Gravestone of the Day: Henry Woods

Henry Woods, 1804, Pepperell, MA

ERECTED

in memory of

Gen. HENRY WOODS,

who died March 5th, 1804.

Aged 70 years.

He served his country in her contest for the

obtainment of freedom and independence and

has since sustained with honor several important

offices both civil and military. He was no less endear-

ed to his family and connections by his disposition

to disseminate kindness and promote the social

virtues than to the community by his public spirit

and charity.

See RJO's post mentioning Woods' involvement in Shays' Rebellion.

Gravestone of the Day: Ruth Parker

Ruth Parker, 1822, Pepperell, MA

RUTH,

Widow of

NATHANIEL
PARKER,

Died Mar. 20, 1822;

AEt. 89.

Nathaniel Parker, her

husband was kill'd at

the Battle of Bunker's

Hill June 17, 1775;

AEt. 36.

Weep not for me, but for your selves.

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: 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: John Blood

John Blood, 1770, Pepperell, MA

Memento mori

Here lies Buried the

Body of Mr. John Blood

who departed this Life

march ye 26th AD 1776 In the

63d year of his Age

Leaveing a Very sorrowfull widdow

and Children who mourns the

Loss of a kind tender & affectionate

Husband & father But not with

out Hope as he manifested

his desire to be absent from

the Body & Present with Jesus

Christ he Buried ten

Children & Left six

Gravestone of the Day: Jonathan Blood

Jonathan Blood, 1763, Pepperell, MA

Memento mori

Here lies the Body of

Jonathan Blood the Son of

Deacon David and Mrs. Abigail

Blood, who receiv'd a Wound

by a Cart Wheels going over 

him at Concord July 19th. 1763

of which he died in a few Hours

in the 21st Year of his Age

This is just one of the many gravestones dedicated to people who were killed in cart accidents.

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: 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: Richard Warner

Richard Warner, 1768, Pepperell, MA

ERECTED

In Memory of Mr

RICHARD WARNER

he Departed this Life

Sept. the 15th, 1768 in

Ye 93d Year of his Age.

He was a Kind & Loving husband,

A pleasant & tender Parent, Compas

sionate to the poor, diligent in bu

siness honouring God with his

Substance, & now, is gone to receive

a reward for his past labour.

It looks like this carver initially left the d off of "husband" — the comma suggests that he didn't intend to put it on another line and the size of the d is much smaller than the last two letters of "receive." Dropped ds and ts are not uncommon in New England gravestones.

Gravestone of the Day: Benjamin Chamberlin

Benjamin Chamberlin, 1778, Pepperell, MA

THIS MONUMENT

Is Erected in Memory of

Mr. Benjamin Chamberlin

who departed this Life

in the Continental Army

at Valleyforge in the

year 1778; In ye 17th

year of his Age.

He was ye Son of Mr. Phineas Chamberlin

and Mrs. Lydia his wife.

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

Father of All Living

In Good Wives, Laurel Ulrich writes about colonial New England women's role as Eve, Mother of All Living. In that chapter, she argues that the fulfillment of a woman's role as mother came when she saw her children's children flourish.

I have found several references to women's abundant fecundity and matriarchal achievements on their gravestones, the most notable example being the Lois Cook Bartlett stone in Brunswick, ME.

On occasion, I also find this theme on men's gravestones (see Daniel Tyler, Brooklyn, CT). My most recent addition to this collection is the Elijah Shattuck stone in Pepperell, MA.

ELIJAH SHATTUCK

DIED

OCT. 30, 1841,

AE. 88.

He was the father of

8 Children,

13 Grandchildren

& 33 Great Grand

Children.

Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is not the most elegant of state seals. Most state seals are cluttered and Massachusetts' is cleaner than some (I'm looking at you, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Hawaii), but it still has a lot going on. There's no harmony between the elements: a random star, an out-of-proportion arm floating vaguely above the shield, and a wordy, counterclockwise banner surrounded by clockwise Latin outer ring.* At least Massachusetts' seal only uses four colors — Montanans and Californians need the big box of Crayolas.**

Massachusetts' seal features several elements:

a shield having a blue field or surface with an Indian thereon, dressed in a shirt and moccasins, holding in his right hand a bow, and in his left hand an arrow, point downward, all of gold; and, in the upper corner of the field, above his right arm, a silver star with five points. The crest is a wreath of blue and gold, on which in gold is a right arm, bent at the elbow, clothed and ruffled, with the hand grasping a broadsword.

The motto, "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" ("By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty") was written by Algernon Sidney, presumably sometime before he was executed for treason.

My favorite part of the seal has always been the disembodied arm swinging the sword. There's a Massachusetts monument at Gettysburg that has an arm rising out of the top — when I was a child, it always made me think of zombies.

According to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the sword was first added to the seal in 1775, but it doesn't seem to have become disembodied until at least 1780. Yet, we find it on the Benjamin Chamberlin gravestone in Pepperell, MA (dated 1778):

There are a few possibilities here:

• the arm and sword motif may have been circulating in Massachusetts before Nathan Cushing designed the seal in 1780
• the Benjamin Chamberlin stone may have been carved after 1780

Has anyone seen the arm and sword on an object that can be positively dated pre-1780? If not, the second possibility seems more likely. It might help me determine how long it took for communities to erect gravestones for men who died far from home during the Revolution.

THIS MONUMENT

Is Erected in Memory of

Mr. Benjamin Chamberlin

who departed this Life

in the Continental Army

at Valleyforge in the

year 1778; In ye 17th

year of his Age.

He was ye Son of Mr. Phineas Chamberlin

and Mrs. Lydia his wife.

*I say this, of course, with the caveat that I know nothing about heraldry. It may fit the conventions very nicely, but I still think it's ugly.
**The best state seals (in no particular order): Rhode Island, Texas, Louisiana. Mississippi would be a contender if they hadn't just lifted their design from the US seal.