USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Bridgewater > Epitaphs in old Bridgewater, Massachusetts : illustrated with plans and views > Part 16
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This deed conveys "121 rods of land adjoining land for many years improved for a burying place, given by my father, Samuel Allen, late of Bridgewater, containing 100 rods." The deed recites that the land alloted for a burying-ground is but small, and in time like to prove too scanty for the use of the inhabitants, and that the whole land
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EAST BRIDGEWATER,
contains 221 rods, near the East meeting-house, and gives the follow- ing boundaries of the premises conveyed, being two parcels of land de- scribed as one parcel, beginning at a stone on the north side of the road, and thence running "north, 45 deg. east, 107/2 rods to a stone ; then north, 36 deg. west, 15 rods to another stone, in Dea. Seth Al- len's range ; then south, 39 deg. west, 1612 rods in Allen's range, to the road ; and then by the road 1912 rods, to the first bounds," being the same premises now enclosed and used for a burying-ground, con- taining, by recent survey, 227 square rods of land.
The grantor in this deed. Matthew Allen, Jr., was a son of the sec- ond Samuel Allen, born June 10, 1708, and died July 21, 1787. He is called junior because he was a younger man than his cousin, Mat- thew Allen, son of Elisha Allen, born April 11, 1708, and who died Oc- ober 8, 1784. This Matthew Allen, Jr., lived at the Leonard Hill place ; married a daughter of Seth Brett, 1807, and had a family of six children. His father, Samuel Allen, Jr., lived in front of Thomas Rogers' house, and died 1750, nine years before his son, Matthew Al- len, Jr., gave this deed of the burying ground. His father's estate was divided among his six children, 1750. The whole of which home- stead was bounded northeasterly by the road, there, being about seven- ty rods wide ; and southwesterly by Matfield river, or meadow on that river.
Only one reference to this burying ground has been found in old documents, and that is in the deed of Samuel Allen, Sen., the old town clerk, to his youngest son, Nehemiah Allen, who was born 1681, and died about 1733. and who was an uncle of said. Matthew Allen, Jr. This Samuel Allen, Sen., made his will June 29, 1703, proved Dec. 21, 1705. This deed is dated June 28, 1703, one day before his will, and was ac- knowledged December 11, 1704, and recorded December 20, 1705, in book 6, on pages 58 and 59, and is substantially as follows :
" We, Samuel Allen, Sen., and Sarah, his wife, of Bridgewater, do give, grant, and bequeath, after our decease, our whole tract of land adjoining to our new dwelling-house, excepting the half moon meadow, the rest, being near 100 acres, unto our son, Nehemiah Al- len, in Bridgewater, to the northerly side of John's river (Matfield) ; begining at river, and running along by the top of the bank of said half-moon meadow, to the land of our son Samuel ; then running northeasterly to a swamp white oak mark, and in same line to a small red oak and dead white oak, and on the same line up to the highway on the plain ; the southerlyeast side is butting on said John's river ; run- ning northeasterly, joining to the lands of Thomas Whitman, straight to causey and highway above Goodman Harris, his house ; then by
185
OLD GRAVE YARD.
highway to a red oak ; and then by a heap of stones and stake on the southerly side of the highway that comes from Poor meadow ; then northwesterly to heap of stones and stake ; then running souther- ly (leaving out the graves to ye west) to a small red oak sapling ; then westerly by ye highway to our son Samuel's side line of his land. on the easterly side, and also our one-sixth undivided land."
"Leaving out the graves to the west " mentioned in this deed of 1703, undoubtedly means the 100 rods with graves on it referred to in the deed of 1759, and which had been used for a burial-ground many years before, as stated in the deed of 1759.
Nehemiah Allen was 22 years old in 1703, and was not married till 1707, and his parents, grantors in this deed of 1703, had moved into their new house (Leonard Hill house) from their old house on the bank of the river, near the railroad crossing ; and there they lived, and there they died ; he June 28, 1705, and his wife, Sarah, after the date of the deed, June 28, 1703, but when is not known ; and were, no doubt, both of them buried in this yard, and on the 100 rods given by his son Sam uel, but no stone marks their resting-place.
Samuel Allen, Jr., donor of the one hundred rods, and father of Mathew Allen, Jr., donor of the 121 rods, was born 1660; was first married 1686 ; and died 1750, then about go years old, When he gave this land, one hundred rods, or how many graves there were in 1703, is uncertain ; but it was probably the first land used for a public bury- ing-ground in East Bridgewater. The one hundred rods is supposed to be the high ground in the southwest part of this grave yard, and is considered the oldest part of the yard.
At this date, 1703, there had not probably been many deaths of adult persons living in this part of old Bridgewater. We find only five families living in East Bridgewater in 1662. eleven years after the first settlement in West Bridgewater. to wit: N .. Byram, on Forge brook . S. Allen and Wm. Brett, on Matfield river ; Thomas Whitman and Robert Latham, on Satucket river. These five families, with some married children, perhaps constituting separate families, were all we know of living in this part of old Bridgewater during King Philip's War of 1675-6. Other families and individuals came in soon after, and set- tled here; the population slowly, but steadily, increasing down to 1703.
The adult persons living and dying in this part of old Bridgew: ter previous to 1703, and probably buried in this yard, so far as is known, were N. Byram, 1688, and his wife, 1698 ; Robert Latham and
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EAST BRIDGEWATER,
wife. 1685-1688 : Jonathan Cary, of Beaver. 1695 ; Experience Mitch- ell, of Elmwood, 1689 ; Mercy Harris, wife of Issac Harris, about 1682.
No other public place of burial is known to have been used ; and we find a very few private burying-grounds in the early settlement of the town, here, or elsewhere, in old Bridgewater.
There is an Indian burying-place at Robbins' Pond, on a piece of high ground on the south side of the road, fifty rods west of the bridge over Satucket river, at said pond. This ground was formerly covered with a heavy growth of pine timber, always private property. None but colored people are known to have been buried here, and probably not more than ten to fifteen graves there, and no grave-stones with in scriptions thereon. There was no Indian settlement around this pond before 1651. It is called Robbins' Pond from John Robbins, an In. dian, who early lived near it. Those persons who have lived or been buried at this place have come from abroad ; mostly from Marshfield. Assawampsett Pond, and South Kingston, R. I., and have been Indians, negroes, and mixed blood.
Seven graves (six grown persons and one child), all in a row, close together, are found on the Bela Hill, now Henry G. Hill farm, on the south bank of Matfield river, some thirty or forty rods below the rail- road crossing, with large natural flat stones at head and foot, set up edgewise, with no inscription thereon ; and there are two Hat stones from twelve to twenty inches wide, and from two to three feet long, laid horizontal and lengthwise on top of each grave, all which graves occupy a space of twenty feet in a straight line, nearly north and south . and all stones, here seem to be such as came from a ledge near by. The land occupied by these graves is a part of the Hill farm, which has been owned and occupied by the Hill family ever since the first settle- ment. These graves were probably made before 1800, and have gen- erally been considered as graves of persons dying with the small-pox. There is no satisfactory account or tradition as to who they were, or when buried, or cause of death.
There is a tradition in the Hill family that it was a private grave- yard of the Hill family, and was not a small pox grave-yard, with per- haps a single exception of a child of Richard Thayer, which died with the small-pox, Jan. 15, 1793, aged one month, and was buried at this place, while the father of the child was living in one of the Hill houses on this farm, and this was the last burial at this place, and a similar tradition exists in the Thayer family. It is said that Jacob Hill, father
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OLD GRAVE YARD.
of Leonard Hill, had the small-pox at this same house, but he recov- ered, died 1827, and was buried in the old grave-yard in East Bridge- water.
OWNERS AND OCCUPANTS OF THE HILL FARM, AND EARLY SETTLERS IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
Samuel Allen, Sen., the second town clerk, lived on the northeast- erly bank of Matfield river, in early times called John's river, from John Howard, Minimus. The said Howard lived on the site of the late Dea. Samuel Keene, from about 1680 to 1703. The Allen house stood within a few rods of the river, from about 1662 to 1703.
Dea. William Brett, son of Elder William Brett, married a daugh- ter of John Cary, the first town clerk, 1651 to 1681. He lived about thirty rods southwest from the railroad crossing, in or near a place called the Devil's Hop Yard, about the middle of the present clay-pit of Joseph M. Loucraft, about two rods northeast of his (Brett's) well, still to be seen on the southwest side of this clay-pit. The ground where his house stood has been razed ten or twelve feet for clay to make brick of, and we fear the well will soon follow the cellar.
Dea. Thomas Hayward, who married Bethia, the only child of said Dea. William Brett, 1706, lived with his father-in-law for many years after his marriage, and his four children, born between 1707 and 1725, were probably born in this house. He built a new house near where the late Solomon Hayward lived, in Bridgewater, and moved into it, and lived in it for several years before his death. He died 1741, and was buried in the old yard in Bridgewater, and has a grave- stone. The wife of Dea. Hayward died 1745, but it is not known where she was buried ; probably by his side in the same yard.
We have been shown the site, well and 'spring of a house on the improved land of the Hill farm about forty rods south from the rail- road crossing, and about five rods northwest from the railroad track. The well now in good condition, two or three rods northwest from the site of the house, in the edge of the woods, with a clump of shellbarks on one side, and of oaks on the other. The ground where the well stands being twelve or more feet lower than where the house stood. This is supposed to be the first Hill house in East Bridgewater, to wit : Jonathan Hill, who was alive 1706.
Another house on the Hill farm stood about ten rods north of the present road, and fifty rods northwest from the present house of Henry G. Hill; well still to be seen. This was the residence of Ebenezer
1
1.
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EAST BRIDGEWATER.
Hill, a son of said Jonathan Hill, who had four children, 1715-1730, and died 1760, and whose son, Jacob Hill, built the first house on the spot where Henry G. Hill now lives, and who married Abigail Bonney. had five children, 1754-1764, and died 1804, aged 87.
This first Jacob Hill was the father of the second Jacob Hill, who married Anne Tribou, 1780 ; had six children, 1783-1792 ; lived on this place, and died 1827, aged 70, and was buried in the old East Bridgewater grave-yard. His farm passed from him to his two sons, Bela and Bezer, by descent and purchase, and on their deaths, Beza dy- ing 1821, and Bela dying Dec. 8, 1862, aged 72, came to Henry G. Hill and Mrs. Noyes, who now own and occupy the same.
There was another house-well still to be seen-about half way between Mr. Strong's house and Matfield river, on the old Cary farm. The late Dea. John Whitman is said to have gone to school in this house. Of course, the house must have been standing as late as 1740. It was, no doubt, the residence of Francis Cary, son of the old town clerk, who was brought up with Samuel Tomkins, and had his estate in East Bridgewater, and who married Hannah Brett as early as 1685, and who had five children ; Ephraim, one of the oldest, married Han- nah Waldo, 1709, and had five children, 1709-1716, owned and lived upon his father's homestead and house, and died 1765, aged 87.
Who were these six adult persons, whether they died of the small- pox or otherwise ?
There are ten graves of the Hill family in the old graye-yard near the town-house in East Bridgewater, that have grave-stones, to wit
Israel Hill, died 1753, aged 1; Polly Hill, died 1835, aged 38 ; John
1753, 3; Jane B. " .. 1838, 31 ;
Bezer 1821, 29 ; Chas. H. " 1842, 23
Anna 1823, " 65; Hannah G. ..
1862, .. Jacob 1827, ..
70; Bela .. 1862. .. 72.
64;
The persons who have lived with families on the homestead are : I. Jonathan Hill, had five children, and was living 1706. 2. Ebenezer, son of said Jonathan, had four children, 1715-1730, died 1760.
3. Eleazer, son of Ebenezer (2); married Dr. Field's daughter, 1769 ; no children ; lived with his father ; died 1791, aged 62.
4. Jacob, son of Ebenezer (2), had five children, 1754-1764, died 1804, aged 87.
5. Jacob, son of Jacob (4), had six children, 1783-1792, died 1827, aged 70.
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OLD GRAVE YARD.
