Author: mblauss

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St. John’s Churchyard (formerly King’s Churchyard), Providence, RI

mblauss

Advertisements King’s Church was founded in Providence, RI in 1723. During the American Revolution it’s name was changed to St. John’s (no need for English loyalty anymore!), and the current church structure was built in 1809. I love this churchyard, tucked away down a brick path along the historic houses of Benefit St. – if you are unaware of it’s existence, it is easy to stroll past it without even recognizing it. Stepping into the yard, you are taken back in history – it is easy to imagine Poe courting his love, Helen, who lived in a house just beside … Continue reading St. John’s Churchyard (formerly King’s Churchyard), Providence, RI

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North Burial Ground, Providence, RI

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Advertisements An excellent primer before visiting this massive burial ground was “North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island Old Section 1700-1848” by John E. Sterling. Through a lot of time, dedication, and the handy use of modern cemetery software and support of the RI Historical Society, Sterling created a record of burials for the older section. This was a huge undertaking, because although you can access about 16 gigantic books of interment records for about 73,000 individuals, these books only record from 1848 forward – yet the burial ground had been open since 1700! By 1848, there was already 22 acres … Continue reading North Burial Ground, Providence, RI

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Howland Smallpox Cemetery, Hanson, MA

mblauss

Advertisements My family owns a portion of land along Maquan Pond, which has been owned by the family for many generations. In the 1800s it used to be a combination farmland and unusable bogs. For a time it belonged to the Howland family, and their farm was not far from the pond. An isolated uprising of smallpox hit the town in the mid 1800s, and Lewis Howland and his family were affected. Lewis Howland was a furnaceman, and he was the son of Warren and Peddy Howland. He was born 31 MAR 1806 in Pembroke, MA (which was soon to … Continue reading Howland Smallpox Cemetery, Hanson, MA

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Hobart Cemetery Epitaphs

mblauss

Advertisements Here are the epitaphs of the graves I could read in the Hobart Cemetery. Some are exact transcriptions with accurate language, however, with the interruption of the sheriff’s department, most are just the pertinent dates on the stones along with the names. Hopefully I will have the time to come back later and more accurately transcribe the stones. The first burial upon this hill was: DRUSILLA HOBARTdaughter of Thomas and Janewho died March 3 1793aged 16 years 11 months“Here lies a corpse both cold and __The first inter’d upon this hillIn her 17th year God saw it bef(it)The fate … Continue reading Hobart Cemetery Epitaphs

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Hobart Cemetery, Hanson, MA

mblauss

Advertisements Today I ventured out to a abandoned little-known cemetery in Hanson, MA, the “Hobart Cemetery”. My father had mentioned its location to me, and I had seen several passing references to it in my readings. When I headed out early in the morning, it was pouring, but I was looking forward to the adventure of trekking out into the woods and finding it’s location, not worried too much about the fact that taking decent photos would be impossible. After a few errands and a half hour drive, the rain had lessened to a drizzle, but I was still glad … Continue reading Hobart Cemetery, Hanson, MA