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A Modern "Portrait" of Col. Bigelow Timothy Bigelow was born on Pakachoag Hill in Worcester, MA (now Auburn) on August 2, 1739 to Daniel and Elizabeth (Whitney) Bigelow. He was the fifth of their six children. Timothy grew up on the family farm. Timothy was a blacksmith. In 1762 he eloped to marry Anna Andrews, a wealthy (for the area) orphan who was raised by her maternal grandparents. After their marriage they lived in a house built by her father in Lincoln Square, opposite

Detail of Rev. Chandler's gravestone Rev. Chandler was born in Andover, MA to Thomas and Mary (Stevens) Chandler on December 23, 1723. He was the youngest of their twelve children. In 1743 he graduated from Harvard and sought to become a minister. In 1747 after some back and forth with the town over compensation Rev. Chandler was chosen to be a Pastor in Billerica, MA, and work with the aged Reverend Samuel Ruggles. Shortly after he married Mary White of Haverhill. He took ov

"A zealous friend of temperance, an ardent anti-slavery, man, he let his principles be known on every suitable occasion. He was very fond of the study of astronomy, and owned a large telescope with which he took frequent observations.”

Hiram Grover Garfield (1888-1918) Motorman WWI

Samuel and Mary (Flagg) Bigelow of Waltham, MA

“Out of the fibre of her daily tasks, she wove the fabric of a useful life.”

The colorful life of Francis DeWitt (1813-1868)

Mountain View Cemetery in Shrewsbury, MA

Willam Munroe (1703-1747) of Lexington, MA

Private Charles S. Rich (1839-1931) 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Company D US Civil War

Corporal Arnold F. Gray (1841-1921) 2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Company L US Civil War

Private Juan L. Fuller 31st Massachusetts Volunteers Company H

Sergeant Francis H. Fletcher (1841-1872) 54th Massachusetts Regiment Company A US Civil War

Nellie Kennedy: one of Worcester's most colorful women

Private Charles Josiah Searles (1836-1901) 16th Massachusetts Infantry Company C US Civil War

Cleaning Veterans' Markers The first rule of gravestone cleaning is make sure you have permission before you begin . If you aren’t the lot owner, you will need permission from them to clean a gravestone. You wouldn't go up to someone's car and begin washing it--maybe they have special soap and wax that they prefer, or maybe the car has paint issues that need to be addressed before it can get a proper washing. Maybe they just don't want their car washed. As the owner, that's

My current favorite garden / rural cemeteries.

New England has some of the oldest established burying grounds in the United States. All of them are unique and have their own certain charm, and my favorites change all the time. I've never been in one that didn't like! A reenactor in Ye Old Burying Ground in Lexington, MA Ye Old Burying Ground -- Lexington, MA Lexington’s oldest burial ground was established in 1690. It saw regular use through the 1800s, and even has some interments in the 20th century. Many Revolutionary W