6. Bela and Bezer, sons of Jacob (5), had two or more children, 1815 and after, and died, Bezer 1821, and Bela 1862.
7. Henry G., son of said Bela, now living with family on the home. stead.
These appear to be the only persons of the Hill family who lived with families on the old homestead, and the only persons with families of that name who lived in East Bridgewater except three, to wit: David Hill, son of Nathaniel, who lived with his family opposite the house of the late Welcome Young, and who sold out his homestead of 41 14 acres and house to John Young, in 1777, and who after that disappears. Is- rael Hill, who married Beriah Latham, 1748 ; had thirteen children, 1749-1770 ; lived in the house now owned and occupied by Charles Lincoln in Satucket, and died after 1769. And the late Leonard Hill. son of the last Jacob, and brother of said Bela and Bezer.
It does not appear where Jonathan, Ebenezer, Eleazer, and Jacob first, were buried, nor where their wives, or the wife of the second Jacob were buried ; and if those six graves are of the Hill family, they would probably be six of the nine persons, four men and five women. above named.
It is not known that any member of, or any person belonging . to, these families, or to any family in this neighborhood, ever died with the small-pox, except the child of Richard Thayer, and there is no tra- dition of any pox-house in this neighborhood, or in any part of East Bridgewater ; and though this ground has generally been considered a small-pox grave-yard, it is quite as likely to be, and most likely was, a private burying-ground of the Hill family, or of the very early settlers in this neighborhood.
We find only a few deaths by small-pox in East Bridgewater to wit :
Thomas Wade, died April 17, 1777, aged 56;
Gain Robinson,
66 Feb. 26, 1778, " 54;
Thomas Latham,
April 28, 1778, “ 49;
Bourn Perkins, May 3, 1778, 20;
The Thayer child
Jan. 15, 1793, " I mo;
Thomas Wood,
Jan. 19, 1827, 19;
A Mrs. Thrasher,
66
1860.
Probably some persons from this town went to the pox-house in South Abington, near the line of East Bridgewater, but no death of any such person, or of any other person in East Bridgewater, from that cause, has come to our knowledge.
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EAST BRIDGEWATER,
There is one grave on the east bank of Satucket river, west of the late Thomas Chamberlain house. It was there when Chamberlain bought his farm of Nicholas and Josiah Whitman, 1794. It is sup- posed to be, and no doubt was, a case of small-pox, but who or when is uncertain. If it was David Conant, who died 1760, it was the earli- est case of small-pox known in old Bridgewater, except Seth Brett, who died of small-pox, 1722, in West Bridgewater. It may have been his son, David Conant, Jr., who died 1792, or some other member of the Conant family, which lived near the Conant or Chamberlain bridge. There were three Conant houses and several' Conant families living at this place from 1706 to about 1790.
William Conant bought of N. Allen, in 1706, the Chamberlain farm, and built a house immediately back of the present house, which was two stories in front, one story back ; taken down and the present house built by Thomas Chamberlain in 1811, with the aid of his daugh- ters-pioneers in the art of braiding straw. David Conant, son of William, owned three-fourths acre and house on south side of the old Plymouth road, bounded east by the great Gall ; south by the river. A third house was built, owned, and occupied by some members of this Conant family. This was a common one-story house, with front door and chimney in the middle, and stood where Alfred Bottomer now lives, and was taken down by him a few years ago, to make room for his present honse. Rufus and Rhoda Conant sold this last one-story house and fourteen acres of land on which it stood, to Robert Latham 1783, and the Conant family all sold out and mostly went to Lyme, N. H., where the Rev. William Conant. a son of said David, and grandson of said William, a graduate of Yale College, 1770, was the settled min ister, and to which town a large number of Bridgewater people emi grated. Said old house of William Conant is well remembered by the writer.
In 1852, Peleg Osbourn dedicated a sman piece of land in front of his house for a private burial place. It now has some fire or six graves upon it. He died Aug. 27. 1864. aged 77, and was buried upon it.
There are two graves near the house of the late Earl Josselyn, in the east part of the town, supposed to be the graves of Earl Josselyn and wife. A private grave-yard, unenclosed.
