The Symbolic Past

Abel Wright, Springfield, MA - 1725

2012-02-01T17:26:00.000-05:00

LIEUT

AbEL WRIGHT DYD

IN OCTR YE 29 AN-

NOD [ANNO DOMINI] 1725 AGED 94

YEARS

By calculating out the date he should have been born about 1631. Talk about connecting to our earliest heritage. It was be very interesting to learn more about this gentleman and his role in Massachusetts history.

Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts

Lydia Bird Morgan, Springfield, MA - 1780

2012-01-31T10:42:00.001-05:00

Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts

In Memory of

LYDIA BIRD MORGAN

Daughter of Capt. JOHN &

Mrs. MARGARET MORGAN

who died April 8th 1780

In the 12th Year of

her Age.

----------------------

Fresh in the morn

the summer rose,

[the rest is not visible]

The text likely comes from this poem which was published in The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle, by Sylvanus Urban (London, 1748) Vol. XVIII, page 424.[Available from Google Books]

According to the Farber Collection this stone is carved by Solomon Brewer. In their photo you can see more of the stone.

Jonathan Lyman, Springfield, MA - 1766

2012-01-11T11:49:00.002-05:00

Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts

In Memory of

Mr. JONATHAN LYMAN,

born in Lebanon, Educa

ted in YALE COLLEGE

where he 5 years acceptably

& worthily discharged ye

Duties of a Tutor ye last

winter was an Instructor

in ye Accademic School at

Hatfield, & for 2 Years

Past a Preacher Universally

approved. Returning from

Hatfield on a Visit to his

Parents, he was taken sick

in this Town, & after 3 days

on May 14 1766 in ye 29 Year

of his Age he breathed his

[-------------------------]

What does the date say?

Most online sources list Lyman's date of death as May 4th 1766. What is the character between the Y and the 4? Is it a thorn (ye) or a 1? To me, it doesn't look like the thorn which follows later in the sentence.

I have written the date above as 14 because that's what the number looked like to me but now I'm not so sure. What do you think it says?

Mara Fairbank, Millis, MA - 1778

2012-01-05T08:15:00.000-05:00

In Memory of

Mara, Daughter

of Mr. Abijah

Fairbank and

Mrss. Mara his

wife, who died

April 12th, 1778

Aged four years

and ten Month[s]

Prospect Hill Cemetery, Millis, Massachusetts

Josiah Rockwood, Millis, MA - 1727

2012-01-03T13:26:00.000-05:00

1727

Here lys THe

BODY OF JOSIAH

ROCKWOOD De

CeASeD AUG [???]

Prospect Hill Cemetery, Millis, Massachusetts

Nicholas Gardner, Boston, MA

2011-12-29T20:17:00.000-05:00

Granary Burial Ground, Boston, Massachusetts

Here lies Interred

the Body of

Capt. Nicholas Gardner

who was wounded by the

Enemy of which he died

June 13th 1782

Aged 33 Years

Joseph Haven, Dover, MA - 1801

2011-12-23T12:52:00.000-05:00

Highland Cemetery, Dover, Massachusetts

In memory of

Dean. JOSEPH HAVEN,

who died 22d Feby. 1801.

Aged 83 years.

The sweet remembrance of the just

Shall flourish while he sleeps in dust

Mary Smith, Springfield, MA - 1773

2011-12-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts

In Memory of

Mary, daughter of

Mr. Abner and

Mrs. Mary Smith,

born June 17 1759 and

died Feby. 16th 1773.

Man wants but little,

nor that little long,

How soon must be,

resign his very dust,

Which frugal nature,

lent him for an hour!

Eunice Pease, Springfield, MA - 1791

2011-12-16T11:23:00.000-05:00

Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts

In Memory of

Mrs. Eunice Consort

of Mr. Job Pease

who died

Febry. 7 1791

in the 71 year

of her age.

Death's a debt to nature due,

[remainder not visible]

Patience Watson, Plymouth, MA - 1767

2011-12-14T14:55:00.000-05:00

Burial Hill Cemetery, Plymouth, Massachusetts

Here lies Interr'd
the Body of
Mrs. PATIENCE WATSON
the wife of
Mr. ELKANAH WATSON
She Departed this Life
April 20th 1767
In the Thirty fourth Year of her Age

You can view early 20th century images of this gravestone in the Farber Gravestone Collection. The Farber Collection lists the carver as William Codner.

Jacob Tappan, West Newbury, MA - 1725

2011-12-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

Bridge Street Cemetery, West Newbury, Massachusetts

HERE LYES BURIED
the BODY OF
JACOB TAPPAN JUNr
WHO DIED JULY Ye
21 IN 1725 & IN
20 FURST YEAR

When this photo from the Farber Gravestone Collection was taken the gravestone was still standing upright and the text was easier to read. They list the carver as Robert Mullicken Jr. His work is simply amazing.

