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Lieutenant Jabez Smith, Jr.
Anchor'd in the haven of Rest In Memory of JABEZ SMITH Junr Lieut of Marines on board the Continental Ship Trumbull born in Groton State of Connecticut August 31, 1751 departed this Life in Boston June 28, 1780 Aged 29 Years Jabez was the third child and oldest son of Captain Jabez Smith and his second wife, Amie (Avery) Smith. He was born in Groton, CT on August 31, 1751. The Smith family was one of the oldest families in Groton, and remained prominent well into the 19th c
Caroline Bigelow
13 hours ago2 min read


Jared C. Hunt
Jared was born in Westampton, MA around 1834 to Elihu B. and Cynthia W. (Chapin) Hunt. His father had been married previously and was almost 20 years older than his mother, which was not at all unusual for the time. Jared was raised with siblings from his father's first marriage. By 1840 the family had moved to Springfield, MA and Elihu was one of the town butchers. Jared had finished school and was working as a laborer and sometimes clerk by the 1850 US Census. His unmar
Caroline Bigelow
18 hours ago2 min read


Josiah Haynes
In memory of
DEACON JOSIAH HAYNES
who died
in Freedom's Cause ye
19th of April, 1775
in the 79th
Year of his Age.
Caroline Bigelow
Mar 212 min read


Edward Goddard
Sacred to the memory of
Edward Goddard Esq.
who departed this life,
Oct. 13th 1777 in the
80th year of his age.
As he liv'd so he died,
in full expectation of
a glorious inheritance.
Caroline Bigelow
Mar 212 min read


Nancy Ruth McKenney
Nancy Ruth was born in Stetson, ME on October 5, 1823 to Oliver Hartwell Jr. and Keisha (Matthews) (Chase) Hartwell. Her father had served during the Revolutionary War. Both of her parents had been married previously, and surprisingly she was not the youngest—she had a sister named Roxanna born in 1826. In 1840 Nancy married Robert Stetson. He died in 1850, and she married his younger brother Sherbourne in 1851. He died around 1861. She had six children, two with her first hu
Caroline Bigelow
Mar 151 min read


Orlando F. Carpenter
Orlando was born on December 8, 1843 in Douglas, MA to shoemaker and trader Comfort and Mary J. (Simmons) Carpenter. He had an older brother named Merrill Edwin who was born about a year before him who died young, so Orlando was his parents' oldest surviving child. His siblings included Julia Ann, Edwin Cook, Mary A., Herbert Irving, and Alice Jane. He enlisted as a Private into Company B of the 25th Massachusetts Infantry on September 30, 1861 a few months before his 18th b
Caroline Bigelow
Mar 151 min read


Peter Bancroft
Peter was born to Timothy and Mary (Rice) Bancroft on June 23, 1783 in Auburn, MA. His birth came a little over a year after his parent's marriage. In January of 1786 he was joined by a sister named Comfort. Peter would have six total siblings, but Comfort was the only one of them that he was able to meet. He died on October 26, 1786 and is buried in Auburn Center Burial Ground near his parents and several of his siblings who also died young. His gravestone was carved by Ja
Caroline Bigelow
Mar 81 min read


Robert Smith
The Robert Smith House taken by Harriette Merrifield Forbes in 1927 Robert was born in Worcester, MA on January 8, 1730/1 to John and Rebeckah (Batty) Smith. He was the second child and oldest son of their six children. The Smiths were some of the early settlers of Worcester, coming with the other "Scotch-Irish" families in the 1720s. There was a large anti-Presbyterian movement in Worcester in the 1740s and many families left. I believe John and Rebeckah were among them
Caroline Bigelow
Mar 83 min read


Edward Waldo Stacy
L-R: Miss Pike, Mr. Newel, Mrs. Newel, Mr. Stacy , Miss Goodenough Edward Waldo was born in Harvard, MA on April 9, 1842 as the oldest child of Nathaniel and Lucy W. (Adams) Stacy. He had a younger sister named Mary who was born on January 16, 1844. Nathaniel was a paper manufacturer, and was almost 16 years older than his wife. As a young man Edward Waldo attended the local public school. His sister did as well. Alice Adams, their maternal grandmother, lived with the fam
Caroline Bigelow
Mar 72 min read


Rebecca White
Here lies the Body of
Mrs. REBECCA WHITE
Widow of Mr.
ISAAC WHITE late of Boston.
When the British Troops took possession
of the Town of Boston, she went
to her Son JOHN WHITE Esq.
of Charlestown and continued in his
Family 'til She died at Billerica,
Sept. 13th 1782 Aged 94 Years.
Caroline Bigelow
Mar 13 min read


Lydia Dyar
Here lies ye Body of the
Widow LYDIA DYAR of Boston;
the Place of her Nativity, where
She left a good Estate & came
into ye Country May 22d, 1775; to
escape ye abuce of ye Ministeral
Troops sent by GEORGE ye 3d, to
subject North America to Slavery.
She died July 28th, 1776. Aged 80 Years.
Caroline Bigelow
Feb 283 min read


William H. Bell
According to the Salem Death Records, William H. Bell is the son of William Bell and Mary E. Monarch, and was born around 1845. Some time before the 1855 MA Census he came to live with Benjamin and Maria Jewell, relatives on his mother’s side. Before the Civil War he worked as a laborer. He joined Company B of the 7th Massachusetts on July 1, 1862. I was unable to find him in the regiment’s muster rolls available through the National Archives, but it is very possible that tho
Caroline Bigelow
Feb 171 min read


Jacob Caldwell
Jacob was baptized on November 29, 1719 in Ipswich, MA. He was the eldest son of Deacon Jacob and Rebecca (Lull) Caldwell. He married Anna Hastings on September 28, 1742. They were married by Joseph Mason, Justice of the Peace. Both were "of Watertown", so Jacob must have moved there at some point before his marriage and long enough to establish residency. Jacob and Anna had nine children. John in 1743, Rebecca in 1744, Anna in 1746, Jacob in 1748, Sarah in 1750, and Enoch
Caroline Bigelow
Feb 82 min read


The Davenport Children
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
Caroline Bigelow
Feb 12 min read


Daniel Baird
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
Caroline Bigelow
Jan 312 min read


Charles H. Johnson
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
Caroline Bigelow
Jan 252 min read


Famous Names on Gravestones
The following individuals are not famous, but other people with their same names are. Mr. Peter Parker HERE Lies the Body OF Mr. Peter Parker who departed this Life March ye 28th: 1777. In the 31st year of his age. Old Burying Ground Groton, MA Capt. John Williams IN Memory of CAP. JOHN WILLIAMS who died July 1, 1822 Æt. 76 Old Burying Ground Groton, MA Mr. Samuel Hagar IN Memory of MR. SAMUEL HAGAR who died June -- 1774, in the 77th Year of his Age. Woodside Cemetery Westmin
Caroline Bigelow
Jan 241 min read


Elizabeth Morse
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
Caroline Bigelow
Jan 191 min read


Reverend Thomas Jones
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
Caroline Bigelow
Jan 182 min read


Daniel Campbell
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.
Caroline Bigelow
Jan 172 min read
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