USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Epitaphs from Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts, from 1657 to 1892. With biographical and historical notes > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24
974.402 P74k 1969354
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01115 1351
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/epitaphsfromburi00king_0
EPITAPHS .
FROM
BURIAL HILL,
PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS,
FROM 1657 TO 1892.
With Biographical
historical Notes.
ILLUSTRATED.
BY BRADFORD KINGMAN,
MEMBER OF NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY; CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF WISCONSIN STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY; PILGRIM SOCIETY, PLYMOUTH; WEBSTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY, BOSTON; WEYMOUTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY, WEYMOUTH; BOSTONIAN SOCIETY, BOSTON; ESSEX INSTITUTE, SALEM; AUTHOR OF HISTORY OF NORTH BRIDGEWATER, MASS., AND KINGMAN MEMORIAL.
SI
1620
G
SOC
IF
0
BROOKLINE, MASS. :
NEW ENGLAND ILLUSTRATED HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY. 1892.
1 IH JAIHU&
1969354
e:
Har That Church, on the left is the Orthodox the new south the Robinson church & vert these is seen Watsons Hill the Universalista "
COPYRIGHT, 1892, BY BRADFORD KINGMAN.
TO
THE MEMORY OF
The Pilgrim Father's
AND
Their Descendants,
WHEREVER LIVING,
THIS WORK I S
RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
BY THE AUTHOR.
Memory of the Dead.
Many ages ago the eloquent Pericles, in an oration in honor of the hero-dead who fell fighting for the liberties of Greece, declared in true and burning words the good of doing honor to the memory of the noble dead. It was not that they - immortal in their deeds - needed temple or column to perpetuate their fame or reward their virtues, but because the living, by thus spurring emulation of the good and heroic dead, inspired and ennobled themselves. Their homage was proof that they were not ungrateful, nor insensible to the deeds that constitute glory and renown. No wreath is given, and no monument reared by a nation to the memory of its illustrious dead, but it blossoms with good for the living through all future time. Virtue is en- couraged, patriotism kindled, and all that is noble in our nature inspired to action, by this homage to the greatness and goodness of our race.
PREFACE.
"Time corrodes our epitaphs and buries our very tombstones."
The practice of erecting memorials of some kind is almost coeval with the existence of the human race, but at what precise date epitaphs were first intro- duced, and by what nation, is involved in obscurity. The first we have been able to find is that about 876 B.C., when Sardanapalus, the last King of the Assyrians, ordered the following inscription to be engraved on his tomb, which was found at Anchiale in the time of Alexander, 543 years later : -
" Sardanapalus built Anchiale and Tarsus in one day. Go, Passenger, cat, drink, and rejoice. for the rest is nothing."
Epitaphs have long been declared as a means of communication between the living and the dead ; a means of instruction as well as a reminder of our mortality. It is that we may make acquaintance with those who have lived before us, to in- quire into their habits, their peculiarities, to investigate their history, which is not the least interesting object of the student and the antiquary, and to the biog- rapher they are legitimate sources of inquiry.
The importance of monuments and inscriptions cannot be too strongly stated. But for these, many persons, as well as events worthy of remembrance, would have been forgotten. In the early days of epitaphial writings, inscriptions were prohibited except upon the monuments of illustrious persons; but now it is the universal custom among all classes of people to adopt them.
An epitaph to the honor of the dead has ever been regarded as of all praise the most noble and the most pure, especially when it expresses the character and actions of the good. Private virtues are as much entitled to this homage as public ones, and the title of a good parent, a good friend, and a good citizen is worthy of being engraved on brass or marble. Thus the tomb of a good man may in some degree be made to supply the want of his presence, and attach a veneration to his memory, and prove a benefit by his example. "Records on tombstones," says Leigh Hunt, "are introducers of the living to the dead, makers of mortal acquaintances; and 'one touch of nature,' in making the whole world kin, gives them the right of speaking like kindred to and of one another."
An eminent writer says, " When I properly look upon the tombs of the great, every emotion of envy dies within me, - when I read the epitaphs of the beauti- ful, every inordinate desire goes out, - when I see the grief of parents for chil- dren, my heart melts with compassion, -and yet, when afterwards I have beheld the tombs of parents themselves, I see the vanity of grieving for those that we must follow, - when I see kings lying, perhaps, by those who deposed them, -
vi
PREFACE.
when I consider rivals who are placed side by side, or the great men who divided the world with their contests and disputes, in the same situation, I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the little competitions, factions, and debates of man- kind, - and finally, when I read the several dates on the tombs of some who died recently and some who died many years ago, I consider that great day when we shall be all cotemporaries and make our appearance together."
