Author: mblauss

Cemeteries1 Comment

Richmond Cemetery, Lakeville, MA

mblauss

Advertisements The Richmond Cemetery, also known as the North Lakeville Cemetery, is on the corner of Taunton and Cross St. in Lakeville. The oldest stone seems to be from 1821. The cemetery itself is very neat, with some nice plantings and fresh flowers and veteran flags. It seems to be well cared for. The stones are mostly late 19th and early 20th century. A view from Taunton Street… Richmond, Aldrich stones prominent: Here are the some of the Richmonds, after which the cemetery is named… Deacon Benjamin Richmond grave: Prudence Richmond grave: D. Frances and Amanda Dunham. Died Feb 7 … Continue reading Richmond Cemetery, Lakeville, MA

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Tack Factory Cemetery, Middleborough, MA

mblauss

Advertisements Went a few days ago to the Middleboro town hall to buy three death certificates, of 3 generations, hoping to find the burial site of the Ramsdells. Oswald Jones and his daughter Maria (Jones) Ramsdell’s certificates yielded no burial locations. Her son, Edgar Ramsdell’s, has the cryptic: Burial Place and Location: C-35. So the clerk gave me access to a big old book that had the Middleborough section of Thatcher’s Old Cemeteries of SE Massachusetts http://www.midlib.org/diglib/digcoll.htm , with a cross-reference to codes for death certificates. Middleborough cemeteries were given numbers, Lakeville one’s letter. “C” corresponded to a “Cemetery on … Continue reading Tack Factory Cemetery, Middleborough, MA

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Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, MA

mblauss

Advertisements I just read in the Boston Globe a review about a fabulous new exhibit at the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth called “Journey’s End: Death and Mourning in Plymouth Colony”. The exhibit explores various death, funeral, and mourning customs in the Plymouth area throughout it’s history.Some items of interest include: *original 1704 will of Peregrine White, born aboard the Mayflower in 1620*a silk needlework mourning scene of Charlotte Winsor from 1810*the gravestone of Edward Babbit killed during King Philip’s War in 1675*the gold mourning ring of Plymouth Governor Josiah Winslow from 1680, with a lock of his hair*a funeral … Continue reading Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, MA

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Old Burying Place, Plympton, MA

mblauss

Advertisements The Old Cemetery in Plympton stretches along Route 58 in the center of town. The oldest gravestone is from 1707, although it is probably that several older burials are here, because there was settlement in the western part of Plymouth (which became Plympton) at least in the late 1600s. The left side of the cemetery is called Hillcrest Cemetery and it is separated by the main cemetery road. The right side is the much older cemetery, overwhelmingly made of slate stones, most of which are suffering the fate of time. Many stones have sunk into the ground, or split … Continue reading Old Burying Place, Plympton, MA

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Thomastown Cemetery, Middleborough, MA

mblauss

Advertisements 3/27/06 The Thomastown Cemetery was formed in 1806. It lies on Purchase Street, near the border of Carver, and is long and rectangular in shape, with a chain-link fence surrounding it. The cemetery is still in use, and has a wide variety of shapes and sizes for the monuments. The visit was in part to seek further for the Middleboro Ramsdells, to no success. However, it did boast several stones with one of my favorite symbols: There are several versions of this symbol, but the most heavy-handed of them always make me smile. The finger pointing above is fairly … Continue reading Thomastown Cemetery, Middleborough, MA

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Burial Hill, Plymouth, MA

mblauss

Advertisements Went on a visit today to the Pilgrim Hall Museum, then took a stroll through downtown Plymouth and ended up at Burial Hill, overlooking Plymouth Harbor. Nearby Cole’s Hill has the monument which always comes to mind: “ The Monument marks the First Burying Ground in Plymouth of the passengers of the Mayflower. Here under cover of darkness the fast dwindling company laid their dead, leveling the earth above them lest the Indians should know how many were the graves.” Cole’s Hill also has the large statue of Massasoit, as well as a sarcophagus which holds the bones of … Continue reading Burial Hill, Plymouth, MA

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Warrentown Cemetery, Middleborough, MA

mblauss

Advertisements Am on a mission to find the burial location of the Ramsdells of Middleboro, circa late 1700-1800s. I know one set (John and Sarah Ramsdell) are buried in Lakeville (a field trip for another day!) but thus far finding John’s parents Seth and Soviah, as well as John and Sarah’s children has been a difficult task. Middleboro records do not seem to list the burial location of John and Sarah’s son (another John), who married Maria Jones of Virginia. John and Maria had a large family, with several children who died in middle childhood – old enough, I hypothesize, … Continue reading Warrentown Cemetery, Middleborough, MA

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Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleborough, MA

mblauss

Advertisements Took the kids this afternoon to the Nemasket Hill Cemetery in Middleboro, although we arrived right before dusk and did not get much of a chance to linger. The cemetery’s oldest stone is from 1662, although it looks like a much more modern rural cemetery, for it has expanded greatly and has long winding pathways around a hilly landscape. The Nemasket River runs along its back end: The cemetery holds many of Middleboro’s oldest families, including the Tomsons (more recently called Thompson, who have a street and more named in their honor in Middleboro) John Thompson’s original grave: His … Continue reading Nemasket Hill Cemetery, Middleborough, MA

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South Pond Cemetery, Plymouth, MA

mblauss

Advertisements In doing yet another round of genealogy work, I was determined to find the burial location of some more recent ancestors that had lived in Plymouth, MA. By chance, I stumbled upon some previous transcription work online of Plymouth graveyards, and found just the folks I had been seeking. (Now allow me a few moments of passionate advocacy!!) I am a strong supporter of online access, especially when it comes to cemetery transcriptions and other forms of genealogical information. The internet has truly transformed the profession, for amateurs and professionals alike. In many cases, people are unable to access … Continue reading South Pond Cemetery, Plymouth, MA

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Hope Cemetery, Barre, Vermont

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Advertisements Opened in 1896, this magnificent cemetery is not only a resting place for the dead, but also a showcase of stunning sculpture and art. There are countless websites filled with great photographs of the gravestones. Here’s a good one, and here’s the official site. With granite quarries close by, Barre became a bustling town of immigrants, especially Italian stoneworkers. It is this unique population that led to such a wondrous cemetery – the gravestones here are often beautiful, and sometimes humorous, sculptures. Soccer balls, cars, lumber trucks, airplanes, as well as lifesize sculptures of the deceased (often-times the carver … Continue reading Hope Cemetery, Barre, Vermont

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Center Cemetery, Hanover, MA

mblauss

Advertisements A quick review of a jaunt through Center Cemetery today. I went throughout Hanover today helping to take photographs of the Walnut Hill Garden Club’s traffic islands, where they have planted flowers at most of the major intersections. Assigned to some of the ones near the center of town, I also took the opportunity to snag some pictures from the cemetery! Hanover was granted the land for the cemetery here in 1727 from Scituate, its mother town. It remains to this day the main cemetery for the town. From the “History of Hanover”, here is an old photograph of … Continue reading Center Cemetery, Hanover, MA

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Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA

mblauss

Advertisements 7/16/05 For a full account of all my photos from this visit, please visit here. As one of the first stops along the Freedom Trail in Boston, this old cemetery is always bustling with visitors, tourists part of walking tours, or people just interested in the sheer history of the place. The third oldest Boston cemetery, it was founded in 1660. The burying ground was initially deemed the “South Burying Ground”, it was located in the southerly part of the early city of Boston. But as Boston quickly expanded, it was redubbed the “Middle Burying Ground”, but eventually settled … Continue reading Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA