USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Old Copp's Hill and Burial Ground : with historical sketches, 1879 > Part 2
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Old Copp's Hill and Burial Ground.
west on Hull Street 148 feet ; north-west on the burial ground, 148 feet and 6 inches ; north-east on land of Goodwin and others, 153 feet ; south-east on land of Jonathan Merry, 123 feet : being land conveyed to Weld by Merry, October 21st, 1809, recorded lib. 230, fol. 191." On the south corner of the same fronting on Hull street, stood the old Gun House of the Columbian Artillery. 55 tombs were built in 1814, around the sides of this new enclosure, by Hon. Chas. Wells, and, after the removal of the old Gun House, Edward Bell built 15 tombs on its site in the fall of 1827. This yard was laid out in ranges, and several bodies were allowed to be interred in the same grave. The first person interred in this Small Ground, was John Rich- ardson, a person drowned a few days before, on July 6th, 1810. The old Gun House was removed to this lot by vote of the town in 1810, soon after the purchase of the land. In 1819, Hon. Charles Wells was allowed to build 34 tombs in a small grave-yard bounded by the old and new burying grounds and Marshal place, and fronting on Charter street, and was called the Charter Street Burying Ground, and was recorded as follows: (Suff. Deeds, lib. 262, fol. 296) : "June 3d, 1819, John Bishop, of Medford, sold to Charles Wells, for $1,051.30, land in Charter street, bounded north-east on said street 20 feet ; north- westerly, 70 feet on the burying ground 20 feet wide ; then continuing 50 feet more, 28 feet wide ; south-west 28 feet on land formerly of Dr. Wm. Clark, but now a burying-ground : then south-east 50 feet, 28 feet wide, then continuing 70 feet more 20 feet wide, on land former- ly owned by William Fowle. It was land which Stephen Gorham as administrator of Nathaniel Holmes, sold to said Bishop, Dec. 14th, 1791, recorded lib. 184, fol. 59. It has now become part of the Cem- etery, the fence dividing the two grounds having been taken down some twenty years ago. The eastern limit is overlooked by a block of houses which separated the Cemetery from Salem street and its out- lying courts. Everywhere the enclosure rises above the surrounding territory ; and the remainder of the ground is surrounded by a smooth granite wall topped by a neat iron fence. The houses which sur- round the ground are mostly owned by those living in them, and with few exceptions, are kept neat and clean. The surrounding streets are so little used that the grass grows among the paving stones and in some parts it nearly covers them. At the north and north- west boundaries there is an open space, through which part of Charlestown Heights and the Navy Yard are visible ; and by taking
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Old Copp's Hill and Burial Ground.
a stand near the centre of the hill the monument on Bunker Hill becomes visible, looming up in solitary grandeur, and bringing to mind the words of the great orator, when the corner-stone of this monu- ment was laid by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, June 17th, 1825 : "Let it rise ! let it rise ! till it shall meet the sun in its coming -let the earliest light of the morning gild it, and the parting day linger and play on its summit !" In the centre of the ground is a rod square of land which was conveyed by Samuel Sewall and his wife Hannah, to Joshua Gee, the noted ship-builder (who was the father of the distinguished Clergyman who was the assistant and successor of the famous Cotton Mather (from 1723 to 1748,) in consideration of two and thirty shillings paid them, being part of their pasture ad- joining to the north burying-place, in which parcel of ground Mrs. Mary Thatcher now lyeth buried ; bounded northerly by said burying- ground, and on all other sides by the land of said Samuel and Han- nah Sewall. "Said Joshua Gee was to make and maintain one half the fence, and have no right of way except through the North bury- ing-ground. This Mrs. Thacher was the wife of Judah Thacher of Yarmouth, and died on Nov. 30th, 1708, aged 68 years. Her grave- stone still stands in the north-east corner of said rod of land. There were no restrictions in regard to its use, and it was bought by Mr. Gee, because of a request of his wife that she might be laid away from the multitude, and the said deed is recorded with Suffolk Deeds, lib. 25, fol. 174. [ About four generations ago, it fell into the hands of old Deacon Moses Grant, of Revolutionary fame, who was one of those who helped to throw the tea overboard; and, at the risk of his life helped to take two pieces of cannon away from the British lines. This enclosure now holds the remains of three generations of the Grant family, and is now owned by the family of Deacon Moses Grant, the great temperance lecturer. As said before, there are no restrictions with regard to its use ; a dwelling-house or blacksmith shop could be erected on the spot, and the right of way across the cemetery is construed by common law to mean a path broad enough for cart wheels to pass over. There is within the enclosure two hundred and thirty tombs, two of which belong to the city. The one near Charter street was fitted and prepared for children in June 1833. On the 27th of May, 1833, fifty dollars was appropriated by the city authorities towards purchasing trees for ornamenting the ground, and from that date the whole appearance of the hill began
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to assume a change, and the hill resumed its ancient popularity. Those trees have all been removed, and others of more appropriate character, numbering one hundred nd eighty, have taken their places, which make a very agreeable shade on a sultry day to the visitor, as well as to the children who come there to play ; the hill is visited not only by residents of the city, but by persons from all parts of the globe.