The author of this work has for a long time been exceedingly interested in col- lecting memorials of persons who have been distinguished as citizens as well as in the annals of fame, and whose memory should be cherished with a reverence due to their position.
Among the many places that the writer has visited, none has exceeded in interesting associations that of Plymouth and of "Burial IIill," and as the interest attached to this beautiful spot, once trodden by the steps of our early fathers, has become so universal, the long-cherished purpose of preserving the memorials of this locality has at last been realized, and the results are now offered to the public in this volume, with the hope that all may find as much personal gratifi- cation in its perusal as has the writer in its compilation.
Epitaphs descriptive of the personal character and social lives of those who lie beneath them are interesting and instructive, especially when drawn with truth and discrimination, and the advice given to the living in many of them are worthy of more than a passing thought. It would seem but natural that in a burial ground found in the oldest town of New England, the grave-stones should be the earliest to be found anywhere; but such is not the case. There are found elsewhere many whose records antedate those on Burial Ilill, but none more interesting. Those buried here are mostly descendants of the early Pilgrims, as will appear by a careful perusal of the index at the end of this volume.
Here there are not only single graves representing a family, but whole house- holds, - parents, brothers, sisters, children, and grandchildren, -- all grouped together in immediate proximity ; these, united in life, are not separated in death. Among these occupants of the soil may be found persons of prominence as well as those from the ordinary walks of life. Here rest the remains of many of the earliest settlers of the colony and children of the next generation, none of whom are now living. Here, too, may be found ministers who led the devotions of the sanctu- ary near by, which, for many years, was the only church in the town, and those who, by their lengthy terms * of faithful pastoral duties, manifested an interest in their fellow-worshippers, and desired to remain in their midst after death.
Here moulders the dust of several prominent physicians who completed their terms of usefulness to their fellow-townsmen, and lie within this sacred enclosure beside those whom even their skill could not save.
Here also may be found the names of those who were called to take an active part in the councils of the nation when the country was in peril during the revo- lution, and a long list of those who died in their country's service in the late rebellion.
Many also who have lost their lives on the perilous sea have found their final resting-place beneath the turf in these grounds.
At the time of commencement in copying these epitaphs, nearly forty years since, there were a large number of badly broken and defaced grave-stones lying about the ground. Since the work was begun a still larger number of slates
* Rev. Dr. Kendall was pastor of the First Church for nearly sixty years.
1
vii
PREFACE.
have given way to the ruthless storms of years, or have been removed and others of a more imposing kind have taken their places, in the form of marble monu- ments and tablets or enduring granite. This will account for some of the in- scriptions being found in different places in the volume, as the earlier ones are printed as found on the slate stones which afterward were removed, and on the new monuments the same names and dates were placed.
There are also a large number of inscriptions herein for which no stone can be found. The list of such will render this work the more valuable, as it will preserve the names of many which otherwise would have been forgotten.
It was originally intended to print these epitaphs to the year 1858, but time has wrought so many changes, and so many additions have been made since that date, it was deemed advisable to bring them to the present time. Great pains have been bestowed in the copying, and it is believed the results will be of great value to the antiquary, the genealogist, and the historian, as well as to the pub- lic at large.
It will be noticed that much labor and expense have been bestowed on this work in illustrating many of the monuments which it is thought would add much to the interest as well as value to the volume.
The author would respectfully acknowledge the kind assistance and encour- agement he has received from many friends in Plymouth as well as elsewhere, during the progress of this work, and would especially mention Hon. William T. Davis, late president of the Pilgrim Society, as well as historian of Plymouth ; Dr. Thomas B. Drew, curator of the Pilgrim Society at Pilgrim Hall; also to the family of the late William S. Russell, Esq., who did much in preserving the historical records of Plymouth, and publisher of " Recollections of the Pilgrims ; " also to David Pulsifer, Esq., the well-known antiquary of Boston.
