Gravestone of the Day: Phebe Seabury

Phebe Seabury, 1715, Little Compton, RI

Here lyeth ye body

of Phebe the wife

of Ioseph Seabury

who deceast in ye 

36t year of her

aGe April ye 21t 1715

"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.

Happy febuary!

Bartholomew Hunt, 1718, Little Compton, RI

Here lyeth Mr

Bartholomew

Hunt, who Dyed

febuary ye 20th.

1717/8 in the 64th

year of his

age.

Gravestone of the Day: Emim How

Emim How, 1705, Little Compton, RI

HERE LYETH Ye BODY

OF EMIM Ye DAVGHTER

OF NICHOLAS & ELINOR

HOW, SHE LIVED 6

YEARS & DYED IVLY

Ye 18TH 1705

Emim is a new one for me. It is the name of an obscure tribe mentioned briefly in the Bible.

Here is another example of colonial Americans using a collective name from the Bible as a personal name.

Gravestone of the Day: Abigail Sims

Abigail Sims, 1702, Little Compton, RI

Here lyeth ye

body of AbiGail

ye wife of Iohn

Sims & dauGhter

of Edward Rich

mond & Sarah his

wife dyed octobr

ye 4th in ye 19th

[year of her age]

Here is another stone with no year on it. I've said before that these stones make me think that they were erected soon after the death – certainly within a year, possibly within 3 months.

Abigail Richmond Sims died in 1702.

Gravestone of the Day: Elizabeth Richmond

Elizabeth Richmond, 1705, Little Compton, RI

Here lyeth Eliz-

abeth ye dauGhtr of

Edwad Richmond

& of Sarah his wife

who dyed in ye 12th

year of her aGe

may ye 11th 1705

Gravestone of the Day: An Infant

Infant Silver, 1838, Little Compton, RI

An Infant,

daughter of

Abraham P. &

Lydia B. Silver

died Aug. 16,

1838.

AE. 8 D's.

More evidence that some babies were not named at birth.

Gravestone of the Day: Sarah Simons

Sarah Simons, Little Compton, RI

Here lyeth ye Body

of Sarah ye daughter

of William & Abigail

Simons aged 3 months

And her two Brothers

one on ye Right hand

ye other on the left

Although this stone is undated, it is similar in style to other stones carved by John Stevens in the 1710s and 1720s.