In the year 1838, new avenues and walks were laid out, and grave- stones were removed for that purpose, thus affording opportunities for pleasant promenades, which are by no means neglected. Con- siderable care was used when laying out the paths to place the tombstones as near as possible to their original positions. During the past few years the Hill has been very much neglected, and boys have been allowed to run wild through the grounds during six months of the year. No one having had charge during the winter months, the West and North End Boys used to meet and imitate the North and South End's on Pope-day, it frequently requires a squad of police to drive them away; but this has changed. The Board of Health to whom was given the charge of the cemetery, have appointed a man to take charge of the grounds during the whole year ; because of the numerous complaints made by the neighbors and old residents of the North End. They have also concreted the down grade paths, which was very much needed, as the rain had gullied out the paths in some places to the depth of a foot, and in others had laid bare the top of the tombs which run beneath the paths; the appearance of the grounds is now very much improved.
The oldest stone placed originally in the ground was dug up dur- ing the past summer by the present Superintendent, where it had been covered by the washings from the hill, and is to be found near the Shaw monument, and was erected in memory of the grandchil- dren of William Copp, and is older by six months than any stone previously found in the ground. Upon it is the following inscription, "David, son to David Copp, and Obedience, his wife, aged 2 weeks ; Dyed Dec. 22, 1661." Also, "Thomas, son to David Copp, and Obedi- ence, his wife, aged 2 years and 3 Quarters ; Dyed July ye 25, 1678." On another stone recovered at the same time, may be found the fol- lowing inscription : "Jonathan Copp, son of David and Patience Copp, aged 12 years and 2 months ; Died Ocr. ye 22d, 1721." The Super- intendent, in Dec. 1878, on opening an old tomb, discovered the fol-
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lowing headstones which were not mentioned in any of the catalogues published. "Recompense Wadsworth, A. M. First Master of the Grammar Free School at the North End of Boston. Aged about 24 years ; Died June the 9th, 1713." The tomb had not been opened for eighteen years, and it seems that the undertaker who last closed it, instead of using the old plank covering, which was probably rotten, and rather than renew it, took standing gravestones to close the aperture before filling in the top earth. On searching the records, he found the following entries : "March 11, 1711-12. At Town Meet- ing - Voted, That there be a free grammar school at the North End of Boston ; and Voted, That Captain Thomas Hutchinson, Colonel Adams Winthrop, Mr. John Ruck, Captain Edward Martyn, and Mr. Samuel Greenwood be the committee relating to building said schoolhouse. Voted, That the selectmen be requested to procure a suitable master for said school. March 9, 1712-13. Voted, That it be left with the selectmen, and they are empowered to introduce Mr. Recompense Wadsworth at the North, and to allow him sixty pounds for one year." (This building was erected on Bennett street, in 1713. Master Wadsworth died six months after receiving his appointment.)
Four more headstones were required to make the tomb entrance secure. They were deciphered with some difficulty, as follows : -
"Here lyes ye body of Mrs. Mary Welch, wife to Mr. Eben'r Welch, aged 2 1 years. Dec'd Septr ye 5th, 1730."
"Ebenezer Welch, son to Ebenezer and Mary Welch. Aged 3 week and 2 days. Deceased Septr ye 6th, 1730."
"Here lyes ye body of Sarah Goldthwait, wife to John Goldthwait, aged 35 years and 2 months. Dec'd Octr ye 31st, 1715."
"John the son of John and Hannah : Ruck, aged 18 days. Died the 4th day of Septr. 1701." This makes 10 Tablets which the present Superintendent has recovered since his appointment in May, 1878.
