Tabitha Longfellow Lewis Willey for Tombstone Tuesday

 

Sacred

To the Memory of

Tabitha L.

wife of 

Dea. Stephen Willey,

DIED

Sept. 23, 1847

AEt. 40. 

Thou art gone to the grave, but we will not deplore thee,

Since God was thy ransom, thy guardian, thy guide;

He gave these, he took thee, and He will restore thee;

And death has no sting, since the Saviour that died. 

This tombstone is in a location I prefer to keep secret.  For more information on why it is not being made public, see this blog post:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/10/this-story-will-give-you-willeys.html 

Tabitha Longfellow Lewis was born 23 September 1807 in Bridgton, Maine, the daughter of George Lewis and Ruth Lincoln.  She married Deacon Stephen D. Willey on 9 January 1826 in Bridgton and had five children.  She died 23 September 1847 in North Conway, New Hampshire.  

Stephen’s parents were Captain Samuel Willey 1785 – 1844 and Elizabeth “Betsy” Glazier.  He was enumerated in the Onalaska, LaCrosse County, Wisconsin Federal Census in 1860, and died December 1860 in Dover, New Hampshire. He is buried in the Willey Cemetery, too.  Stephen was the brother of Samuel Willey, who died in the famous1826 landslide in Crawford Notch that killed his entire family.  Deacon Stephen Willey was part of the party that tried to rescue his brother's family after the disaster, and he auctioned the contents of their house after burying the few remains that were recovered.  

Tabitha’s children:

1.           1. Samuel Willey, born about 1827

2.          2. George Lewis Willey, born 3 April 1829 in Conway, married Sarah Elizabeth Nutting 22 June 1856 in Kewaunee, Wisconsin.

3.          3. Sarah Peabody Willey, born 23 April 1831 in Conway, married Joseph Colley Dole 1865 in Coles, Illinois

4.        4. Ann Judson Willey, born 27 February 1837 in Conway, married John Henry Hale 1855 in Conway, died in Hamilton, Fillmore County, Minnesota

5.       5. Katherine Willey , born 1839 in Bridgton, Maine

For the truly curious:

My 2020 Willey Landslide blog post  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/10/happy-halloween-story-of-willey-family.html  

 

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 To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tabitha Longfellow Lewis Willey for Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 3, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/tabitha-longfellow-lewis-willey-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tombstone Tuesday Ancestral Magnets?

This Christmas Santa brought me these unusual magnets made from tombstone art of a member of my family tree. Mary Munroe (daughter of John Ball and Elizabeth Pierce) was born about 1651 and died in August 1692 in Lexington, Massachusetts.  She was the second wife (of three!) of William Munroe, a Scots prisoner of war captured at the Battle of Worcester and sentenced to forced indentured servitude in Boston.  They had ten children together.  I descend from William's first wife, Martha George.   I also descend from Mary's brother, John Ball, who married Sarah Bullard.  See the link below for my blog post on the BALL family. 

These details are 3D prints of details taken from the tombstone of Mary Ball Munroe. 

HEART AND SOUL

This small hearn adorns the gravestone of Mary Munroo

symbolizing the heart as the seat of the soul. Her sould was

released for its flight to Heaven upon her death

August 12, 1692 at the age of 41.  she is buried in the

Old Burial Ground, Lexington, Massachusetts.

This piece of historic cemetery art is cast

directly from the face of an old New England gravestone.

It is completely handmade and finished. Item #0110

MUNROO '92

A windged skull adorns the gravestone of Mary Munroo

as symbol of her sould flying to Heaven; the goal for

Colonists of her era.  She served 41 years and hoped

for eternal life when she died August 12, 1692.  She is 

buried in the Old Burial Ground, Lexington, Massachusetts.

This piece of historic cemetery art is cast

directly from the face of an old New England gravestone.

It is comepletely handmade and finished. Item #0109

These magnets were created by "The Gravestone Girls" who I have met at many genealogy conferences, and heard their cemetery lectures at many historical societies and libraries.  I have several other art pieces from ancestor's graves made by the Gravestone Girls.  There is a link to their website below where you can find a schedule of their events, and shop for art objects made from copies of New England gravestones. 

For the truly curious:

The Gravestone Girls website:   https://www.gravestonegirls.com/#/  

My original 2011 "Tombstone Tuesday" blog post on the gravestones of Mary Munroo and her husband William in Lexington, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/06/munroes-in-lexington-ma-tombstone.html  

My Surname Saturday blog post on the BALL family:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/11/surname-saturday-ball-of-watertown.html

My Surname Saturday blog post on the MUNROE family of Lexington, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday Ancestral Magnets?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 30, 2025, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/12/tombstone-tuesday-ancestral-magnets.html: accessed [access date]). 

Two Bangs Babies, died in Brewster, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at the Ancient Burial Gound in Brewster, Massachusetts.

