Category: Cemeteries

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Keith Cemetery (South St. Cemetery), Bridgewater, MA

mblauss

First stop along the way was the South Street Cemetery, also known as the Keith Cemetery, is a fine example of older New England cemeteries. A round driveway cuts through it. The oldest burial seems to be from 1756, as Joseph Harvey’s epitaph states he was the first to be buried in the cemetery. In memory of Mr. Joseph Harvey, 2d,who died Feb. 21, 1756,in ye 36th year of his age;being ye first person buried here. And also in memory of Mr. Seth Harvey, his son,who died at New York, July 25, in ye 24th year of his age, 1776,in … Continue reading Keith Cemetery (South St. Cemetery), Bridgewater, MA

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Bridgewater Cemeteries

mblauss

Decided to spend a day out of my Thanksgiving weekend taking a tour of some of the Bridgewater cemeteries. The great folks who submit to the USGenWeb Bridgewater site such as Dale Cook and Arthur Richardson have a superb cemetery section, and they were in need of a few photographs for some of the graveyards, so I brought along my camera and drove about the town. Here’s a summary of the cemeteries visited along the way. Continue reading Bridgewater Cemeteries

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Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, RI

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Providence’s beautiful garden cemetery, Swan Point still inspires and is accessible to “leisure uses” that it was designed for – although not so many as there once were! Security guards constantly buzz about to make certain you don’t get TOO leisurely! No blading, biking, animals, no faster pace than a “brisk walk”, beverages and food items are frowned upon. It’s no longer the place to bring the family and dog to have a picnic or a jog through – but still magnificent nevertheless. Swan Point was founded by Thomas Hartshorn in 1846, arising from the “vivid intellectual community composed predominately … Continue reading Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, RI

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Happy Halloween!

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My most favorite holiday, as you surely must be able to guess. In honor of this day of terror, hauntings, and (yum) candy, I present to you this article from the Providence Journal on gravestones, which even includes an interview with Professor Robert Emlen, Brown University’s curator, and my current professor for the class “Gravestones and Burial Grounds”. What a perfect fit! ———————————————————————-DEAD MEN MAY TELL NO TALES, BUT THEY STILL HAVE PLENTY TO SAYSunday, October 31, 2004LAURA MEADE KIRK Journal staff Writerhttp://www.projo.com “As you pass by pray cast an eyeAs you are now so once was IAs I am … Continue reading Happy Halloween!

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

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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 the … 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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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 worth … Continue reading North Burial Ground, Providence, RI

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Howland Smallpox Cemetery, Hanson, MA

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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 become … Continue reading Howland Smallpox Cemetery, Hanson, MA

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Hobart Cemetery Epitaphs

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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 of … Continue reading Hobart Cemetery Epitaphs

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Hobart Cemetery, Hanson, MA

mblauss

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 I … Continue reading Hobart Cemetery, Hanson, MA