Infants Joseph and Benjamin Cummings, died 1774, Merrimack, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at Turkey Hill Cemetery in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

Here lies

the Bodys

of 2 Children Joseph

and Benjamin Cummings

Sons of Mr. Jonathan

Cummings, Junr & Mrs Deborah

his wife.  Joseph died

 May 16th 1774 Aged 

18 days ????????

This little tombstone commemorates two small brothers, Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Jonathan Cummings and his wife Deborah Russell.   Jonathan Cummings was the son of Jonathan Cummings and Elizabeth Blanchard, born 5 June 1729 and died 10 July 1787.  They lived in what was then called Dunstable, Massachusetts, but it is now Merrimack, New Hampshire. 

The bottom of this little stone was buried below the sod, so I couldn't read the death date of Benjamin. I later found that Joseph and Benjamin were twins, both born on 29 April 1774 in Merrimack.  Joseph died 16 May 1774 at age 18 days, and Benjamin died 24 May 1774 at age 25 days.  They were two of the fifteen children born to Jonathan and Deborah Cummings.  There was a second set of twins born in this family. Rachel and Cyrus Cummings were born 12 May 1775, just a year later than the first set of twins.  Cyrus lived to adulthood and married Abigail Davis, but there is no further information on Rachel. 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Infants Joseph and Benjamin Cummings, died 1774, Merrimack, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 28, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/11/infants-joseph-and-benjamin-cummings.html: accessed [access date]). 

Happy Thanksgiving! Scenes from Plimoth Patuxet

 We were recently in Plymouth for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants' Congress.  Vincent took these lovely photographs of the Wampanoag and English villages at Plimoth Patuxet while I was in meetings.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all! 

Plimoth Patuxet Museum  https://plimoth.org/   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Happy Thanksgiving!  Scenes from Plimoth Patuxet", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 23 November 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/11/happy-thanksgiving-scenes-from-plimoth.html: accessed [access date]). 

Mary McAfee Aiken, died 1828, Merrimack, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at the Turkey Hill Graveyard, Merrimack, New Hampshire.

IN

Memory of

MRS. MARY

relict of Lt. John Aiken,

who died April 12

1828. AEt 65

Surviving friends come take a thought,

How soon the grave must be your lot;

Make sure of Christ while life remains,

And death will be eternal gain. 

Mary McAfee was born 16 May 1763 in Bedford, New Hampshire, the daughter of Matthew McDuffee and Susanna Morrison.  The name McAfee and McDuffee were considered different spellings of the same family name. Mary married John Aiken in 1781, and she died on 12 April 1828 in Merrimack. See this link for more about the McAfee/McDuffee family  http://www.nh.searchroots.com/HillsboroughCo/Merrimack/familytrees10.htm  

John Aiken was born 18 November 1728 in Londonderry, New Hampshire, a descendant of  Edward Aiken of Ulster, Northern Ireland.  John Aiken was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and is listed in Parker's History of Londonderry, NH, page 22. 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Mary McAfee Aiken, died 1828, Merrimack, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 21 November 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/11/mary-mcafee-aiken-died-1828-merrimack.html: accessed [access date]). 

John Stickney, died 1727, Newbury, Massachusetts - Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at the First Parish Burying Ground in Newbury, Massachusetts.

HERE LYES BURIED

the BODY OF Mr.

JOHN STICKNEY

WHO DIED

AUGUST Ye

13, 1727

IN the 62nd

YEAR OF HIS AGE. 

John Stickney was born 23 June 1666 in Newbury, Massachusetts, the son of Amos Stickney and Sarah Morse Acreman.  He was married to Mary Poor on 10 December 1689 and they had eight children who all lived to be married.  John was a weaver, and he died 13 August 1727 in Newbury.  

This tombstone is more folksy than the surrounding tombstones, and the epitaph is inscribed in a way that awkwardly fills the space. The death's head motif at the crown of the stone is very simple compared to some of the more realistic and elaborate carvings on nearby tombstones. You can tell that this was the memorial to a yeoman, and not a wealthy resident of Newbury.

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To cite/link to this post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "John Stickney, died 1727, Newbury, Massachusetts - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted on 14 November 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/11/john-stickney-died-1727-newbury.html: accessed [access date]). 

Sarah Martyn Barnard, died 1770, Newbury, Massachusetts - Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at the First Parish Burying Ground in Newbury, Massachusetts.

This Stone is erected to ye memory

of Madam SARAH BARNARD

Relict of the Revd.

JOHN BARNARD of Andover,

who through along course of years, by

eminency of devotion irreproachable

purity & Sanctity of manners and

an enlarged benevolence, exhibited the

christian character to great advantage

with an unshaken faith in ye Redeemer,

and longing after a better world, She

??? Novr. 23, 1770 AEtat. 72. 

Sarah Martin,  was born 16 August 1672, the daughter of Edward Martyn and Sarah White of Boston.  She married Reverend John Barnard on 20 October 1715.  The Reverend Barnard was buried 14 June 1757 at the Old North Parish Burying Ground in North Andover, Massachusetts.  Apparently the widow Sarah was living in Newbury with her daughter Sarah, wife of the Reverend Dr. Tucker, after the Reverend Barnard passed away.  The Parson Barnard House was built in Andover in 1715, and in 1950 it was donated to the North Andover Historical Society.

John Barnard was born 26 February 1689/90 in Andover, the son of the Reverend Thomas Barnard and Elizabeth Price. John Barnard Senior was the junior minister under the Reverend Francis Dane in Andover. He graduated from Harvard in 1709, and taught school in Andover. When his father died he was invited to be his successor in 1718. John Barnard and Sarah Martin had six children, including Thomas (minister of the Second Church of Newbury and the First Church of Salem); Edward; Sarah (mentioned above);  John who died at age 16 while a student at Harvard, and two daughters named Elisabeth who died young.  [see the Andover Vital Records]. 

The elder Reverend Barnard was present during the witch trials of 1692 that spilled out of Salem into Andover, Massachusetts.  Both ministers Barnard and Dane signed a petition in support of the accused. In 1697 Reverend Dane died and Reverend Barnard became the sole minister to Andover.  

For the truly curious:

The Parson Barnard House:   https://salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/parson-barnard-house/  

North Andover Historical Society:   https://www.northandoverhistoricalsociety.org/parson-barnard-house-barn  

Rev. John Barnard's memorial at Find A Grave:   https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69213325/john-barnard    

"Early Records of the Barnard Family of Andover" compiled by Charlotte Helen Abbott at the Andover Public Library (see page 18)   https://mhl.org/sites/default/files/files/Abbott/Barnard%20Family.pdf     

An interesting manuscript about some silver donated to Rev. John Barnard's church by his mother-in-law, Sarah White  Martin. This silver tankard has disappeared from the church.   https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AUR6IVKS4RP2CT9C/pages/AF63VJEMJVH3O482?as=text   

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Sarah Martyn Barnard, died 1770, Newbury, Massachusetts - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 7, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/11/sarah-martyn-barnard-died-1770-newbury.html: accessed [access date]).