USA > Maine > Hancock County > Traditions and records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert island, Maine > Part 19
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And when the holiday season comes, many of the dishes that grace the tables in these homes, are cooked from recipes that are heirlooms and in some cases served on dishes that have been handed down for generations.
In "Calico Bush" Rachel Field sums up the inheritance of Mount Desert people thus :
"_ Here and there in some far place A name persists or a foreign face ; A lift of shoulder ; a turn of head ; Along with an Old World chest or bed ; A Breton Bible ; a silver spoon ; And feet more quick to a fiddle tune ;
A gift for taking the last, mad chance, Because some great-great came from France."
TO THE OLD CEMETERY
The following poem was written by Mrs. Grace Duffield Goodwin of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, whose summer home was at Southwest Harbor for several years. A framed copy of the poem was presented by the author's husband, Rev. F. J. Good- win, to the public library of Southwest Harbor where it still hangs. The poem was inspired by a visit to the old cemetery south of the High Road which is the oldest cemetery on Mount Desert Island.
THE OLD CEMETERY AT SOUTHWEST HARBOR
Between the harbor and the hill The dead folks lie, serene and still. Wise with the wonder of the sea They fearless face eternity.
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Between the sunset and the star Where naught but peace and silence are, They lie who make no haste to go From this good earth that loved them so, Full well content they seem to be Within the calling of the sea.
Above their dreaming falls the dew, Across their sleep strong faring wings Wake the old gladness that they knew In days of far adventurings. Not Heaven itself shall teach them yet That those are blessed who forget.
Between the harbor and the hill The earth that bore them holds them still. The memoried sea draws closer yet Until each grave with mist is wet, Beneath whose silver, sheltering fold Lies the long years' unreckoned gold.
Peace, soul that weeps-you could be still Between the harbor and the hill. Peace, soul that strives-you could be free Below the hill, beside the sea. No softer grave, no deeper tomb. Oh, fisher-folk, make room, make room. Pawtucket, Rhode Island, June, 1907.
OLD BURYING GROUNDS OF SOUTHWEST HARBOR
The burying ground on the south side of the High Road in Southwest Harbor was the first land on Mount Desert Island to be set aside as a public burial place. Elder Ebenezer Eaton, first minister of the first Congregational church, to which he gave his best service for nearly fifty years, allowed his par- ishioners to lay their dead to rest on his dry, sunny hillside in what was then his field. There was no attempt at first to lay out the lots in orderly manner, so families in many cases are not laid near each other. Most of the earlier graves have no markers save field stones and many cannot now be identified.
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Many of the graves have been removed to Mount Height and there are but thirty-six stones left in the old yard to tell who lies buried there. The use of the yard was discontinued when it was found that no new grave could be made without disturbing others whose resting places were unmarked and it was not possible to buy surrounding land to enlarge the place.
Many of the first settlers buried their dead on their own land and while most of these private burial places have been removed to the cemetery at Mount Height, there are still a few grave- stones on some of the older homesteads.
This yard was not enclosed until about 1890 when Mrs. Emily Robinson Farnsworth raised money among the townspeople to build the fence that now (1938) surrounds it. The upper part of the yard, which is enclosed by a picket fence of pine that has stood for more than sixty years and is still in fair condition, was fenced by the Freeman and Haynes families as a private yard. Most of the graves there have been removed and those remaining are members of those families.
Among the stones in the lower or old part of the yard, is that of "Abigail H., Consort of Rev. Ebenezer Eaton, died April 24, 1830, aged 72." Rev. Eaton was the first minister of the Congregational church of Mount Desert and at one time he owned a large tract of land on Clark Point, including the burying ground itself. After the death of his wife, he went to Sedgwick to visit his daughter and died there. The citizens of this town and especially the members of the church, planned to have his body brought here to rest by the side of his wife in the community where his life work was done. But it was not easy in those days of lack of conveyance and rough roads and time passed and it was not done. By and by those who had known this beloved minister were gone and the plan faded away; but the older residents never ceased to regret that it was not carried out.
Near the grave of Mrs. Herrick is that of her son, "Joshua Herrick Eaton, born Sept. 20, 1795, died Dec. 16, 1835, being in the 41st year of his age". These stones are of slate and are
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perfectly preserved. They were not "set" as has been the custom in later days, but the long pointed shaft was driven deep into the ground. They have stood the test of time much better than the more recent stones, whose iron bolts in many cases have rusted off and allowed the stones to fall over. When the in- scriptions are left lying face upward, the lettering on marble is soon defaced and obliterated. Lying face down the lettering will last for many years.