To Captain Charles C. Doten, editor of the "Old Colony Memorial," he is indebted for the free use of files of that paper ; and to his son, Charles M. Doten, Esq., correspondent of the Boston Herald, for the kindly assistance rendered, he tenders his hearty thanks.
Bradford Kingman.
BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS,
August 1, 1892.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Seal of Plymouth Colony
View of Plymouth, steel plate
View of Burial Hill
On Title Page. Opp. Title Page. Opp. Page LY.
Old Pilgrim Fort and First Meeting House
1
Gravestone of Thomas Clark
4 8
Monument to Hon. Thomas Russell
280
Map of Plymouth
290
Entrance to Burial ITill
291 292
Gravestone of Thomas Faunce
Russell Tomb
292
Gravestone of Tabitha Plasket
Gravestone of Capt. Joseph Churchill
Goodwin Tomb
Judson Tomb
295
Kendall Gravestones
296
Marble Tablet of the Old Fort
296
Cushman Monument 297
Cushman Gravestone
298
LeBaron Gravestone
298
LeBaron Gravestone
299
Gravestone of Edward Gray
299
Gravestone of John Howland
299 301 301
Clark Monument
301
Magee Monument . 301 Gravestone of Andrew Farrell . 304 Gravestone of Joseph Bartlett 304 305
305
Marble Tablet of Watch House
305
Old Powder House
305
Gravestone of Joseph Bradford
306
Gravestone of Nathaniel Bradford
306
Gravestone of Sarah Bradford .
307
Gravestone of Sally Bradford
307
Portrait of Clement Bates
308
Gravestone of Dr. James Thacher
310
Gravestone of William S. Russell 311
.
Gravestone of Edward W. Watson
.
313
Gravestone of Rev. Ephraim Little
Gravestone of Nathaniel Clark
Gravestone of Hon. William Davis
Gravestone of Samuel Davis
293 291 295 295
Grave of William Crowe
Gov. William Bradford Monument .
Gravestone of Maj. William Bradford
VIEW OF BURIAL HILL. PLYMOUTH, MASS., U.S.A.
INTRODUCTION.
BURIAL HILL.
NEXT to the famous rock on which the Pilgrim Fathers landed there is nothing of more interest to the many thousands of visit- ors to the old town of Plymouth than the above named locality. The stranger upon his arrival in town, whether by steamboat or rail, cannot fail to notice, directly in the rear of the main street, a beautiful elevated spot of ground appropriated to the pur- poses of burials. There rest the remains of many of the early settlers of the old colony and their descendants for several gen- erations.
This commanding and elevated ground was early selected by the pilgrims, while reconnoitering for a place on which to locate, as appears by their records, viz. :-
"On the other side of the river also much Corne-ground cleared ; in one field is a great hill, on which wee poynt to make a platform and plant our ordnance, which will command all round about. From thence we may see into the Bay, and farre into the Sea, and we may see thence Cape Cod."
This hill is one hundred and sixty-five feet above the level of the sea, and contains about eight acres.
This was their first measure of precaution against any sudden attack of the Indians, and served as a protection for the two rows of dwellings they had designed to construct.
At a little later date, in 1622, in consequence of threatened hostility from Canonicus, the distinguished and powerful sachem of the Narragansett Indians, it appears they erected a larger fort, and so built it in the interests of economy as to answer for protection from the natives as well as for a place of worship.
"This somer they builte a fort with good timber, both strong and Comly, which was of good defence, made with a flate rofe and battlments, on which their ordnance were mounted, and wher they kepte constante watch, espetially in time of danger. It served them allso for a meeting house, and was fitted accord- ingly for that use."-Bradford.
of X
EPITAPIIS FROM BURIAL IIILL.
OLD PILGRIM FORT AND MEETING HOUSE.
For a full account of this hill as it appeared a few years later, we find the following in a letter written by Isaac De Rasieres, a French Protestant, to Gov. Bradford in 1627 :-
"New Plymouth lies on the slope of a hill stretching east to- wards the sea-coast, with a broad street about a cannon shot of eight hundred [yards ] long, leading down the hill, with a [street] crossing in the middle, northwards towards the rivulet, and southwards to the land. The houses are constructed of hewn planks, so that their houses and court-yards are arranged in very good order, with a stockade against a sudden attack; and at the ends of the streets there are three wooden gates. In the centre, on the cross street, stands the Governor's house, before which is a square enclosure, upon which four patereros [steen- stucken] are mounted, so as to flank along the streets Upon
the hill they have a large square house, with a flat roof, made of thick sawn planks, stayed with oak beams, upon the top of which they have six cannons, which shoot iron balls of four and five pounds, and command the surrour ting country. The lower part they use for their church, where they preach on
XI
EPITAPHS FROM BURIAL HILL.
