Graveyard Auntie

Burying Grounds and Cemeteries and New England

[graveyard-auntie]

White Bronze Wednesday

This lovely little zinkie belongs to “Low”. It has no other words on it, and is at least 20 feet away from the next closest gravestones. Mysterious!

Needham Cemetery

Needham, MA

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Leroy

Old Howard Cemetery, Sutton, MA

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Obadiah Sawtell (1648-1740)

“Here Lies The Body

Of Mr Obadiah

Sawtell who Departed

This Life March The 20th

AD 1740 in ye 92th

Year of his Age”

Old Burying Ground, Groton, MA

[graveyard-auntie]

Lighting makes a difference!

These photos were taken of the same gravestone on the same day. The first photo is the natural lighting at 12:30 pm. The second is a few minutes later using light reflected using a mirror. The third picture was taken at 2:10 pm.

The Old Burying Ground in Groton, MA is tricky to photograph because there are a lot of large trees, and the gravestones face in many different directions. The time of day, the weather, and the time of year all factor into which gravestones you will be able to get a decent picture of when you visit.

[graveyard-auntie]

Footstone Friday

Mrs. Mehitable “Hetty” Freeland (1751-1792)

Dwinnel Cenetery, Millbury, MA

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Frank

Quabbin Park Cemetery, Ware, MA

#gravestone #graveyard #buryingground #massachusetts #colonialamerica #ware #oldnewengland #taphophiles_only #taphophile #cemeterywandering #cemeteriesandgraveyards #cemeteryphotos #cemetery #cemeteries #cemeteriesofnewengland #cemeteryphotography #tombstonetourist #cemeterystroll

[graveyard-auntie]

Eligah Harwood (1771-1775)

Elijah was born in Oxford, MA on July 3, 1771 to John and Lydia Harwood. He died in Sutton, MA on November 7, 1775.

“In Memory of

Eligah Son of Mr. John

And Mrs. Lydia Harwood

who died Novber ye 7th,

1775 in the 5th Year

of his Age.

this Stone is set here

at ye desire and Cost of

Mrs. Dolly Holman”

West Millbury Cemetery, Millbury, MA

#gravestone #graveyard #buryingground #massachusetts #millbury #oldnewengland #taphophiles_only #taphophile #cemeterywandering #cemeteriesandgraveyards #cemetery #cemeteries #cemeteriesofnewengland #tombstonetourist #cemeterystroll #cemeteryfinds

[graveyard-auntie]

Leonard Peirce (1793-1796)

Leonard was born in Sutton, MA on December 8, 1793 to Aaron and Hannah (Greenwood) Peirce. He was the third of their seven children. Aaron was the first Town Clerk in Millbury.

Leonard passed away on September 20, 1796.

West Millbury Cemetery, Millbury, MA

#gravestone #graveyard #buryingground #massachusetts #millbury #oldnewengland #taphophiles_only #taphophile #cemeterywandering #cemeteriesandgraveyards #cemeteryphotos #cemetery #cemeteries #cemeteriesofnewengland #cemeteryphotography #tombstonetourist #cemeterystroll #cemeteryshots #cemeteryfinds

[graveyard-auntie]

Cemetery Saturday

Earlier this week I had the fortune to take a walk through West Millbury Cemetery in Millbury, MA. It was established around 1760 to serve the residents of the northern part of Sutton (Millbury split off from Sutton in 1813). Today it is a private cemetery.

The earliest dated gravestone is a broken double stone for Mary and Simon Tainter, children of Simon and Mary (Bruce) Tainter who passed in 1762 and 1769 respectively.

#gravestone #graveyard #buryingground #massachusetts #millbury #oldnewengland #taphophiles_only #taphophile #cemeterywandering #cemeteriesandgraveyards #cemeteryphotos #cemetery #cemeteries #cemeteriesofnewengland #cemeteryphotography #tombstonetourist #cemeterystroll #cemeteryshots #cemeteryfinds #cemeterysaturday

[graveyard-auntie]

Footstone Friday

Mrs. Mary Jacobs

West Millbury Cemetery, Millbury, MA

#gravestone #graveyard #buryingground #massachusetts #millbury #oldnewengland #taphophiles_only #taphophile #cemeterywandering #cemeteriesandgraveyards #cemeteryphotos #cemetery #cemeteries #cemeteriesofnewengland #cemeteryphotography #tombstonetourist #cemeterystroll #cemeteryshots #cemeteryfinds #footstone #footstonefriday

[graveyard-auntie]

Ruth Peirce (1750-1782)

Ruth was born in Sutton, MA on November 25, 1750 to Ebenezer and Mary (Stowe) Peirce. She was named after an older sister who had passed two months earlier aged 19 months.

The younger Ruth passed away in Sutton on October 21, 1782 in her 32nd year.

“So sleeps the Saints & ceas to grone

When sin & Death have don their worst

Christ hath a Glory like his own

Wich waits to cloath their sleep

ing dust”

Carved by William Young of Worcester, MA

West Millbury Cemetery, Millbury, MA

[graveyard-auntie]

What’s in There? Wednesday

I’mp thinking this may have been the “keep”—the place where the bodies of those who died during the winter would rest until the ground thawed enough for them to be buried in the spring.

West Millbury Cemetery, Millbury, MA

[graveyard-auntie]

Went to Hope Cemetery today to make sure I knew where all of my dead people were for the tour tomorrow (they always know where they are, but I often lose track of them 😂). While I’m there I try and update at least one veteran’s memorial on Find a Grave, especially on days like today when the foliage is stunning. The after and before pictures for Edward Schofield, who served in Company G of the 17th Massachusetts Infantry during the Civil War. (at Hope Cemetery) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjv8vtRATn2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Guess where Caroline is… #cemetery (at Hope Cemetery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjbQuT9gdx9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[graveyard-auntie]

Live near Worcester, MA? John Anderson and I will be giving a walking tour on October 16th, and we will introduce you to some of the political influencers of Worcester’s past that are buried in Hope Cemetery. Free and open to the public! @fohc_worcester (at Hope Cemetery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjOrN8sA1b7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[graveyard-auntie]

Took a walk and some pictures at Hope Cemetery this afternoon while silently and virtually attending contract negotiations for us paraeducators. Picking up trash and doing some sketching was also on the agenda. #fall #cemetery #walk (at Hope Cemetery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjEexhqu8n4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[graveyard-auntie]

Visiting and photographing cemeteries runs in my family. This photo from the 1950s was in a box of pictures from my maternal grandfather’s house. I’m not sure which cemetery this is, but my best guess is somewhere along the western slopes of Colorado. Palisade, maybe? https://www.instagram.com/p/ChyDfwFggjn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=