The graves of Capt. Levi Robinson and his wife, Lavinia Savage, are side by side and two of their young children are buried near by. Capt. Robinson, in 1839, built the house on the High Road now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler R. Clark (1938). When his wife died in 1847, at the age of 33, he sold the place to James Long. Capt. Robinson died in 1862.
"Mary L., wife of Alen Hopkins, died Nov. 1, 1839, aged 29." It is supposed that Mr. Hopkins is buried near by but there is no stone to mark the place. This Mary was a daughter of John Clark of Beech Hill. Mr. Hopkins was a man of in- fluence in the community, a justice of the peace, held town offices and wrote a fine hand which is found on many legal papers among the old families of the vicinity. He lived on the place now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph B. Norwood. A son, "David E. F. G. Hopkins," lies close by and a daughter, "Mary E., wife of Willard Young and daughter of Allen Hopkins," is buried in the southwest corner of the yard with her seven year old son by her side. Mrs. Young was but 26 years of age. It may be a bit of interesting history to our townspeople to know that Allen Hopkins gave his daughter a lot of land at the time of her marriage and her husband, Willard Young, built the house now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Stewart. After the death of his young wife, Mr. Young sold the place to Lewis Harmon, who spent his life there and his daughter, Mrs. Stewart, now owns and occupies it.
A double stone marks the graves of William and Phebe Gilley, who died within a week of each other, aged respectively 89 and 84 and the grave of William's first wife Clarissa, who died in 1837, aged 26 years, is near.
One stone is marked "Susan, wife of Robert Douglas, died 1858, aged 74."
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"J. W. Robinson, U. S. Navy" is a name on a small marble marker erected by the government.
The graves of Nehemiah Cousins and his wife Nancy Caro- line, their son Isaac R. and their daughter "L. Viola, wife of James Ross" who died at the age of 17, also Mr. Cousin's sister, Irene B., are in one lot which has always been cared for by their descendants.
"Joanna, wife of Daniel Robinson" and her fourteen year old son Daniel Jr. are laid side by side.
Capt. James Whitmore and his wife Rebecca, aged 86 and 82, head a line of graves where lie four of their children. Capt. Joseph Whitmore who died January 24, 1847, at the age of 29 had captained his ship to foreign lands for several voyages even at that early age and came home to die of "consumption." "Sarah Whitmore, wife of Smith Robinson", died November 2, 1850, aged 27, Hannah Whitmore died April 12, 1850, aged 17 years and John G. Whitmore died in a Massachusetts seaport, November 30, 1850, at the tender age of sixteen years. His parents were watching for his homecoming, but when his ship sailed into the harbor, her flag was at half mast, the boy having died of fever. Thus it is seen that Capt. and Mrs. Whitmore were called upon to mourn the deaths of three of their children within six months, and on August 9, 1851, another daughter, Joanna, died at Sullivan, aged 26 years. She is buried at Bay- side Cemetery by the side of her husband, Capt. Charles Whit- taker. One can but feel a pang for the grief of that household even after the lapse of all these years.
"Gracie Adams aged five years" is engraved on a little stone and another shaft marks the resting place of Joshua Mayo, aged 34, and Isaac P. Mayo, aged 20. These were sons of Isaac Mayo.
A much carved stone in the southeast corner of the yard is marked, "Robert Roberts, seaman U. S. N., born in Wales, died on board U. S. S. Powhatan, September, 1872, aged 28. Erected by his shipmates." On the back of the stone is the name of its maker and the address, Norfolk, Va.
People living at that time remember the coming of the big warship into the harbor, the impressive procession of officers
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and sailors, the whiteclad men bearing the coffin on a bier on their shoulders and the officers in their glittering uniforms walk- ing beside the body, the funeral service at the burying ground attended by many of the townspeople, the military ceremonies and later came the stone to be placed at the grave. This boy was killed by a fall from aloft.
Near his grave is that of another sailor who was brought here from a ship and buried but there is no marker and no one now living remembers any facts about the burial. It is said by the older inhabitants that several other unmarked graves are the resting places of strangers brought in from ships and it is claimed that the body of an unknown woman was brought here and buried in this yard many years ago, she having died on a ship bound from St. Johns to New York, but no facts can be ascertained.