Sundays and the usual holidays. They assemble by beat of drum, each with his musket or firelock, in front of the captain's door; they have their cloaks on, and place themselves in order, three abreast, and are led by a sergeant without beat of drum. Behind comes the Governor, in a long robe ; beside him, on the right hand, comes the preacher with his cloak on, and on the left hand the captain with his side-arms and cloak on, and with a small cane in his hand; and so they march in good order, and each sets his arms down near him. Thus they are constantly on their guard night and day."
Thus did our forefathers worship God-with a Bible in one hand and a sword or a musket in the other.
Again in September, 1642, according to the records of the town, repairs were made to the fort :-
"It is agreed that every man shall bring two peeces more of viii. foote long to finish the fortyfycacon on the fort hill, and that Richard Church shall speedyly make the carriage for an- other piece of ordnance."
And on the 23d of September, 1643, a watch was established at Plymouth, and "it was agreed upon that there shall be a watch house forthwith built of brick, and that Mr. Grome shall sell us the bricks for xi. s. p. thousand." This is the first in- stance where bricks are mentioned in the colony.
Again in February, 1676, there were fears of an invasion of the natives under King Philip and his tribe, afterwards known as King Philip's war, which caused the citizens of the town to make more extensive preparations for defence, as appears by the following vote :-
February 19th, 1676. "It was ordered by the Towne that there shal be forthwith a fortification built upon the fort hill att Plymouth; to be an hundred foot square, the pallasadoes to be ten foot and a halfe longe; to be sett two foot and a halfe in the Ground; and to be sett against a post and a Raile; every man is to doe three foot of the said ffence of the fortification ; the pallasadoes are to be battened on the backsyde one against every two, and sharpened on the topps, to be accomplished by every male in each family from sixteen yeares old and upwards, and that there shal be a watch house erected within the said ffence or fortification, and that the three peece of ordnance shal be planted within the said ffence or fortification.
"Agreed with Nathaniell Southworth to build the said watch house, which is to be sixteen foot in length and twelve foot in breadth and eight foot studd, to be walled with board, and to
XII
EPITAPHIS FROM BURIAL HILL.
have two flores, the uper flore to be six foot above the lower flore ; and hee is to batten the walls and to make a smal paire of staires in it and to frame two smal windowes below, to make two gebles to the Roofe on each syde one, to Cover the Roofe with shingle ; onely the frame to be brought to the place att the Townes Charge; and for the said work hee is to have eight pounds to be paid either in money or other pay equivolent."
In the year 1679 this watch house was granted to Samuel Jenney "to dwell in, or remove when he pleaseth." The remains of the old fort were sold to William Harlow, and formed part of his dwelling-house. The cannon were used in Revolutionary times for the defence of Coles' hill, and afterwards, as we learn, sold, to be wrought into more harmless forms of human use .- Town Records, Vol. I. p. 83.
It seems that this hill was used not only as a central point for protection from any sudden attack upon the town, but as a place of burial from 1676, the date whence it ceased to be used as a fort.
BURIAL IIILL, PLYMOUTHI.
The first mention of it as a burial place was in 1698, when Chief Justice Sewall, holding court in Plymouth, says in his diary, "I walk out in the morn to see the mill, then turn up to the graves, come down to the meeting-house, and seeing the door partly open went in and found a very convenient opportu- nity to pray."
And again in the deed of the lot of land, where "Davis Build- ing" now stands, from Nathaniel Howland to Francis Le Baron, of the same year the seat of the Le Baron family .- Davis An- cient Landmarks.
The following is a description of the Hill as it appears to-day, and of those who visit the same for the first time, as well as the impressions of a stranger from foreign lands.
"The 'Burying' Hill is the most remarkable spot in Plymouth. From whatever side we approach the town, it rises conspicuously above all its buildings; a lofty green mound, covered with dark gray tombstones, the first place to receive the rays of the sun, and the last upon which they linger.