In Memory of                               In Memory of

    Isaac Sparrow Bangs                           Sukey Bangs       

                    who died april 12 1795                   who died octr 20th 1794     

            Aged one year                             Aged 2 Months     

    11 Months & 3 Days                        &12 Days         

Children of Mr Dean and Mrs Eunice Bangs

Happy the babes who privileged by fate

To shorter labor and a lighter wight

Received but yesterday the gift of breath

Ordered tomorrow to return to death. 

This sad, broken, and reset tombstone was dedicated to two children of Captain Dean Bangs (1756 - 1845)  and his wife Eunice Sparrow (1756 - 1818).  The carvings show a winged soul and also a fallen dove/bird.  Eunice was the daughter of Isaac Sparrow and Mary Hopkins (a Mayflower descendant).  They had two sons named Isaac Sparrow Bangs (1793 - 1795 and 1798 - 1874).  Captain Dean Bangs was a descendant of Edward Bangs of Chichester, England who came to the Plymouth Colony in 1623 on board the ship Anne.  

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Two Bangs Babies, died in Brewster, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, July 15, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/07/two-bangs-babies-died-in-brewster.html: accessed [access date]). 

Thomas Bangs, age 12, of Brewster, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at Brewster, Massachusetts.

THOMAS BANGS

SON OF JOSHUA &

MEHETIBEL BANGS

AGED 12 YEARS

AND 8 DAYS DECd

DECEMBER YE 8th

1728

Thomas Bangs was born on 28 November 1716 in Harwich, Massachusetts and died on 8 December 1728.  He was the son of Captain Joshua Bangs and Mehitable Clark.  He was one of nine children (Nathan 1714 -1749, Thomas 1716 - 1728, Thankful 1720- 1749, Joshua 1723 - 1755, Mary 1724 - 1784, Mehitable 1728 - 1805, Thomas b. 1729, Susanna b. 1731, and Mary b. 1734). 

Captain Joshua Bangs was the son of Edward Bangs and Ruth Allen, and the grandson of  Jonathan Bangs and Mary Mayo, and the great grandson of Edward Bangs and Rebecca Hobart (immigrant ancestors) of Chichester, England, who came to the Plymouth Colony on board the ship Anne in 1623. According to the book The Great Migration Begins 1620 - 1633, Volume 1, page 86, Edward Bangs was an inkeeper at Eastham on Cape Cod.  

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Thomas Bangs, age 12, of Brewster, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 8, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/07/thomas-bangs-age-12-of-brewster.html: accessed [access date]). 

Betsy Holmes Shaw, died 1795, Plymouth, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts

 

Epitaph:

To the memory of

Mrs. BETSY SHAW

wife of

Mr. ICHABOD SHAW Jun.r

who died Dec.r 26, 1795

aged 20 years.

Also her infant daughter

Betsy Holmes by her side

aged 7 months & 15 days.

 Betsy Holmes Shaw was born 10 May 1774 in Plymouth, the daughter of Captain Ichabod Holmes and Rebekah Ellis.  She married Ichabod Shaw on 29 March 1795 in Plymouth.  When Betsy died on 26 December 1795, Ichabod remarried to Esther Homes (1769 – 1846) , her sister.  Esther outlived Ichabod, who died on 26 July 1837 in Plymouth. All three are interred at Burial Hill.

The top of Betsy’s tombstone shows a cherub, and a brick tomb, next to a funeral urn.  All three are common images by gravestone carvers in the early Federal period.  It is possible that Betsey died from complications of childbirth? She was buried with her infant daughter.

 For the truly curious:

Graven Images – New England Stonecarving and Its Symbols, 1650 – 1815 by Allen Ludwig, 2000, (pages 202 and 205 discuss this tombstone).   

Also see Epitaphs from Burial Hill by Bradford Kingman, 1892. See #1448 for Betsy Holmes Shaw.

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 To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Betsy Holmes Shaw, died 1795, Plymouth, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 11, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/betsy-holmes-shaw-died-1795-plymouth.html: accessed [access date]). 

Edmund and Lucy Coffin, Newbury, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday

 These two tombstones were photographed at the First Parish Burying Ground, Newbury, Massachusetts

LUCY,

Wife of Edmund Coffin,

Born

April 17, 1776,

Died

Dec. 3, 1858

-------------

There remaineth a rest to the people of God. 

In memory of

MR. EDMUND COFFIN

who died Suddenly

Octr. 23, 1825;

aged 61 years. 

A noble mind!  Just generous, bold, sincere

of such a spirit, see!  The dust is here,

But while this ground, with fondest thoughts we tread;

Let no the partial living praise the dead;

The kindest tears that Friendship here can pay,

Is Sorrow weeping all her sins away. 

Lucy and Edmund Coffin, side by side in the Burying Ground

Edmund Coffin was born 14 January 1764 and died on 23 October 1825, the son of Major Joshua Coffin and Sarah Bartlett.   He was married twice, first to Mary Moody on 13 November 1792 in Newbury (six children), and then to Lucy Kimball on 25 April 1809 in Ipswich, Massachusetts (five more children).

