John Tatman

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John Tatman was born in Worcester on May 5, 1746 to Jabez Tatman and Sarah Goodkin.  His grandfather, Daniel Goodkin, was the first Sherriff of Worcester, and one of its earliest settlers.  The Tatmans first came to Worcester in the 1730s and were among the earliest white settlers on Packachoag Hill and the surrounding area.

During the American Revolution John was a Private in Captain Timothy Bigelow’s Company. They marched on the Lexington Alarm on April 19, 1775 and helped chase the British Regulars back to Boston after the battle.

He married Lucy Dudley of Sutton in 1784, and they had six children: John, Sarah, Rachel, Daniel, Reuben, and Lewis.  The Tatman homestead was on a hill in the Quinsigamond Village section of Worcester, near the top of what is now Tatman Street.  There were eight people living in his household at the time of the 1790 US Census.

John died in Worcester on October 3, 1833 and was buried in the family burying ground near the top of the hill. Family lore says his grave was marked by a large field stone boulder, which was later affixed with a bronze plaque.

In the 1950s the City of Worcester claimed the land under eminent domain to build Greenwood Park they moved the burials to Hope Cemetery in 1956. The land where the burying ground was was never developed, and has become completely overgrown in the woods. Eric Spencer, a docent volunteer for Preservation Worcester, has been doing research about the Tatman Burying Ground and is working on a presentation and walking tour of the site.