The next oldest stands on the centre of the hill. It was found in a tomb some years ago, and although somewhat chipped upon its edge, there can easily be read upon its surface : "Mary Rind, aged - died ye 15 August, 1662," and "William Rind, aged about one year, died ye 14 February, 1666, the children of Arthur and Jane Rind." But these slabs are not the oldest in the enclosure. There is one finished on the edges with ornamental curves and crowned with two cherubs of the Angel of Death, that is sacred to the memory
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of Grace Berry, wife of Thomas Berry, who died at Plymouth, May 17, 1625, aged about 58 years ; and whose body was removed to Boston in the year 1659, when Copp's Hill was first opened as a place of burial. This stone is supposed to be the oldest in New England. It bears a coat of arms, and is marked with the contact of British bullets fired at it during the Revolutionary War, when it was used as a target .* On the highest point of the hill is a stone bearing the name of John Milk, for whom Milk street was named. He died in 1756, at the age of about 47 years. Near by rest the mortal remains of George Worthylare, together with those of his wife and child. He was one of the first keepers of Boston light, and he with his wife and child were drowned in the harbor while sailing, on the 3rd of November, 1718. He was 45 years old, his wife was 40, and his daughter 13, and upon a triple stone, of very curious design and elaborate workmanship, the above facts are re- corded. It is said that Franklin wrote a poem on this event, which was so severely criticised by his father that he never again attempt- ed versification. Not far away, down the northern slope of the yard, is the tomb of Chief Justice Parker, a plain brick vault, covered with a heavy brown stone slab, and near by is the monument of Major Samuel Shaw, erected by Robert G. Shaw, his grandson, in 1848. Upon this shaft is inscribed a record of the events in the life and career of the Major. It would seem that he served throughout the Revolution as an officer ; that on the 22d of February, 1781, he sailed from New York for Canton on the ship Empress, the first to sail from the United States for that port, as part owner and super- cargo ; that he was appointed Consul, by Washington, and that he died in 1794. Between this shaft and the Grant family tomb is a stone only a few inches in height, and so sunk into the ground that it almost escapes notice until one stumbles over it. "It bears the name of Goodeth (Judith ?) Copp, who died on the 25th of May,
* There has been considerable doubt as to the correctness of the date on this stone. In the month of July 1878, an old gentleman from the west, with his daughter and granddaughter, visited the hill for the purpose of finding the tombstone of one of their ancestors. In their possession was an old memo- randum book, yellow with age ; on the first page was a fac-simile drawing of this stone with the coat of arms, (without the bullets marks), and on the first and second page was an exact inscription of that on the Grace Berry slab, with a foot-note, stating when it had been removed from Plymouth. No record of this person's death can be found at City Hall.
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1670, at the age of 65 years. She was the wife of William Copp, for whom the hill was named. While this memorial of her former existence still remains, and seems able to defy the elements for centu- ries to come, that which recorded the decease of her husband has disappeared, although stones sacred to the memory of other mem- bers of the Copp family are scattered about in several places.
The tomb always first inquired after is that of the Mathers ; it is near the Charter street gate, and is a simple vault of brick, upon which rests a heavy slab of brown stone, into which two separate squares of slate have been set ; one of recent date, and the other bearing the marks of age, with the following words, which are almost illegible :
"Reverend Drs. Increase, Cotton and Samuel Mather were inter- red in this vault.
'Tis the tomb of our fathers, Mather - Crockers.
I. died Aug. 27, 1723. Æt. 84.
C. died Feb. 13, 1727. Æt. 65.
S. died June 27, 1785. Æt. 79."
In addition to these clergymen the vault contains the bones of many of their descendants. It was last opened about twelve years ago, when the mortal remains of one of the Crockers were deposited under its arch, and at that time the relics of these ancient worthies were mingled in inextricable confusion. There is an air of quiet decay about the spot that is very suggestive of the transitory nature of all that is mortal. Over it large trees cast a semi-gloom that dis- courages the growth of grass or shrubbery; and the tooth of time has gnawed deeply into both stone and brick. It is surrounded by a neat iron fence that has recently been painted, and stone curbing has been placed underneath, and inside the fence the ground has been newly sodded. By the mutations of family descent, the tomb is now owned by Miss Rebecca E. Parker, who wishes to maintain it in as good condition as possible, and at the same time to do nothing to destroy the sacred character of the property. This and the Ellis are the only tombs thus cared for, as far as can be seen, during the last forty years. The famous Napoleon Willow (grown from a slip brought by Captain Joseph Leonard from the tree at the grave of Napoleon at St. Helena, and transplanted here by Roland G. Ellis of Boston,) now shades another burial plat, and covers the monument and tomb of the Ellis family at the Charter Street Gate.