The Hudson tomb, built by Nathan and John Hudson in 1819. on the south side of Plymouth road, between their houses ; recently filled with earth and closed up, with some fourteen or more bodies de- posited therein, to wit :
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OLD GRAVE YARD.
Nathan Hudson, born Jan. 26, 1741, died Sept. - 9, 1835, æ 94 ;
Anna Hudson, his wife,
.. Nov. 18, 1832, "81 ;
William Briggs,
Betsey Briggs, his wife,
William Briggs, Jr. born Mar. 13, 1801,
Nathan H. Briggs
..
May 3, 1803,
Eliza A. G. Briggs, 16 Jan. 17, 1809,
Theophilus P. Briggs, Oct. 30, 1813,
James H. Briggs, May 9, 1818,
Mary Jane Briggs, .. June 26, 1821, 66 July 15, 1821, 20 d ; May 5, 1743, 66 Dec. 21, 1819, @ 75 : Feb. 10, 1825, " 76 ;
John Hudson,
Bethia Hudson, his wife
Melzer Hudson, 6.
Oct. 22, 1784,
Otis Hudson, .. Oct. 17, 1774,
Two infant children of Mark P. Hudson.
A private yard of Richard Thayer and family, on the south side of the road, near his late dwelling-house, has one monumental shaft, and several inscriptions thereon, with small stones indicating place of burial, to wit :
North side.
Richard Thayer, born March 7, 1759, died Mch. 7, 1845 :
Eunice Thayer, Apr. 4, 1765, " Aug. 28, 1823 ;
Huldah Thayer,
Sept. 20, 1795, " Sept. 23, 1849 ;
East side.
Richard Thayer,
Ann Snell, wife of ) Richard Thayer, )
Dec. 23, 1800,
" Dec. 22, 1875 ;
South side,
Earl Thayer,
Orra, wife of Earl Thayer, " June 15, 1785, West side.
Isaac Fish,
Susan Fish,
Richard H.,
Eunice M.,
Henry T.,
Mira L.,
An infant son
Julia A. Fish, wife of Eli Wheeler, S
died June 6, 1873, æ 83, 9 ; " Aug. 9, 1858, æ 68, 5, 20 ; born Sept. 16, 1815, died Apr. 26, 1818 ; " June 3, 1824, July 4, 1825 ;
" Dec. 17, 1826, " Nov. 23, 1843 ;
" Nov. 30, 1829, Dec. 11, 1843 ;
Oct. 26, 1820, " Oct. 27, 1820 ;
died Mch. 12, 1861, æ 43.
" Aug. 4, 1848, "77 ; " June 22, 1858, " 79 ; .. Sept. 7, 1850, " 49 ; " June 19, 1839, " 36 ; Feb. 24, 1819, " 10,
July 7, 1879, " 66: Nov. 17, 1838, " 20 ;
Oct. 14, 1846, " 62 ; July 20, 1844, "70 ;
" Aug. 11, 1798, " Oct. 15, 1877 ;
" Aug. 13, 1787, " May 14, 1861 ;
,, Nov. 28, 1823 ;
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EAST BRIDGEWATER,
A private yard near the house of the late Dea. Eleazer Whitman. and belonging to his family, on the south side of the road. east of his house, and west of Canada ; 120 feet on the road, and running back 60 feet ; all walled in, with an entrance at each end. It has twenty- two graves, and eighteen grave-stones, and the oldest grave in the yard is 1827. Several old persons are buried in this yard, to wit :
Rachel Whitman,
Daniel Whitman,
Abigail Whitman,
Eleazer Whitman,,
died 1878. aged 94. 5. 11 : died April 30, 1879, 95. 0. 18 ; 87. 1, 20 ; 91; 66 $5 ,
Mary Porter,
IS75. 1846, I836, 1832, 79,
Mary Whitman, 66
Luther Chamberlain,
Dec. 20, 1842, 39 ;
Asa Tom Whitman
". June 20, 1875.
Asa Whitmam 1827. .. 54.7. 19; 44.
