Biographies

John, Elijah, and Nathaniel were children of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Davenport. Nathaniel Davenport came to Shrewsbury, MA from Bridgewater, MA with his new wife Lucy in 1730. Lucy died in October that year a few weeks after the birth of their first and only child, a daughter named Lucy. I do not know what became of Lucy the younger, as she does not appear in any records other than that of her birth. She likely died soon after her mother. By 1733 Nathaniel had married a wom

The gravestone of Mr. Daniel Baird Daniel was born in Leicester, MA on November 13, 1742 to Thomas and Elizabeth Beard--spelling during the Colonial Era was not standardized, so "Baird" also appears as "Beard". He was the third of their five children. The Beards came to Leicester from Mendon around 1735, and remained there until 1745 when they moved to the southern part of Worcester in what is now Auburn. On December 2, 1767 he published his intentions to marry Jane Smith of

Charles was born in 1843 to James and Jane S. Johnson in Winsted, CT. He had at least one sibling, a younger brother named James Jr. James the younger died around age 10 in 1854. Jane's parents were named Prince and Rebecca Morris. James' parents were Robert and Phila Johnson. Both were born in Warren, MA, and were likely members of the free black community. They were married in 1842. James Sr. died in 1852 when Charles was around 11, and he lived with family members after h

Elizabeth was born to Stephen and Elizabeth (Thompson) Morse on January 2, 1828. She was their second child and oldest daughter. Her parents met and were married in Boston, where Stephen was working as the receiving teller and messenger for the Suffolk Bank. By the 1850 US Census the family had moved to Marlborough, MA in order to farm. He was often the town's acting magistrate, and continued to do occasional jobs for the Suffolk Bank. Elizabeth died on May 2, 1851 and is

The gravestone of Rev. Thomas Jones Rev. Jones was born in Dorchester, MA on April 20, 1721, the son of Ebenezer and Waitstill (Davenport) Jones. He went to Harvard College and graduated in 1741. Rev. Jones was installed as the Minister of the Second Parish of Woburn in 1751. Very shortly after, a dozen people left his church to become members of the Church of England. It is said that while his sermons were not very exciting he was a practical and faithful minister to his pa

In early March of 1743/4 Mr. Campbell was killed on his farm during a dispute with one of his employees, one Edward Fitzpatrick from Ireland.

Charles was born on April 21, 1821 in Chesterfield, MA to Oliver and Sally Burr. He married Lucinda Goddard in Providence, RI on January 21, 1844. Both gave their residence as Grafton, MA. They were members of the United Methodist Church. In 1850 the family was living in Sutton, MA. Charles and Lucinda had eight children ranging in age from 15 to 1 on the 1860 US Census. Charles and his oldest son Oliver are listed as shoemakers, and they were living in Millbury, MA. In Febru

Reuben and Meriam were children of Lt. Reuben and Mrs. Rebeckah (Barrett) Hunt. Both were born in Concord, MA. Reuben and Rebeckah were married by the Reverend William Emerson in Concord on January 4, 1770. They had eleven children together over their 26-year marriage. Lt. Reuben served during the American Revolution as a volunteer militiaman in John Buttrick's Company. He was also a town Selectman from 1797-1801. Reuben the son was born on March 16, 1774, the third child

Susanna was born in Marblehead, MA to Mark Jr. and Susannah Haskell. She was baptised on June 11, 1732, so her birthday was likely in either late May or early June. Susanna was the third of at least four children born to her parents--none of the children had their births recorded, only their baptisms, so it is entirely possible that she had siblings who died before they could be baptized. On November 27, 1753 she and Peter Jayne were married by the Reverend Simon Bradstreet,

Anna was born on November 14, 1727 to Benjamin and Abigail (Moody) Greenleaf in Newbury, MA. Three of her siblings never married, and chose to live together in neighboring Newburyport. On December 22, 1748 she married Matthew Perkins Jr. He was originally from Ipswich. They had twelve children together, including a set of twins who sadly died shortly after they were born in July 1861. Most of their children died before their first birthday. Their youngest child, a daughter

