Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Pumpkin Boy, Vasco de Gama, a pirate, and General Nathaniel Lyon!

Gravestone of the Day: Jeremiah Brown

Jeremiah Brown, 1723, Newport, RI

Here lyeth ye

Body of Jeremiah

Brown who

died Octr: ye 30th.

1723 aged 30

Years & 30 dayes

Gravestone of the Day: Hubert Russel

Hubert Russel, 1726, Cambridge, MA

Here Lyes Buried

the Body of Mr.

HUBERT RUSSEL

Who Decd. June

the 4th 1726

Aged 39 Years

Also Here Lyes one of his Children

It is commonplace to find gravestones dedicated to a mother and one or more of her children. Similar stones for fathers are rarer. I find them most frequently in maritime communities like Plymouth, where a child's gravestone also serves as a cenotaph for a father lost at sea. A few other gravestones celebrate the achievements of successful patriarchs.

Gravestone of the Day: Preserved Smith

Preserved Smith, 1718, Hadley, MA

PRESER

VED

SMITH 1718

See also Preserved Fish.

Gravestone of the Day: Oratio Gaits Lawrence

Oratio Gaits Lawrence, 1778, Groton, MA

Here lies

the Body of

Oratio Gaits

Lawrence (Son of

Capt. Asa Lawrence

& Mrs. Abigail his

wife) who died

Octr. 27th 1778 Aged 4

months & 16 days.

Fresh in ye morn ye sumer rose

hangs Wither'd ere its noon

We scarce injoy ye Balmy gift

But mourn ye Pleasure gone

Why should we look at original gravestones rather than relying exclusively on transcriptions? In most cases, there is an easy answer to that question — the transcription does not preserve the iconography present on the original. Other important aspects of the stone are also lost in transcription — type and quality of stone, size, position, proximity to other stones, etc. A photograph fills in some — but not all — of those holes.

But even with this stone, which has very little embellishment, a transcription would miss some intriguing details. For example, the original omission of the year implies that this stone may have been carved in late 1778 or early 1779, when the carver (or epitaph writer) when the year in question was so obvious that it slipped the writer's mind. That may be overthinking things — perhaps it was just a matter of an eye skipping a line — but it seems much easier to forget to specify the year for a recent event than a distant one.

Young Oratio's name also makes me wonder about the production of this stone. He was obviously named for General Horatio Gates, whose victory at the Battle of Saratoga in October of 1777 made him an American hero. Yet, the carver misspelled both names. Why? If he was working from a written order, the mistake may have originated with the family member or friend who composed the epitaph. If he was working from an oral order, he may have done his best to spell it phonetically. In either case, two things seem to be true: 1) the first try, beginning with "Or-" was not satisfactory and had to be gouged out, resulting in a second spelling that was still wrong, and 2) whoever came up with this spelling knew about Horatio Gates through oral sources, but may never have seen his name spelled correctly. Taken together, these clues indicate that people in Groton were talking about Horatio Gates, but they weren't all reading about him. Perhaps they heard his name when a newspaper was read aloud or when a minister prayed for military success.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Gravestone of the Day: Josiah Sartell

Josiah Sartell, 1766, Groton, MA

Here lies

the Body of

Josiah Sartell son

of Mr: Ephraim Sartell

Junr: and Mrs: Abigial

his wife, who died

October 26th: AD

1766. Aged 4 Years,

8 months & 26 Days.

Gravestone of the Day: Martha Warner

Martha Warner, 1787, Hadley, MA

In Memory of

MRS, MARTHA Wife of

MR, NOADIAH WARNER

Who was born July

17, 1750.

& died Octbr, 25, 1787.

Life is Uncertain

Death is sure,

Sin is the wound

& Christ the cure.

Noadiah is another name in the Zebina category — the Biblical Noadiah was an Israelite who returned from Babylon and is mentioned in Ezra 8:33.

Gravestone of the Day: William Holroyd

William Holroyd, c. 1828, North Burial Ground, Providence, RI

THIS MONUMENT

Is erected to the Memory of

MR. WILLIAM HOLROYD.

He was born on the 28th of March,

A.D. 1746. —

In all the relations of life, he maintained

A fair and unblemished character.

He was an affectionate husband and parent,

A sincere friend, active merchant, useful citizen,

And an honest man.

