Gravestone of the Day: Dinah

Dinah, 1762, Newport Common Burying Ground

June 12th, 1762

died Dinah aged

28 Years Servt.

to John Tweedy

Wife of Haman

Servt. to

James Tanner

This stone neatly encapsulates the nested dependency of enslaved women in colonial New England. Marriages among slaves were sometimes recognized as legal in Rhode Island, but married slaves were not permitted to form independent households. I always think of stones like this whenever I read debates over whether women should change their surnames at marriage. What did a surname mean to Dinah? I choose to call her Dinah, rather than Dinah Tweedy or Dinah Tanner because I just can't answer that question definitively.

Gravestone of the Day: Othniel Tripp

Othniel Tripp, 1740, NCBG, Newport, RI

In Memory of 

Othniel Tripp, died

March ye 19Th 1740

In ye 66Th year

of his age.

Othniel is a judge in the Book of Judges.

Gravestone of the Day: Bezer Hill

Bezer Hill, 1821, East Bridgewater, MA

In Memory of

MR. BEZER HILL,

Who was killed by the

upsetting of a cart,

Sep. 20, 1821.

AEt. 29.

Adieu my friends, a long & sad farewell!

A scen more solemn than the passing bell:

I hope with God in glory I shall bloom,

Where sorrow, sickness, death, can never come.

Consoling thought! dear partner dry your tears,

Your friend has gone beyond your anxious fears;

Weep not for me, prepare without delay,

To meet that debt, you all must shortly pay.

B.L.

Can't blame this one on David Blood.

I thought that this might be an example of Beza + accent = Bezer, but there is actually an obscure Bezer in the Bible. Maybe it's even the other way around — there's no Beza in the Bible, so maybe someone like Beza Soule is really Bezer + accent = Beza? There is a Bezaleel, though, so who knows.

In any event, the biblical Bezer appears only once. Some of his brothers and cousins listed in adjacent verses would also make great additions to my Alphabet: Jephunneh, Pispah, Ulla, Zophah, Imna, etc.

Gravestone of the Day: Abihail King

Abihail King, 1755, Wrentham, MA

In Memory of

Abihail King

who Died Octbr.

the 5th 1755

in ye 16th Year

of Her

Age.

Not a typo. There were several Abihails in the Bible.

Obscure Bible Names Alphabet

Gravestone of the Day: Mary Willington

Mary Willington, 1799, Arlington, MA

SACRED

to the memory of

Miss MARY WILLINGTON,

dau. of Coln.

JEDUTHAN and Mrs.

SUSANNAH WILLINGTON,

who died 26 Aug. 1799;

AEt. 16.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

Gravestone of the Day: Hephzibah Dickinson

 Hephzibah Dickinson, 1795, Hatfield, MA

In Memory of

Miss Hephzibah Dickinson

Daughter of Colo Lemuel

and Mrs Molly Dickin

son, who died Decr 29th

1795. in the 21st Year

of hir Age.

Gravestone of the Day: Jerusha Pond Fisher

Jerusha Pond Fisher, 1812, Wrentham, MA

In memory of

Jerusha Pond,

Daughter of

Mr. Paul Fisher &

Mrs. Artemissa his wife

who died April 21st,

1812 In the 6th

Year of her Age.

If I ever write any Redwall fanfic, I'll know what to name my otters.

Gravestone of the Day: Abigail Carlile

Abigail Carlile, 1797, York, ME

SACRED

to the memory of

MRS. ABIGAIL CARLILE,

wife of

Mr. John Carlile, &

daur of Mr. Henry Sewall,

born Jan. 11, 1758,

died July 17, 1797,

AEt. 40.

without issue.

A lively christian.

Near this stone are deposited the re-

mains of BENJAMIN and DANIEL,

infants, and children of

Daniel Sewall Esq.

"Of such is the kingdom of Heaven."

Daniel Sewall (1755-1842) was Abigail's older brother. He married Dorcas Bartlett (1759-1843) in 1780. Their sons, Benjamin (b. 9 Nov 1785, d. 15 Dec 1785) and Daniel (b. 1 Feb 1794, d. 21 Feb 1794) were buried in a family plot with their Aunt Abigail.