Elizabeth, wife of Benjamin Gilley and daughter of George Harmon, lies buried here and in the northeast corner are the graves of Robert Gott, who died in 1859 and his wife, Lydia M. (daughter of Smith Robinson, Sr.), with their children, David R., whose age was 27 and Josephine who lived but eight months, dying in 1857.
It is significant in visiting the old burying grounds on Mount Desert Island to note how many young wives, little children and young people died in the early days. A plague of diphtheria swept this town and the nearby settlements in the late fifties and many homes were made desolate as rows of little graves in the old yards show. Contagion was unheard of and people attended public funerals and went home to carry the dread dis- ease to their own little ones. A Bible record in one family shows that five children, all the young parents had, died at that time within a week or so.
In 1900 when the new cemetery at Mount Height was laid out this one was left in a state of neglect except for a few fami- lies who kept their lots clear. Weeds and underbrush gradually covered most of the yard and many graves were removed to the new cemetery leaving unsightly depressions.
In winter the snow laden bushes leaned against the stones, breaking many and disfiguring others. In 1930 a movement was
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started by the late Mrs. George A. Rhoads of Wilmington, Dela- ware, a summer resident who was interested in the early history of the town and in preserving its landmarks, and money was raised to take out the bushes and clear up the cemetery.
The work was done by the late George Norwood, who used the utmost care in taking out the trees to leave the field-stone markers undisturbed and the broken stones in their correct places. Interested friends have contributed each year the small sum needed for mowing the grass and weeds and keeping the yard neat.
THE GILLEY BURYING GROUND
The first settler in Southwest Harbor was William Gilley, who built his house on land which is now owned by the Country Club of Southwest Harbor. Neighbors settled near him and Mr. Gilley allowed graves of his family and friends to be made in a corner of his field, which in time was laid out as a cemetery and is known as the Gilley yard. Here, in unmarked graves, save by field stones without inscription lie William Gilley and his wife, Eunice Bunker Gilley, first settlers in Southwest Har- bor, who came here around 1784 and who have many descendants in the vicinity. Their son and his wife, Benjamin and Abigail Manchester Gilley, are buried close by.
Stephen Gilley, son of Benjamin, a volunteer of Co. G. First Maine Heavy Artillery and his wife, Cordelia Cousins, with their little daughter Jennie lie near by ; Charles B. Gilley, also a vete- ran of the Civil War in which he lost his eyesight and was for many years of the last of his life totally blind, his first wife Delphina, who died at the age of nineteen, with their eight months old son; his second wife Carrie; Henry Edmund Day and his wife, Abigail Gilley, and three of their children who died in childhood within five weeks; Mr. Day's second wife, Mahala Dolliver Holmes, and her little daughter; several mem- bers of the Reynolds family who were connected by marriage with the Gilleys have all found resting places here on land once owned by their ancestors.
Here too, are the graves of Leonard Holmes and his wife Mary, who were a part of the business life of the settlement in
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their day. Mr. Holmes had a saw and grist mill and a store at what is now the Causeway at the entrance to the Mill Pond. This was a tide mill and was an important convenience to the early settlers. The old mill stones used to be seen lying under the swift current between the piers in the old mill race. Fifty or more years ago the late Aaron Gross took one of them and sunk it off the Norwood Cove shore as a mooring for his little fishing vessel. The other lies buried under the granite that forms the causeway.
Lewis Holmes, son of Leonard, with his wife and several of their young children, Leonard's son John, and daughter Emeline and her husband, Seth Hamor, are buried in the southwest part of the yard. Andrew Tarr and his wife Susan lie here and here too, is the grave of Capt. Elisha Crane, who died at the age of 38 but not before he had been a successful business man in many ways. He died in 1843 but his wife Abigail lived many years longer, dying in 1870 at the age of eighty-four. The graves of David Robbins and his wife, Lydia Gilley, are in the Crane lot, also the grave of little Ellen Robbins, aged four. In this yard as in all others there are many graves of little children. The tragic death of little Gertie Dodge many years ago is remem- bered by many. The child slipped on a wet floor and fell, dying in a few hours from the effect of the fall.
