Gravestone Portraits of Deacons

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Gravestone portraits in the 18th and early 19th centuries were not generally intended to be an exact likeness of the deceased. Their function was to demonstrate to the viewer the taste and status of the deceased. They were not at all common until the 1750s.

Deacons in Colonial New England not ordained in the way ministers were, but were highly respected and influential in their communities. Deacons oversaw many of the civil and day-to-day tasks of the church in addition to being lay ministers. Many were from one of the town's founding families.

Deacon Jonas Stone

Ye Olde Burial Ground

Lexington, MA

Carved by the Parks

c. 1790s

Deacon Simon Hunt

Old Hill Burying Ground

Concord, MA

Carved by the Parks

c. 1790s

Deacon Ephraim Brown

Old Hill Burying Ground

Concord, MA

Carved by the Parks

c. 1780s

Deacon Thomas Barrett

Old Hill Burying Ground

Concord, MA

Carved by the Parks

c. 1780s