Tombstone Tuesday ~ Rev. Simon Williams, died 1793 Windham, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Cemetery on the Hill, Windham, New Hampshire

In Memory of the

The REV. SIMON WILLIAMS

Who for twenty seven years

??? zealous Pastor of

The Church & Congregation ??

??? of the Academy ??
Who departed for heaven

November 10^th, 1793 AD

And his wife, Maria Floyd Williams

Who died in the Lord

July 28^th, 1805 AD

????

Rev. Simon Williams, born 19 February 1729 in Trim, County Meath, Ireland, died 10 November 1793 in Windham, New Hampshire; married Maria Floyd, who was also born 19 February 1729 (same day) and died 28 July 1805 in Windham.  They are both buried in Windham at the Cemetery on the Hill under this ledger stone which is almost illegible due to facing upwards over time and under the New England weather. 

According to the book by Derek Saffie Historic Tales of Windham, page 37 “Simon Williams was born in Ireland in 1729 and at the age of sixteen became engaged to a young lady of his age who was of a much higher social standing than himself.  The young woman, Maria Floyd, was the daughter of Captain John Floyd, Esquire, who served under General Honeywood in the British army.  Her parents … forbade the marriage… Simon and Maria fled to England… the couple was married on April 30, 1749 in London”

From The History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire, by Charles Hazlett, 1915,  page 731 “Rev. Simon Williams was ordained in December 1766, with a salary of about two hundred and thirty-three dollars and thirty three cents, with a settlement of $200 and the use of the parsonage.  He was pastor her for twenty-seven years, dying November 10, 1793.  He did a noble work, and his influence lives after him.  He established a private academy, which was an important tributary of Dartmouth College.”

The old meetinghouse once stood on near the Cemetery on the Hill, but it was moved by oxen to Salem, New Hampshire.  You can read about that at this link:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/07/windhams-former-meetinghouse-is-in.html    

According to Leonard Morrison’s book The History of Windham, 1883, page 182,  Reverend William is buried in exact location of his pulpit before the meeting house was moved (plot #172).  However, there is also a man named Samuel Senter who was supposedly laid to rest under his former pew (plot 182).  These two gravestones are so far apart I doubt that either man was laid to rest under the meeting house.

For more information on Windham’s Cemeteries, see this PDF file:

http://www.windhamnewhampshire.com/sites/default/files/PDF/General/CEM_CemeteryHistory.pdf


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Rev. Simon Williams, died 1793 Windham, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 18, 2017, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/04/tombstone-tuesday-rev-simon-williams.html: accessed [access date]).