Gravestone of the Day: Sarah Long

Sarah Long, 1674, Phipps St. Charlestown, MA

SARAH LONG

WIFE TO ZECHARIAH

LONG, AGED 38 YEARS

DECEASED JULY

THE 3

1674

A heart-shaped stone for Valentine's Day.

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: Job Broune

Job Broune, 1678, Phipps St. Cemetery, Charlestown, MA

IOB . BROUNE

AGED . 3 . YEARS

DIED . AUGUST

Ye . 18TH . 1678

Gravestone of the Day: James Smith

James Smith, 1678, Phipps Street, Charlestown, MA

HERE LIES Ye BODY OF IAMES

SMITH AGED 28 YEARS DECEASED

SEPTEMBER Ye 18 1678

Gravestone of the Day: Elizabeth Haiden

Elizabeth Haiden, 1680, Phipps Street, Charlestown, MA

[HERE] LIES Ye BODY

[OF] ELIZABETH HAIDEN

AGED ABOUT 76 YRS

DECD OCtOBER 31

1680

Gravestone of the Day: Elizabeth Reed

Elizabeth Reed, 1803, Phipps Street, Charlestown, MA

 Sacred to the Memory

of Elizabeth Reed

Daut of Mr JOSEPH

& Miss ELIZABETH REED

died Septr 1st 1803

I love this tree. These carvings are usually so rigid, but this one has a sense of movement. It truly looks like the tree is mourning. The Farber Collection attributes a similar stone dedicated to another Reed daughter to the Lamson shop, though it does not differentiate between the work of Joseph, Caleb, and David Lamson.  Other carvings may be more precise, but this one is special.

The Town

If you have not yet seen Ben Affleck's new movie, The Town, you should know that several important events take place at the Phipps Street Burying Ground. There is also a car chase outside of Copp's Hill, but you only ever see the wall, not the interior of the graveyard.

I was so excited to see these locations. Pete, who has never been to Phipps Street, was very impressed by the fence I had to climb.

Gravestone of the Day: John Fownell

John Fownell, 1673, Phipps Street, Charlestown, MA

IOHN FOWNELL

AGED 63 YEARES

DIED THE 19 OF MARC

1673

What is this material? It doesn't look like slate. It makes me wonder about the other materials Boston-area carvers experimented with in the early days of New England gravestones (1660s and 1670s).

Gravestone of the Day: Sarah Long

Sarah Long, 1674, Charlestown, MA

SARAH LONG

WIFE TO ZECHARIAH

LONG AGED 38 YEARS

DECEASED JULY

THE 3

1674

Gravestone of the Day: Lydia Duncklee

Here is a sweet stone that is in a sad state of decay:

Lydia Duncklee, 1797, Charlestown, MA

This Stone

Was Erected

By JOHN P DUNCKLEE, 1797

In memory of his beloved wife

LYDIA DUNCKLEE,

who died Feby. 22 1797

Aged 38 Years.

And of their Infant son

Nathaniel Mead Duncklee

who died Jany. 31 179-

age 2 Weeks.

There are several notable things here:

• the stone tells us when it was erected
• the name of the person who erected the stone comes before the name(s) of the deceased
• the epitaph makes explicit reference to emotional attachment

Gravestone of the Day: Mary Hoockey

Mary Hoockey, 1678, Charlestown, MA

HERE LIES ye BODY OF MARY

HOOCKEY WIFE OF NICOLAS HOOCKEY

AGED 27 YEARS DIED OCTOBER ye 4

1678

Gravestone of the Day: Maud Graves

Maud Graves, 1666, Charlestown, MA

MAVD GRAVES

DIED THE 7 DAY

OF APRIL 1666

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.

Richard Kettell

Richard Kettell, Charlestown, MA, 1680

Lydia Wood

Lydia Wood, Charlestown, MA, 1712