For more than half a century, he was an efficient,

Benevolent, exemplary, and pious member of the

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH in thsi Town.

His religion was not merely in name,

But being of the heart, it enabled him to endure

Frequent and severe trials with holy fortitude;

And in his last long course of debility

And pain, having CHRIST and His 

Righteousness as his only hope, 

He submitted

With unshaken confidence and resignation,

and came to his grave full of years

I assume that the epitaph continues in similar fashion at some length below the ground line. I have not yet found a transcription, which is a shame, as I imagine the the author probably came up with a delightfully prolix synonym for "died."

I think this was probably the same William Holroyd who served as a trustee of Brown University from 1789 to 1826 and died in 1828.

Gravestone of the Day: Timothy and Salla Stearns

Timothy & Salla Stearns, 1793, South Burying Ground, Billerica, MA

IN memory of 2 Children of

Lieut Timothy Stearns & Mrs: Sarah his wife

Timothy Stearns

born Septr: 8th 1788

& died NOVr: 22

1791, In the 4th

year of his Age.

Salla Stearns

born Septr: 21st 1790

& died Febry: 23

1793, In the 3d

[year of] her

[Age].

Two lovely babes here sleeping lie,

Which God did lend us for a while;

Then took them back our faith to try,

And we resign'd them to his will.

Gravestone of the Day: Cleora D. Fisher

Cleora D. Fisher, 1799, Wrentham, MA

In memory of

Cleora D. Fisher,

Dautr, of Mr.

Timothy & Mrs.

Sally Fisher;

died July ye 13th

1799

Aged 17 Days.

Gravestone of the Day: Edward Thurber

Edward Thurber, 1768, North Burial Ground, Providence, RI

IN MEMORY OF

Edward Thurber Late

Deacon of the Baptiss Church

in prouidence Who Departed

This Life June 10th 1768 in

the 67th Year of his Age.

Young and old Booth Grate & Small,

A Word of Caution unto you all

In time of Helth prepair For Death.

Before it be too late

For ---

This verse appears to be original — I can't find any other example of it online (including spelling variations). 

The carver is Seth Luther. He also carved the Samuel Winsor stone, spelling Baptist as "Baptis."

Gravestone of the Day: Lydia Winslow

Lydia Winslow, 1723, Marshfield, MA

HERE LYSE

Ye BODY OF
ALYDIA WINSLOW

DAUGHTER OF

MR GILBART WIN

SLOW WHO DYED

OCTOBER Ye 5th

1723 AGED THRee

YEAR & SIX MONTH

Gravestone of the Day: Warham Smith

Warham Smith, 1802, Hadley, MA

In Memory of

Mr. WARHAM SMITH

who died October

30 1802, In the

68 year of his

age.

Life's narrow circle soon is run,

The voige is quickly o'er,

Death points to is the race is done,

Eternity the shore.

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: Abigail Peasley

Abigail Peasley, 1729, Haverhill, MA

ABIGAIL PEASLEY

DAUGHTER OF

NAthl & LYDA

PEASLEY IUNR

WHO DIED OCtOB

ER ye 17th 1729

AGED ONE YEAR 15 D

What an odd placement of "junior."

Gravestone of the Day: Allin Brown

Allin Brown, 1778, North Burying Ground, Providence, RI

To the Memory of

Capt. ALLIN BROWN,

who was captured by a

British Ship and carried in

to the Harbor of Newport,

where he was infected

with the Small Pocks of

which he died May 4th,

1778: in the 57th Year of

his Age; and his Remains

were interred on the Neck.

This monument is erected

--- affection ---

Allen Brown was born on August 25, 1721 and grew up to be sheriff of Providence County and a pilot in Providence harbor. I haven't found too many details about his capture, but it looks like he was put in charge of a captured British ship during the war. The vessel was recaptured and Brown was imprisoned as mentioned on the gravestone. A report printed in the records of the Rhode Island Historical Society blames his death from smallpox on "the inhuman practice of confining the sick and well prisoners indiscriminately."

Gravestone of the Day: Walter Hasting

Walter Hasting, 1699, Cambridge, MA

HERE LYES Ye BODY OF

WALTER HASTING

WHO DIED SEPTEMBER

25TH 1699 & IN

THE 21 YEAR OF HIS

AGE

I love the mustaches.