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Just where the older portion of the cemetery adjoins the newer, are the Greenwood tomb, in which lies the body of the eccentric Francis W. P. Greenwood, D. D., who, in the early part of the present century, was rector of King's Chapel, and who was in the habit of putting on his robes at his house on Portland Street, and proceeding to church in grand state, to the dismay of the old ladies and the amusement of the boys ; and the Dupré tomb, the most ornate in the enclosure, yet bearing so enigmatical an inscription that there are few who know what it means. On the main walk, near the front gate, is a broken slab, upon which the following is to be read : - a
"JAMES SEWARD, grandson of JAMES and CATHERINE SEWARD, died Sept. 27, 1792, æt. 6 months.
He bore a lingering sickness with patience, and met the King of Terrors with a smile."
There are several stones in this neighborhood bearing the name of Seward, one of them commemorating Major Thomas Seward, who was an officer in the Continental army. Upon this is carved a cine- rary urn, a cannon, with cannon balls, and a setting sun. Another slab is ornamented with the angel of death bearing an hour-glass, and a skeleton seated on a skull, and carrying a scythe. On the slab covering the vault of Major John Ruddock, Esq., who died in 1772, at the foot of a long record of his work and worth, were once the words :
"Time may eface this monumental stone, But time nor mallice can his worth dethrone For Villians living oft may buy a name,
But virtue only swells posthumous fame."
They contained a prophecy that has been fulfilled. A few inden- tations are all that remain of the words of praise and affection, nor would any one know what they had been, had they not been copied for preservation long years ago, by the late Thomas Bridgeman.
Towards the north-west angle of the enclosure is a stone com- memorating the virtue of Capt. Thomas Lake, of whom it is inscribed that he was an eminently faithful servant of God, and one of a pub- lic spirit ; that he was perfidiously slain by ye Indians at Kennebec, Aug. 14, 1676, and interred here ye 13 October following." A curi-
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ious reminder of the fate that overtook the worthy captain is a slit sawn deeply into the heavy slate, into which the bullets taken from his body were poured after they had been melted. Sacrilegious knives have hewn away the metal, so that there are only faint traces of it remaining ; still one can easily determine with what material the fissure had once been filled .* In the same locality is a stone, a huge block of slate, with one side smoothed, bearing the name of Nicholas Upshall, and also the information that he departed this life in August, 1666, aged 70 years. Among the early citizens of Bos- ton, he was a man of note, mainly for his charitable conduct. Be- cause he opposed the course pursued towards the Quakers, and did all he could to alleviate the distress of those of that persuasion who suffered persecution, he in turn became a martyr. His crowning offence was the bribing. of the keeper of Boston jail to supply with food two Quaker women who were imprisoned, and who would other- wise have starved to death. For this act he was fined £20, no incon- siderable amount two centuries ago, and banished from the colony. He went to Rhode Island and remained for six years, until Gov. Endicott had ceased to rule. Returning to Boston he furnished a room in his house for the free use of Quakers, and many were the Friends who enjoyed his hospitality. He was a man possessed of quite a large property, his real estate covering in 1637 the territory now bounded by Hanover and Richmond streets and the old water line, joining the terminus of the two thoroughfares. On this territory was his house, long known as the "Old Red Lyon " inn. His name stands' twenty-third on the original list of the members of the An -. cient and Honorable Artillery Company; he was a member of the church, and, as might be expected, he exerted considerable influence over the affairs of the infant town. In the northwest angle of the grounds is the tomb of Edmund Hartts, the builder of the old frigate Constitution. The spot is marked by a plain white stone, upon which is simply the name of him who sleeps below. Near by is the vault formerly owned by Christopher Gore, who was Governor of Massachusetts in 1810. On the other side of the walk is the monu- ment of Charles Jarvis, a physician who died in 1807. This memo-
*Captain Lake was commander of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in the years 1662 and 1674 ; among other Past Commanders interred in this ground, may be mentioned the following : Captain Ralf Hart, Lieut. Colonel John Carnes, Captain Caleb Lyman, and Captain Edward Martyn.
