODY

OF JOSEPH CAPEN

SON OF ye REVR. Mr.

JOSEPH CAPEN

MINISTR. ATT TOPSFEILD

DIED ATT IPSWICH ye

11 DAY OF JANUR. 1704

IN ye 11 YEAR OF HIS AGE

FLOS FLORIDUS MORTE CARPITUR

Gravestone of the Day

Elizabeth Russell, 1771, Marblehead, MA

Here lies interr'd, ye Remains

of MADAM ELIZABETH RUSSELL,

who Departed this Life Feby.

the 4th. 1771. AE: 80 Years

Weep not for me my Son most dear,

I am not Dead, but Sleeping here,

My debts are paid, my grave you see,

Wait but a While, you'll follow me.

The Memory of the Just is Blessed.

The Righteous shall be had in

Everlasting Remembrence.

Name of the Day

Bozoon Peneman

source: Boston Birth Records, 1700-1800

Name of the Day

Sometimes, transcriptions of 18th-century records have hiccups in them. When I come across a typewritten account of a baby named "Jamas," I take it with a grain of salt — it's more likely "James" + a handwriting issue.

Yet, sometimes there is a name so strange that I am forced to accept its legitimacy, if for no other reason than that I can't imagine what else the writer could have been aiming for. For example,

Tregoweth Tilbort

source: Boston Birth Records, 1700-1800

Name of the Day

While doing data entry for the recent posts on Boston names, I came across some strange appellations. Like our old friends Wigglesworth Switser and Belcher Noyes, most of the interesting names result from the use of a surname as a first name.

For example,

Spiller Munden

 
source: Boston Birth Records, 1700-1800

Hot Baby Names for 1710, Continued

I've compiled the name data from the Boston Birth Records for the years 1710-1715 in order to get a better picture of the popularity of given names as mentioned in my earlier post. I have a much larger sample this time: 818 girls and 885 boys.

Top 25 Names in Boston, 1710-1715

Jacob Lakin Stone, 1758

The Old Burying Ground in Groton, MA is home to several beautiful Park workshop gravestones from the 1750s. Of these, the most impressive is the Jacob Lakin stone. Its unusual shape, intricate detail, and elevated position (on top of a tomb mound) make this stone an eye-catcher.

A Very Confusing Epitaph

I found a mystery in Groton, MA last weekend. See what you can make of this epitaph:

Usually, I would interpret the "he" of "he was educated at Harvard College" as referring back to Col. John Bulkley, but that cannot be. He can't have graduated from Harvard in 1769 and died in 1772 at age 69. I've looked through Sibley's Harvard Grads and the oldest students were in their early 20s.

I can only assume that the second half of the epitaph refers to the younger John Bulkley (b. 1749), who was indeed a member of Harvard's class of 1769. This makes sense — the second half clearly eulogizes a young man.

It's strange, though. The Park family would have known the Bulkleys, so perhaps this epitaph was not confusing to them, but it departs rather significantly from the usual pattern of epitaphs. If there is a verse or eulogy beneath the vital information, it is almost always dedicated to the principal honoree. I've never seen anything like this one before.

Col. John Bulkley and John Bulkley, Jr.

d. 1772 and 1774

Groton, MA