Before 1880 occurred the death of little Freddie Rogers, the four year old son of Rev. and Mrs. Charles Rogers, pastor of the church here and who lived in the house now owned by Mrs. John F. Young which was then the parsonage of the Methodist church. Old residents whose graves are here are Mr. and Mrs. Elias Ginn, Capt. and Mrs. Samuel Rumill, Mrs. Jane Gross, Reuben Higgins and his wife Susan and two of their daughters.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Somers and their daughter, Sally Somers Clark Gardiner, lie in unmarked graves in the eastern part of the yard, near the entrance gate. They were among the earliest settlers in that locality coming to what is now the Lawler farm long before 1790, bringing with them the apple trees, cur- rant bushes and many plants and shrubs which have borne fruit all these years. The red peonies planted by Mrs. Somers on her arrival still bloom where she placed them as do the snow berries
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and red roses now called "the Somers roses". Mrs. Somers had some knowledge of medicine and nursing and gave freely of her talents to her neighbors in time of need. In later life she and her daughter Sally were rather shunned by their neighbors and it was whispered among the superstitious ones that they pos- sessed supernatural powers.
There are many unmarked graves in this yard and no one now knows the names or history of many who lie there.
THE MANSET BURYING GROUND
The burying ground near the old white church at Manset which was built before 1816 is one of the oldest on Mount Desert Island. Here are also many nameless graves marked only by field stones and some not marked at all and no one now knows who rests beneath the rude markers. Here is ample proof that this has long been a sea faring town as so many of the stones bear the title of Captain. In every graveyard on the Island there are stones erected in memory of those who were lost at sea or those who were buried in a far country.
In this yard the grave of Nicholas Tucker is marked by a stone inscribed "Died in a foreign land July 14, 1839, aged 63. What is your life? It is of a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." It is said that Mr. Tucker, when he shipped for his last voyage, took with him materials for his coffin as he said he had a presentiment that he would never return. A son, Andrew Tucker, who died April 22, 1819, at the age of two years and a daughter, Amanda M., whose death occurred in 1833 at the age of three years lie nearby, also a grandson, Horace D. Tucker, who died in 1860 at the age of one year. This stone is skillfully carved with the figure of an angel bearing a child in her arms. The little Horace was the son of Capt. Nathaniel and Sarah Tucker. The wife of Nicholas Tucker, Mrs. Betsey (Gott) Tucker, went to Bluehill after the death of her husband to pass her declining years with her son, whose home was there and it is in that town that she was buried.
This burial ground like all others has many graves of young mothers and little children. We read the record of "Cordelia, daughter of Joshua and Lavonia Mayo, died 1850, aged 15."
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This little girl was said to have amused herself during a thunder shower by holding her head under the dripping eaves of the house, from which proceeding the child took cold and died. Mothers in this vicinity ever since have told this story to their children and warned them against such experience.
Capt. Benjamin Ward and his wife Margaret lie here and be- side them their children, "Benj. Jr., died 1850, aged 18" and "Miriam, aged 15, died 1851."
The graves of William H. Ward and his wife, Hannah E., and of Reuben and Lucy Keene, all respected citizens of the town are in this yard.
All visitors pause at the grave of "Jno. Brown, U. S. Navy, Rev. War" which is the inscription on a simple marker erected by the D. A. R. Society of Bangor. This man is said to have served with John Paul Jones in 1780 on his flagship and took part in several famous naval battles.
The graves of Capt. William A. and his wife, Joanna Brown, are near those of their children, Mercy aged sixteen, Nathaniel aged four, Nathan C. aged four weeks, an infant daughter and Robert H. who died in 1858 at the age of thirty.
Sarah, wife of Nathaniel Higgins, died in 1855, aged 33. The grave of Mrs. Rebecca Moore is at the head of a line of resting places of her children; "Gilbert H., died in 1850, aged 22"; "Benjamin Franklin, died 1842, at the age of 17" and "Phebe Maria, aged two, died in 1834." Capt. Benjamin Spur- ling Moore, husband of Rebecca, was lost at sea in 1843.
The grave of Mary A., wife of William Stanley, shows a young mother who died in 1851 at the age of 20. Andrew W. Moore, born Oct. 18, 1839, died 1906, is inscribed on his stone.
A little stone in the far corner records the spot where was laid little Angelia, seven year old daughter of William and Delia Mckenzie in 1849.