Nathaniel Brackett, Dedham, MA - 1748

2011-12-09T12:22:00.000-05:00

Old Village Cemetery, Dedham, Massachusetts

HERE LYES YE BODY OF

NATHANIEL BRACKETT

SON OF Mr. ANTHONY

& Mrs. ELIZABETH

BRACKET OF BOSTON

AGED 5 YEARS AND 8

Mo. DIED AUGst 17th

1748.

James Blake, Norfolk, MA - 1765

2011-12-07T10:18:00.001-05:00

Norfolk Cemetery, Norfolk, Massachusetts

In Memory of
James Blake Esq.
who Died Jan. ye 12
1765
in ye 70 year
of His Age

Christopher Lattimore, Marblehead, MA - 1690

2011-12-02T13:50:00.002-05:00

Old Burial Ground, Marblehead, Massachusetts

HERE LYES BURIED

Ye BODY OF
Mr CHRISTOPHER
LATTIMORE AGED
ABOUT 70 YEARS
DECD. OCTOBER Ye 5
1690

The carver is identified by the Farber Gravestone Collection as William Mumford. The stone is made of slate. There is a photo on the Farber Collection website that shows the Lattimore gravestone before it was encased in granite and cement. This gravestone is an example of exquisite early carving.

Richard Hawley, Marblehead, MA - 1698

2011-12-01T15:05:00.000-05:00

Old Burial Hill, Marblehead, Massachusetts

HERE LYES BURIED THE

BODY OF RICHARD HAWLEY

DEPARTED THIS LIFE

OCTOBER Ye 1st 1698

IN Ye 63 YEAR OF HIS AGE

Joseph Brown, Marblehead, MA - 1834

2011-11-30T08:52:00.002-05:00

Joseph Brown
1750 - 1834
MARBLEHEAD'S "BLACK JOE"
A REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER
& RESPECTED CITIZEN

Old Burial Hill, Marblehead, Massachusetts

"Black Joe" was a well-known tavern keeper in Marblehead. An article about his life appears in Marblehead Magazine. Another brief article appeared in the Marblehead Reporter on January 9, 2008. Lastly you can find a recipe for Joe Froggers in Yankee Magazine's The Yankee Cookbook.

John Waldron, Marblehead, MA - 1717

2011-11-28T15:35:00.000-05:00

HERE LYES Ye

BODY OF JOHN

SON OF JOHN

& DELIVERANC

WALDRON WHO

DIED JULY Ye 22

1717 AGED 13 YRS

Old Burial Hill, Marblehead, Massachusetts

Martha Mobes, Marblehead, MA - 1723

2011-11-27T18:29:00.001-05:00

This 1723 stone is unusual because of its abundant bouquet of flowers decorating the lunette. I've never seen so many flowers on such an early stone.

Here lyeth ye body o[f]

Mrs Martha Mobes wife [of]

George Mobes & Da[ughter]

to Capt. James & Mrs. Mar[?]

Calley who dy'd octo[ber]

ye 14th 1723 aged

21 years.

St. Michael's Cemetery, Marblehead, Massachusetts

Martha Calley and George Mob[e]s were married 11 December 1721 in Marblehead, MA.

Interview with John Thomas Grant, author of Final Thoughts

2011-11-23T09:11:00.000-05:00

The other day I posted a book review of Final Thoughts: Eternal Beauty in Stone over on my other blog, Marian's Roots and Rambles.

Now I have the pleasure of following that up with an interview with the author, John Thomas Grant. John fills us in on his source of inspiration and what he has planned next.

How did you first become interested in photography? When did you first start taking pictures?

Oddly enough, I did a little photography in the mid 80's, and won a couple of local contests in New York where I was living at the time. There was no particular reason for the interest. My sister got a new Mamiya NC1000 35 mm (film, of course), so I borrowed it and went shooting. Reminds me, I do have to return it. Anyway, it seemed, even then, that I had a knack for the lens, but thought nothing of it as I was so well entrenched in the music business. Music is what I knew, and I wasn't about to start another journey. It was a pleasant pastime only, to be sure. BTW, the subject matter of my photography had nothing to do with cemeteries. That wasn't to come for some 20 years.

What was your career before becoming a professional photographer and what made you make the switch and why?

As I mentioned, I spent most of my working career in the music business. First as a musician (bass), then a recording engineer in New York City, capped off as an international manager. It was lovely until the 90's hit. With the new World Wide Web (internet), fear replaced fearlessness, and the industry imploded. Essentially, they lost control of the process of making and selling music. Second, with the advent of digital equipment, everybody started to record wherever they wanted. Living rooms became studios, and if they needed a little reverb or echo, they'd set up in the bathroom. Studios were crashing left and right, along with the rest of the industry. So I retired. There was no further need for me, and it was getting just too insane.