Silas Whitcomb was born in Bolton, MA on September 22, 1787 to Asa and Sarah (Whitcomb) Whitcomb. He was the oldest of their eight children, and was baptised on November 20, 1791. His father was a Lieutenant and later a Colonel in the local militia. Silas died on April 9, 1795 in Bolton, and is buried near other family members in the Old South Burying Ground. What makes this gravestone unique is the composition. Suns in and of themselves are not rare on gravestones. They

Sophia was born on January 30, 1793 in Bolton, MA to Jonathan and Ruth (Barrett) Nurse. She was the ninth of their ten children, all of whom were also born in Bolton. Her father was a Deacon in the town church, and had served during the American Revolution. She passed away in Bolton on July 19, 1795, and is buried beside two of her siblings in the Old South Burying Ground. What makes this gravestone unique is not that it is for a young child--before vaccinations and antibio

Captain Clouston was born on the Orkney Island and baptized there on October 2, 1743. By the 1770s he was living in New England. He served as a Privateer Seaman on the Dalton, which was based in Newburyport, MA. Thomas was captured during battle and imprisoned in England, but escaped and returned to North America. In 1781 he commanded the brigantine Antelope out of New York. After the War he returned to Newburyport. According to the 1790 US Census there were three women and t

Abel was born in Middleton, MA on April 4, 1743 to John and Elizabeth Nichols. He was their second child and only son. His other sibling was a sister named Mary who was born two years earlier in 1741. On December 5/6, 1766 he published his intentions to marry Elisabeth Preston. Both of them were residents of Danvers, MA. I can’t find any record of them having children. During the American Revolution Abel served as a Sergeant in Captain Samuel Flint’s Company of Minutemen and

David Wilder was born in Leominster, MA on May 3, 1778 to David and Lucy (Joslin) Wilder. He was one of Leominster’s most prominent citizens, serving his community as a State Representative, a State Senator, a Justice of the Quorum, a member of the Governor’s Council, and the Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Wilder joined the Aurora Lodge in 1803 while it was still in Leominster. He served as the Lodge Master from 1812-1816. Later he served as the District

Corporal Chandler was born on January 13, 1846 to Isaac Washington Chandler, a shoemaker and mariner, and Catherine C. Benson. He was their first and only child. The birth was recorded in Salem, MA, though in his enlistment papers he stated he was born in Norwich, CT. Sadly, his father would drown in 1847 when he was struck by the boom of a ship during a thunderstorm off Cape Ann. He was only 24. His mother married stone mason Thomas Heard the following year. Before the War

This unique gravestone marks the final resting place of Reverend Henry Emanuel Whyman, his wife Louise Maria (Andersson) Whyman, their son Bertil Emanuel Whyman, and Bertil’s wife Gerda Elvira (Wolsey) Whyman. Reverend Whyman was born in Roslags-Kulla, Sweden (near Stockholm) on October 26, 1860 to Henrick A. Whyman and Wilhelmina C. Brunstedt. He came to the US in 1886, and became a citizen in 1888. Reverend Whyman was the Minister of the First Swedish Methodist Church in th

Mary was born to Captain William and Mrs. Abigail (Kendall) Reed in Lexington, MA on April 8, 1695. Both of her parents were originally from Woburn, MA and among the earliest white settlers in the town, arriving around 1685. They made their home in the northern part of the town on the road to Bedford. The Reed family was very prominent and influential in town affairs. On April 8, 1714 she married John Stone. The Stone family came from Cambridge, and was another of Lexington'

250 years ago Gen. Benedict Arnold led an expedition north from Massachusetts to Quebec in an attampt to capture the town. They left at the end of September 1775 and arrived in Canada in December. The battle, which took place in the middle of a snowstorm on December 31, was a disaster for Arnold's forces; every member either was either killed, taken prisoner, or deserted. Worcester lost three men: Captain Jonas Hubbard, Sergeant Silas Wesson, and Private Timothy Rice.

Patience was born on January 2, 1733 to Benjamin and Elizabeth (Winslow) Marston in Salem, MA. Her mother was originally from Marshfield, MA, and was a descendant of Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow. Her father was a Harvard graduate, and a very prominent man in Salem. He served as High Sheriff of Essex County and later as a Justice and Judge. Patience was the third of her parents' seven children. In the She married merchant Elkanah Watson of Plymouth, MA on October 19, 1