Gravestone of the Day: William Burrough

William Burrough, 1772, Newburyport, MA

HERE IS INTERRD

WILLIAM THE

SON OF Mr GEORGE

& Mrs BRIDGET

BURROUGH

WHO DCSt. NOVr.

Ye 28th 1772

AGED 6 DAYS

Gravestone of the Day: Sam

Sam, 1739, NCBG, Newport, RI

Here lieth Sa[m]

a Negro Servan[t]

to Wm: Barker,

aged aout 50

Years & died

Septmr: – 1739.

The fact that Sam's age was imprecisely known probably means that he was born in Africa or the West Indies and brought to Rhode Island by a slave trader.

Gravestone of the Day: Joel and Mary Lyman

Joel and Mary Lyman, 1778, Northampton, MA

Joel, Son of Mr. Joel & Mrs.

Mrs. Mary Lyman died

Sept. 5. 1778. aged 13

Years 1 Month.

And their Dautr Mary

died Sept. 11. 1778.

aged 10 Months.

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

Gravestone of the Day: Thomas Bancroft

Thomas Bancroft, 1718, Wakefield, MA

Here Lyes the Body

of Deacon THOMAS

BANCROFT Who Sarved

The Curch of Reding

in the Office of a Dec

Aged 69 Years Who

Deceased June ye 12th, 1718

One Earth He Purchised a good Degre

Grte Boldness in ye faith & liberty

And Now Poseseth Imortality

The Memory of the Just is Blssed.

This epitaph is kind of a mess. It's squished into the available space, the lines are all different sizes, the spelling is funky, and the composition is inelegant. That's somewhat unusual for the Lamson shop — their epitaphs are usually planned out pretty well. Compare to this stone, which has similar iconography, carved by the Lamson shop in 1717.

"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.

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: John Butterfield

John Butterfield, 1766, Chelmsford, MA

Here lies the Body of

Capt: John Butterfield, who

departed this Life Janur:

8th 1766 Aged 67 Years

11 months, and 26 days.

The sin of Adam's laid me lo,

For sin hath wrought an overthrow,

From dust I came, to dust I'm come,

And now the dust's bcome my home;

Then Christ comes down with saints to Reign

Then dust me nomore shall detain.

Gravestone of the Day: Isabella Wildrage

Isabella Wildrage, 1789, Portland, ME

In Memory of

Mrs Isabella Wildrage

Consort of

Capt. James Wildrage,

who was born at the Island

of South Ronaldsha North Britain,

in the Year 1740,

& departed this Life

Septr. 23d 1789,

Aged 49 Years.

I think that the island is South Ronaldsay, pop. 854. 

Isabella Wildrage would be a good name for Fanny Forward's rancorous friend.

Gravestone of the Day: Ruth Eastman

Ruth Eastman, 1739, Hadley, MA

RVTH

EASTMAN

DYED MARCH

30 1739 AGED

8 YEAR 4 MON

Gravestone of the Day: John Westcarre

John Westcarre, backdated 1675, Hadley, MA

DOCR IOHN

WESTCARRE DYED

IN SEPR 1675 IN YE

XXXI YEAR OFS AGE

This stone, carved by Joseph Nash, is almost certainly backdated. There are a few Nash stones with dates in the 17teens, but most are from the 1720s and 1730s. It would be very unusual for a carver to go 40 years between carving stones, but not very unusual for a carver to commemorate an important citizen who died before the town had a carver. As I have argued before, Nash probably moved west after the 1690s because he was familiar with Boston stones from that era. Perhaps Dr. Westcarre had a wooden marker that was decaying in the 1720s, or perhaps an elderly widow requested a stone for the husband of her youth when Nash came to town.

Gravestone of the Day: Titus Wells Tuttle

In Memory of

Mr. TITUS

WELLS TUTTLE

who died

Sepr. 18 1795

In the 29 year

of his age.

Death is a debt

To nature due

Which I have paid

And so must you

Titus Wells Tuttle, 1795, Holyoke, MA