For a few years thereafter, I stumbled around looking for something else creative to amuse myself with. I had forgotten my earlier days in photography, but advanced toward it on a more circuitous route through genealogy. It was time to figure out where I came from. Who should I thank; who should I scorn!

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your artistic creativity in photography?

Simply, the passage of life. Life is the packaging of increments of time. The associated emotions in that time are what I document in my work. I've always been a curious and observant person; a very shy individual in my younger days, I might add. What I couldn't say, I thought; what I thought, would make my art of today. Art is, after all, the packaging of character, experience and knowledge. I apply each to every shot.

What made you decide to start photographing gravestones and cemeteries?

Again, genealogy made me do it. I bought my first digital camera 10 years ago, or so, to photograph my dearly departed family, and sell stuff on eBay. Guess which one I'm doing better at? Anyway, what the living wouldn't discuss, or couldn't remember, the dead were more than happy to oblige; so off I went to the cemetery with pencil, paper and camera in hand. It was Calvary Cemetery in Queens, NY, where most of my family resides, that I had my epiphany. I'd finished paying my respects, and began to wander aimlessly from section to section, stone to stone. Reading names, dates, poetic little sayings of remembrance. Between the birth and death dates was a life. It was, and will be no different for me. It all became crystal clear to me right then and there. I truly realized that one day I will experience death, and that little thought caused me to realize life! That might seem silly to most, but most people are in denial of death. They believe that, somehow, their spirit, if not their life in some way will carry on. For their sake I hope they're right! I carry no assumptions though. I just don't know ... nobody really knows. In the meantime, I choose to do what is right and good in that which I know ... my life.

What do you look for when you are photographing a cemetery? What sort of thing will capture your attention and cause you to photograph it?

I'm as happy as a clam at high water whether I'm in a small roadside, pocket burying ground, or a lush garden variety rural cemetery. For the most part, my photography is rather intimate in execution. What captures my attention is what most folks would probably pass by. For instance, my husband and wife shot. The wife stone stands erect while the husband stone is leaning gently against her. One ... it's intimate; two ... it's emotional; three ... it tells a story from life...Eternal Love. Some people will look at that shot and see their own life, or, the love of their parents perhaps. Others will look at that same photo and see only despair, or hope lost. But everyone will see, and feel, something. That is what I try to capture in my work. Yes, I do shoot the pretty panorama, but the quintessential 'Grant' is the 'life' shot. Additionally, my audience sometimes tells me that they feel a presence when viewing my work. Love when that happens. That 'presence' is unquestionably themselves :)

What was the most difficult photo shoot you've ever done and why?

Can't say as there was one insurmountable event in my short and illustrious career, but there have been occasions when I was less than thrilled with the results, and have had to return time and time again to complete the mission. Perhaps the sun was not just right, or even the wrong time of year. There's one form Green-Wood in Brooklyn. It's the shot of the female sitting on the sarcophagus with a celtic cross in close proximity. It's quite popular now, but it took me forever to get the composition right.

Another was taken in Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston. It's the photograph of the young man with his guardian angel. I had to wait, once again, for sun to strike it just right. Unfortunately for me, adorning the grave of the young man was a large plot of overgrown ivy. I had to stand in that ivy for quite some time waiting. I could feel creepy little things checking me out. I now carry two thick rubber bands for just such occasions.

Also, winter scenes, though beautiful, can be treacherous. I've gone down on a number of occasion because of hidden sinkholes or ice. Got some of my best work out of this condition though.

What is your favorite cemetery to photograph in?

As I mentioned earlier, the cemetery doesn't matter to me. It's the story from life and that can be captured anywhere. But my favorite cemetery is unquestionably Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Not only was it one of the first to influence my work, but it was my oasis in Brooklyn. The distant din of the metropolis, the song of birds, the peace, the expanse, complete with the occasional flyby 'howdy' from Junior the red-tail falcon. Green-Wood has character, it has a personality, and it speaks to me.

For all intents and purpose, I disappear. It was, and continues to be, my Neverland.

What do you hope to achieve or what legacy do you want to leave behind with your cemetery photos?

A couple of things. I'm reminded of the tribal belief that you’re not truly dead until the last person who remembers you has died. I plan on being around for a thousand years...

Also, Ben Franklin once said, "Show me your cemeteries, and I'll tell you what kind of people you have." Despite what history may decide about us, I would like them to think that, at our core, we were a decent people. Perhaps still a bit primitive, but having the capability for compassion and virtue.

What projects or books do have planned for the future?

