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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Charles Burr
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
Caroline Bigelow
Jan 171 min read
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Corporal Isaac Henry Chandler
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
Caroline Bigelow
Dec 29, 20251 min read
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Old Cemetery in Mendon, MA
The oldest gravestones are from the early 1700s and are of the text-only fieldstone variety. The newest are from the early 1900s. The cemetery has a nice variety of slate gravestones from many local gravestone carvers. There are many different styles represented, from winged skulls to urn and willow.
Caroline Bigelow
Dec 25, 20252 min read
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Elias Whitney Boyden
Elias was born in Millbury, MA to Elias Whitney and Sylvia F. (Adams) Boyden on May 7, 1832. He was the fourth of their eleven children, which included two sets of twins. Elias senior was a blacksmith. In the early 1850s Elias junior moved to the Rockdale District of Northbridge, MA and worked as a machinist in one of the local mills. He married Fidelia Smith in 1854. In 1855 Elias senior died, and Sylvia moved in with her son and daughter-in-law. Elias and Fidelia had th
Caroline Bigelow
Dec 16, 20251 min read
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Lt. Pickering Dodge Allen
Lt. Allen was born on May 20, 1838 in Salem, MA to John Fiske Allen, a horticulturalist known for his work with grapes, and Lucy Pickering Dodge. His mother died of consumption (tuberculosis) in Richmond, VA in 1840. In 1842 his father married Mary Hodges Cleveland. Lt. Allen had three sisters and one brother: Lucy, George Cleveland, Marion Cleveland, and Elizabeth Cleveland. The oldest two died in infancy. From 1859-1861 Pickering Dodge Allen went on a world tour as many you
Caroline Bigelow
Dec 14, 20251 min read
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Augustine Forester Webb
Augustine Forester was born in Salem, MA on August 16, 1841 to Joseph and Mercy (Ropes) Webb. Joseph and Mercy were both born in Salem on March 30, 1802. Augustine was the youngest of their six children. His father died in Penang, Malaysia during a voyage in 1846 when Augustine was only five. His unmarried aunt Eliza moved in with them and helped his mother raise the children. Augustine helped support his family as an express messenger for the Salem banks. He enlisted as a Se
Caroline Bigelow
Dec 14, 20251 min read
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Capt. Joseph Edward Kimball
Captain Joseph Edward Kimball
1st Massachusetts Infantry
37th US Colored Regiment
116th US Colored Regiment
US Civil War
Caroline Bigelow
Dec 5, 20251 min read
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Lt. Edward Wallace Wellington
Lt. Edward Wallace Wellington (1840-1880)
25th Massachusetts Infantry
2nd Massachusetts Cavalry
US Civil War
Caroline Bigelow
Dec 3, 20252 min read
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Daniel P. Peters
Private Daniel P. Peters
55th Massachusetts Company C
US Civil War
Caroline Bigelow
Dec 1, 20252 min read
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Francis DeWitt
The colorful life of Francis DeWitt (1813-1868)
Caroline Bigelow
Nov 29, 20252 min read
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Mountain View Cemetery
Mountain View Cemetery in Shrewsbury, MA
Caroline Bigelow
Nov 29, 20251 min read
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Charles Stephen Rich
Private Charles S. Rich (1839-1931)
1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Company D
US Civil War
Caroline Bigelow
Nov 28, 20251 min read
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Corp. Arnold F. Gray
Corporal Arnold F. Gray (1841-1921)
2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Company L
US Civil War
Caroline Bigelow
Nov 28, 20251 min read
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Juan L. Fuller
Private Juan L. Fuller
31st Massachusetts Volunteers Company H
Caroline Bigelow
Nov 28, 20251 min read
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Sgt. Francis H. Fletcher
Sergeant Francis H. Fletcher (1841-1872)
54th Massachusetts Regiment Company A
US Civil War
Caroline Bigelow
Nov 28, 20251 min read
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