Margaret Muzzey, died 1787 in Newbury, Massachusetts

 

THIS

Mournfull Stone is

Erected to ye Memory of

Miss Margaret Muzzey

the only Child of Mr. Joseph

and Mrs Lydia Muzzey

who after a long & painfull

sickness which she bore with

Unexampled patience

Exchanged this Mortal for an

immortal state Decr. ye 8th

1787 In the 23rd year of

her age.

What tho this body turns to dust

It can't disturb my rest

May I but dwell with Christ above

To be for ever blest. 

Margaret Muzzy, born 12 January 1765 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, and died 18 December 1787 in Newbury, was buried at the First Parish Burial Ground in Newbury.  She was the daughter of Joseph Muzzey (1731 - 1801) and Lydia Stickney (1733 - 1799) married on 26 May 1756 in Newbury.  

We often think that the Puritans, who lost so many babies to childhood diseases, were cold hearted and stoic.  This tombstone shows two parents mourning the loss of an only child.  It is an example of how our assumptions are wrong, and the parents of the eighteenth century were just like us today. 

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Margaret Muzzey, died 1787 in Newbury, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 2, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/04/margaret-muzzey-died-1787-in-newbury.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]).