"Let us ascend to it by the narrow foot-path from the head of Leyden-street, worn deeply to the thick and mossy turf, and, seated on one of the tombstones, look out upon the surrounding scene. What a Sabbath stillness reigns buried among its leafy groves; though the curling smoke tells of many a cheerful home concealed amidst the foliage. It is morning, the tide is in, the wide expanse of the bay glitters with light, and a fresh
XIII
EPITAPHIS FROM BURIAL HILL.
and bracing sea-breeze pleasantly salutes us. The robin red- breast, a much larger bird than his elder brother in England, hopping from stone to stone, seems to haunt this fresh and breezy eminence. The view that it commands is pleasing from its wide expanse of sea and shore. But the spot whereon we stand, the cemetery, is itself the most striking feature of the scene.
"In wandering about this venerable place of sepulture, I was par- ticularly struck with the longevity attained by a large proportion of its tenants. It is remarkable that many of those who survived the first winter, fatal to half their companions, and became ac- customed to the climate, which, if keen and cutting, is remark- ably pure and salubrious, should, with their immediate descend- ants, have lived to eighty, ninety, and, in some few instances, above even a hundred years of age.
"Such, in its main features, is the Burying Hill, the most venerable, if not the most beautiful, necropolis to be met with on the soil of America."-Bartlett's Pilgrim Fathers.
"When the modern pilgrim finds his way to Plymouth, and, with filial veneration, directs his steps to the sacred spot where rest the fathers of New England, he is peculiarly struck with the remarkable objects which are presented to his view. When he has ascended the high hill, and looks around upon the innu- merable gravestones which affection has placed as the last tributes to the memory of departed parents, relatives and friends, he seeks in vain for any ancient memorial to mark the graves of the Mayflower pilgrims of 1620. In vain he inquires for the graves of those who came in the Fortune in 1621, in vain for those of the Ann and Little James, in 1623. In vain he asks, in vain he seeks. Of all these, Thomas Cushman alone of the Fortune, and Thomas Clark alone of the Ann, are remembered by tab- lets. Their graves alone were surely designated by gravestones on Burying Hill. One of the old comers, Phineas Pratt, was similarly remembered in the old burial-ground in Charlestown. Uncertain tradition, however, has attempted to point out the burial places of a few others, and modern memorials have been erected to their memory.
"In an elevated position in one part of this field of the dead may be seen the shaft erected in memory of William Bradford, not only emphatically the Governor of the Plymouth Colony, but the faithful chronicler of the Pilgrims, his associates in the great enterprise. In another direction is the large slab com- memorating the life and services of the venerable John Howland ; and still, in another portion of the field, the monument which the filial regard of the Cushman family has raised over the graves
XIV
EPITAPHS FROM BURIAL HILL.
of their pious ancestor, the excellent Elder. These, indeed, are modern erections, but not the less honorable.
"The site upon Burying Hill on which the Cushman monument stands has hallowed family associations, and is not in itself en- tirely devoid of interesting recollections of a more general char- acter. It is the identical spot selected for the burial place of Elder Cushman by his bereaved friends and religious associates ; and beneath the turf which has grown for ages, and whose ver- dure has only now and then been disturbed, as a new tenant has been admitted to the community of the dead, to mingle ashes with those of the venerated sire, rest the remains of the earliest of this Pilgrim family, - the Cushmans. Around the Elder's humble grave were buried many of the Church, who, from their feelings of attachment, desired to be near him in death, as they had been with him in life; among these were the officers of the church, with whom he had for so many years ministered; but his pastor was not permitted to be with him in his long sleep, but is quietly reposing in the distant regions of the sunny South. From this spot the turf has now been removed, but the sacred remains are still there. The turf has given place to more en- during granite.
"While standing within this ancient cemetery, the stranger is forcibly struck with the appearance of the large number of monumental tablets and burial mounds which he notices on all sides, compared with the smaller number of buildings in the village at its base,-that the dwellings of the dead far outnumber the dwellings of the living. The immediate scene presents a vast assemblage of the past and a more limited population of the present-the quiet remains of other days above, and busy and bustling life of to-day below. Here is where the forefathers lie with their children of more than two centuries, gathered together in family clusters, awaiting the call of the last great day. And where could they lie more appropriately than in the chosen land of their American pilgrimage?
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.