Well, I have 9 more working titles in the CemArt genre. I've started on the 2nd already. I'm currently compiling and editing a book of Civil War Letters due in June. I will return to another Civil War title I started quite some time ago called "Clarry." A young adult historical fiction about the first mortal casualty from Brooklyn City, New York. His name was Clarence McKenzie, the drummer boy of the 13th Regiment Co. D, and he died in June of 1861. He was 12 years old. Clarence is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery. And, yes, I'm working on a 'ghost story'. Happy now Everyone?!!

Dr. Enoch Dole - Died during the Siege of Boston - 1776

2011-11-22T08:35:00.002-05:00

Here lies ye Body of Dr. Enoch

Dole of Lancaster, Æ 33Years 5
months & 3 days, he unfortunately
fell with 3 others ye 9th of March
1776, by a Cannon Ball from our
cruel & unnatural Foes ye British
Troops while on his Duty on Dorch
ester Point

No warning giv'n! Unceremonious fate!

A sudden rush from lifes meredian joys!

A wrench from all we are! from all we love!

What a change

From yesterday!* Thy darling hope so near

(Long laboured prize!) O how ambition flushd

Thy glowing cheek! ambition truly great,

Of virtuous praise!.

And Oh! ye last, last, what (can word express

Thought reach?) ye last, last silence of a friend

*Meaning his Entrance into Boston which soon to

took placed on which his heart was much sett.

Old Burying Ground, Littleton, Massachusetts

Jonathan Jewett, Littleton, MA - 1789

2011-11-21T14:50:00.000-05:00

ERECTED

in memory of

Mr. Jonathan Jewett

who departed this life

June ye 20th 1789

In the 26th year

of his age.

Retire my friends dry up your tears,

Here I must lie till Christ appears.

Old Burying Ground, Littleton, Massachusetts

Jonathan Jewett was born 15 August 1764 in Littleton, Massachusetts to Joseph and Rebecca (Abbott) Jewett. Jonathan was the grandson of Ezra Jewett and Mary (Herrick) Jewett.

Ezra Jewett, Littleton, MA - 1793

2011-11-20T14:56:00.003-05:00

ERECTED

in memory of

Mr. Ezra Jewett

who died

March 16th, 1793

in ye 83d year

of his age.

Old Burying Ground, Littleton, Massachusetts

Ezra Jewett was born in Rowley, Massachusetts on 14 October 1710. He married Mary Herrick on 4 March 1734 at Littleton. His parents were Aquila and Anne (Tenney) Jewett of Rowley, MA.

Pardon Bowen, Warren, RI - 1799

2011-11-15T14:45:00.000-05:00

Pardon Bowen, Son of

Capt. Hail &

Mrs. Mary Bowen

died May 19, 1799

in the 2nd year

of his age.

The blessed babe has lost his flight,

From care and trouble free,

In Jesus's bosom may he rest

To all eternity.

North Burial Ground, Warren, Rhode Island

Nathan Miller, Warren, RI - 1790

2011-11-11T13:39:00.003-05:00

IN Memory of the Hon.

NATHAN MILLER Esqr.

who Died

May 20th, A.D. 1790

in the 48th Year of his

Age.

He Served his Country in

many Important offices with

honour and applause.

And if an open, candid unre-

served deportment joined to

eminent talents, and a desire

to promote the publick good,

would have secured him from

the a[--]st of Death , he had

not died

North Burial Ground, Warren, Rhode Island

This Nathan Miller was the nephew of Rebecca Miller Brown and the son of Rebecca's brother, Nathan Miller. He was the grandson of Samuel Miller and Ruth Curtis. According to the DAR database he reached the rank of Brigadier General and served in the 3rd Regt.,12th Co. RI Militia.

Jeremiah Brown, Warren, Rhode Island - 1793

2011-11-08T15:12:00.000-05:00

In Memory of Mr.

Jeremiah Brown

of Swansey, who

Died of a CANCER

July 29th, 1793

In the 70th Year

of his Age

North Burial Ground, Warren, Rhode Island

Jeremiah Brown was born 22 August 1723 in Swansea, Massachusetts, the son of Esek Brown and Mercy Carr, and twin to Daniel. He married Rebeckah Miller on 1 May 1746 in Swansea. He is buried to the left of his wife and in front of his son, Samuel Miller Brown. He is the great grandson of Chad Browne of Rhode Island through Chad's son, James. Chad immigrated to New England in 1638.

I conducted in-depth research on this particular Brown family. Some of my findings were presented in the webinar "Brick Walls: Cracking the Case of Nathan Brown's Parents."

If you missed the live version of the webinar, you can see it now in the Legacy Family Tree archives. It will be available until November 14, 2011 to view (for free) at your leisure.