Besides the above burying-places. all modern except the one on Central street and small-pox burials, there are now five grave-yards, called cemeteries, in East Bridgewater, and which were commenced since 1800, and do not come within the limits of this work. Their dates are about as follows :
Beaver cemetery, 1809 ; Union cemetery. 1842. East Bridgewa ter cemetery, 1846 , Elmwood cemetery. 1847 , Northville cemetery. 1855.
All graves in this old yard head nearly west. The foot stones have been removed to the back side of the head stones. The ground. always cared for by the town and individuals, has lately been dug over and very much improved, wild grass, week, and bushes killed ; trees trimmed and destroyed , ground smothed and leveled , stones righted and cleaned of moss, and yet some of the stones are nearly illegible. and will be more so if neglected and nothing done to preserve the let ters and figures.
A few head-stones near the wall, between the gate and the south corner of the yard, by consent of the parties, have been removed to other parts of the yard. The foot stones to such graves, remain in their original places.
The figures on the plan represent got grave stones, and include five graves without stones numbered, and marked " No inscription." and eleven graves with native, Hat, rough stones, with initials of name and year of death, one or both, cut thereon, is appears at end of the index to epitaphs in this yard. Who they were is not known.
193
OLD GRAVE YARD.
Several grave-stones have inscriptions for two or more persons, making thirty-four extra names ; so that the whole number of epitaphs in this ground is about 600.
This ground has a bank wall next to Central street and upon the southeast side, from said street back to the hearse-house, next to the town-house land, with a deciduous hedge on top of said bank wall. There is a very handsome hedge of arbor vitæ on the northwest side, next to Mr. Sheldon's land, and a poor fence, or no fence at all, on the northeast side, and on the balance of the southeast side next to the Orr land.
There is an iron gate of some five feet wide next to said street, not far from the middle of the ground, and a wide carriage entrance at the northwest corner of the yard, with a drive-way through this yard to the East Bridgewater cemetery, lying some ten or fifteen rods north- easterly from this ground.
This yard is divided into five sections, numbered alphabetically from A to E, according to the heavy, black lines as seen on the plan. The lines between the sections are parallel, about fifty feet apart, and run northwesterly, at right angles with the southeast side of the prem- ises.
We begin to number stones 1, 2, 3, etc., in the southeast corner of Section A, and going northwesterly to the end of this section, and then return in the same section to No. 158, near the Whitman enclosure. We then begin with No. 159, near the southeast corner of Section B, and go northwesterly to No. 293, in the northwest corner of Section B. We then begin with No. 294, near by, in the southwesterly end of Sec- tion C, and go southeasterly to No. 432, in the northeasterly corner, of Section C. We then begin with No. 433, near by, in the southeasterly corner of Section D, and go northwesterly to No. 540, in the north- west corner of Section D. We then begin with No. 541, near by in the southwest end of Section E, and go southeasterly to No. 581, in the southeast end of Section E.
EPITAPHS
-IN -
OLD GRAVE-YARD
-IN -
EAST BRIDGEWATER.
I. (Broken stone). Holman, departed this life January or Febru- ary 28th, 1757, in ye - year of her age.
2. Here lies buried Mr. William Holman, who died March 24th, 1762, in ye 22 year of his age.
3. Here lies buried Mrs. Ann Byram, ye wife of Mr. Benjamin Byram, who died September 26, 1757, in ye 20 years of her age.
4. Here lies buried Mr. John Holman, who departed this life April 25th, 1755, in ye 49th year of his age.
5. Mr. John Holman, 1755. (Foot-stone to No 4).
6. Robert Johnson Latham, 1756. (Foot-stone to No. 241 ; re- moved from this place).
7. Mrs. Mary Latham, 1752. (Foot-stone to No. 242 ; removed from this place).
8. Capt. Chilton Latham, died Augt 6th, 1751. (Foot-stone to No. 243 ; removed from this place).
9. In memory of Mr. Robert Davis ; he died April ye 27, 1755, in ye 34th year of his age.
10. In memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Whitman, consort of Mr. Josiah Whitman, who departed this life January ye 22ª, 1778, in ye 55th year of her age.
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