Rufus W., son of Capt. Rufus and Margaret King, died in November, 1857, at the age of 13. Wallace C. died in 1848 at the age of 6, and thirteen year old Ella Nora died in 1860. Capt. King and his wife Margaret lie at the head of this line of little graves. Another youth, Joseph, son of Peter and Phebe Dolli- ver, died in 1850 at the age of nineteen. His mother, Phebe Dolliver, lived to the age of 76 and dying in 1876 is buried near her son.
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In the woods to the west of the Manset schoolhouse is a field and the traces of a cellar where Peter and Phebe Dolliver lived their lives and reared their family. When Peter died in 1871, he requested that his grave be made on his own land and accord- ingly he was buried in a corner of the field. The solitary grave, marked with a marble stone, is overgrown now with trees and underbrush, but anyone following the old road will come upon it in the forest. When Mrs. Dolliver's death occurred some years later her family remembered that she had expressed the wish not to be laid in that lonely spot on the old place and so her grave is by the side of her son in the churchyard while her hus- band rests on the land which he cleared and tilled for a lifetime.
The grave of "Laura, wife of Capt. R. S. Newman, died 1860, aged 26", shows another young woman passing away at the be- ginning of life and little William King, aged four who died in 1834, lies near by.
The stone reading "Capt. Lemuel Dolliver" shows that a sea faring man rests in that grave.
The names of John Adams and his wife Mary are carved on a modest shaft in the southeastern corner of the yard. Mr. and Mrs. Adams came to Southwest Harbor from Washington County and for some years they occupied the old David Robin- son house, which stood near the house at the head of the harbor now owned by Mrs. Howard Bartlett. They had one daughter Anne, who died from the effects of a cold taken when bathing in the sea with other children. Mr. Adams later bought the land at Bass Harbor west of the Marsh bridge and south of the road where they had a house and lived there for many years.
The graves of Horace Stanley and his son Calvin are in the lot near those of Peter S. Stanley and his wife, Sarah Newman, parents of Horace. Mrs. Stanley died in 1864 at the age of fifty, while her husband lived until 1892. The stone bearing the name of Isaac Stanley, who died in 1862 at the age of 61, is buried deep in leaves and moss. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Stanley, Mary Etta, died in 1851 at the age of thirteen.
Close by is the grave of Cynthia M., daughter of Twisden and Patience Bouden, who died in 1852, aged fifteen. Probably many of these children whose stones are marked in the fifties
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died from the diphtheria epidemic which raged among the people in that decade. Mr. and Mrs. Bouden (Patience Day) lived in what was later known as the Dudley Dolliver house. They moved to Rockland. Many faded flags are fluttering over the graves showing that a goodly number of the men had served their country in time of war.
A large marble shaft to the right of the front entrance to the churchyard is marked with the name of Esther, wife of Philip Langley, died 1868, aged 77. Across the path to the south is the unmarked grave of Philip Langley, now hardly discernible. This man was born on the Island of Guernsey off the coast of France. He came to Mount Desert Island before 1790 as his name is among those who signed the oath of allegiance which was necessary for any who wished to take part in town business. He married Margaret Welch Moore, widow of Samuel Moore, who had been lost at sea leaving a family of young children, and Prof. William Otis Sawtelle in his record says, "Philip made a good stepfather to his four sons." Philip Langley was highly esteemed among his neighbors and as he could speak both French and English, he was intrusted with some business for Bartholomy and Maria Therese de Cadillac de Gregoire and he made two trips to Quebec and signed many papers as a witness, including many of the de Gregoire deeds. He was given the island now known as Greening's in Southwest Harbor for his services and he left his farm at Seawall to dwell on his island property. After the death of Margaret Welch Moore Langley he married Esther Gott and when he died some time after 1830, the property went to relatives of the Gott family. It is said that Philip was eighty years old when his marriage to Esther Gott took place.
In a lot within the churchyard enclosed by a picket fence are the graves of Augustus Rafenal who died in 1845, aged 82, and his wife Nancy, whose death occurred in 1842 at the age of 89. The verse on the gravestone of Augustus Rafenal is-
"And let this feeble body fail, And let it faint or die.
My soul shall quit this mournful vale And soar to worlds on high."
1
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Their son Simeon's stone records that he was born at Mount Desert and that he died Dec. 12, 1820, at the age of 27. The verse on his stone is one that was very popular about that time and is found in almost every burying ground in the town.
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