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rial is remarkable for the highly eulogistic epitaph which it bears. It might have been written by Sir Charles Grandison. Upon the west- ern rise of the hill is a memorial of Shem Drowne, Jr., who died May 6, 1770, at the age of 29 years. He placed the grasshopper on Faneuil Hall as a compliment to Faneuil, who had a grasshopper and vane similar, on the top of his summer-house, which stood on the summit of the hill (Pemberton hill), in the rear of his man- sion, which with the mansion and grounds were destroyed in 1835.
Near the Drowne slab is a stone bearing the following words : "In memory of BETSEY, wife of DAVID DARLING. Died March 23, 1809. Aged 43. She was the mother of seventeen children, and around her lie twelve of them. Two were lost at sea. Brother sextons, please to leave a clear birth for me near by this stone." Tradition has it that David Darling was at one time grave-digger here ; he was also sexton of the North church, and lived on Salem street. He died on the 10th of September, 1820, and no regard was paid to his wishes, as he was buried in a Tomb in the same yard, and no one raised a monument to his memory. Near this spot was erected the Battery from which was fired the first shot at the Americans at Bunker Hill, and the shell that set Charlestown on fire. A stone that has withstood the assaults of wind and weather much more suc- cessfully than the imprint of British bullets, bears the following words : - " Here lies buried in a stone grave, ten feet deep, CAPTAIN DANIEL MALCOM, who departed this life October 23, 1769, aged 44 years. A true son of Liberty. A friend to the public. An enemy to oppression. And one of the foremost in opposing the revenue acts of America." In February, 1768, Captain Malcom had a schooner arrive in the harbor, and as the story goes, he was deter- mined that his cargo, consisting of wines, should escape the unpopu- lar duties. Consequently, the vessel was detained and anchored about five miles from the town, among the islands in the harbor, and the wine, of which there were sixty casks, was brought up under cover of the night, guarded by parties of men armed with clubs. A meeting of the merchants and traders was subsequently held, at which the Captain presided, and it was determined by them not to import any English commodities, except such as should be required by the fisheries, for eighteen months. This incensed the officers and menials of the government very much ; but it was persisted in, and hence the remarkable inscription which was placed a little over a
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year afterward upon the large memorial stone erected over his grave. This stone particularly attracted the attention of the British soldiery, and the marks of their bullets are very perceptible on its face. The stone marking the tomb of Andrew Eliot, D.D., bears his name, his age, 60 years, and the date of his death, Sept. 13, 1778, on one side, and a beautiful coat of arms on the other ; and the next prominent object is the large tomb once used for the reception of the bodies of infants - a reminder of an age of intolerance. At the base is the entrance to the Sigourney tomb.
Near the southwest corner of the burying ground is a slab, upon which is the following inscription : "In memory of CAPTAIN ROBERT NEWMAN, who died March 23, 1806, aged 51."
Though Neptune's waves and Boreas' blast Have tossed me to and fro, Now, well escaped from all their rage, I'm anchored here below.
Saftely I'll ride in triumph here, With many of our fleet, Till signals call to weigh again, Our Admiral, Christ, to meet.
O, may all those I've left behind Be wash'd in Jesus' blood, And when they leave this world of sin Be ever with their Lord."
Nearly opposite on the Snowhill street side is the Peter Thomas Tomb. In this tomb is all that remains on earth of him who hung the lights in the steeple of the North Church, on the night of the ever to be remembered 18th of April, 1775. Paul Revere, for whom the signal was set, does not lie within these grounds, but the remains of Mrs. Mary Baker, a sister, are here interred.
The following pathetic lines are appended to an inscription which tells the passer-by that Miss Hannah Langford died Nov. 19, 1796, aged 15 years and 6 months :
"Nor youth nor innocence could save Hannah from the insatiate grave : But cease our tears, no longer weep,
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The little maid doth only sleep, Anon she'll wake and rise again, And in her Saviour's arms remain."
On a stone bearing the name of Mrs. Ammy Hunt, who died in 1767, is the following stanza, evidently penned by some amatory swain : -
"A sister of Sarah Lucas lyeth here, Whom I did love most dear ; And now her soul hath took its flight, And bid her spightful foes good-night."
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