Interesting trivia:

“In 1785, the Coffin House, which had for so many years seen multiple generations living as one family, was legally divided. Edmund Coffin, one of two adult sons of Joshua Coffin, reached twenty-one and wanted his share of his deceased father's estate. Consequently, a division was made first between the two sons and their widowed mother, and after her death in 1798, between the two sons, Edmund and Joseph. Each had exclusive use of certain rooms, stairways, and cellars with the right of passage through some of the other rooms. The "families" lived almost completely separately under one roof, using different kitchens and entertaining rooms. The house remained divided this way through the last generation of Coffins to occupy the house.”  [From The Coffin House Facebook page published 2 June 2017]

Lucy Kimball is the daughter of Nathaniel Kimball, born about 1776 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and Elizabeth Low.  She died on 3 December 1858.  Lucy is my relative through her great grandmother, Mary Thompson of Ipswich (the daughter of my Scottish Prisoner of War ancestor Alexander Thompson (about 1636 – 1695), and her 2x great grandfather, Richard Kimball (about 1595 – 1675), an early settler at Ipswich, Massachusetts.  On her tombstone is a quote from Hebrews 4:9-16 KJV "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." 

Edmund and Lucy are buried at the First Parish Burying Ground in Newbury, Massachusetts, right across the street from the First Parish Meeting House.  The Coffin House is located nearby and is operated as a museum by Historic New England.  It was built by Edmund’s 4x great grandfather, Tristram Coffin (1632 – 1704), who came to New England from Brixton, Devonshire, England.  Tristram’s parents (Tristram Coffin (1609 – 1681) and Dionis Steven came to New England in 1628 and settled in Salisbury, Newbury and finally the island of Nantucket, and they are also my 11^th great grandparents.

 For the truly curious:

The webpage for the Coffin House Museum (1678) https://www.historicnewengland.org/property/coffin-house/ 

Edmund Coffin’s personal papers and manuscripts are stored at Historic New England Folder C.1.19-C.1.26 and GUSN-296354.  There is a description of these papers online at https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/gusn/296354 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Edmund and Lucy Coffin, Newbury, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 4, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/edmund-and-lucy-coffin-newbury.html: accessed [access date]). 

Benjamin Franklin's Burial Site, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 These tombstones were photographed at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

BENJAMIN 

                                  And                FRANKLIN

DEBORAH   

                     1790

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

SIGNER OF

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES

SEPTEMBER 17, 1787

--------------------------------------

PRESENTED BY

THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE SOCIETY

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

SEPTEMBER 17, 1987

The Body of

B. Franklin, Printer,

Like the Cover of an old Book,

Its Contents torn out,

And stript of its Lettering & Gilding,

Lies here, Food for Worms.

But the Work shall not be lost,

For it will as he believ'd

appear once more

In a new and more elegant Edition

Corrected and improved

By the Author.

---------

(This epitaph written by Franklin as a young

man, was not intended to be used.  His nearby

gravestone was prepared in exact accordance

with the instructions contained in his will.)

-----------

This gravesite restored

by the Poor Richard Club

of Philadelphia

THE LAST RESTING PLACE OF

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

1706 - 1790

< 0 >

"VENERATED FOR BENEVOLENCE,

ADMIRED FOR TALENTS,  ESTEEMED

FOR PATRIOTISM, BELOVED FOR

PHILANTHROPY."

                                           WASHINGTON

<  0 >

"THE SAGE WHOM TWO WORLDS

CLAIMED AS THEIR OWN"

                                        MIRABEAU

< 0 >

"HE TORE FROM THE SKIES THE

LIGHTNING AND FROM TYRANTS

THE SCEPTRE."

                                   TURGOT

< 0 >

I have written several previous blog posts about Benjamin Franklin, since he is my first cousin, 8 generations removed.  His mother, Abiah Folger (1667 - 1752) and my 7th great grandmother, Bethshua Folger (1650 - ?) were sisters.  When we were visiting Philadelphia recently, seeing Franklin's house and burial site were on the top of my list of things to do.

The Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia was established in 1719.  Five signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here. 

This burial ground is easy to find, since it is across the street from the Visitor Center and National Park Visitor Center in Philadelphia.  It is open to the public for a fee of $5 for adults. If it is closed, there is a wrought iron railing in an opening in the brick wall surrounding the cemetery, so you can see Franklin's grave.  It is a tradition to leave a penny on Franklin's grave.  The family plot was restored in 2017 (see the Christ Church webpage below for more information.  

Benjamin and Deborah Franklin are buried to the right of his daughter, Sarah and her husband Richard Bache.  Next to Benjamin's gravemarker is his son who died young,  and Francis F. Franklin (1732 - 1736).  There are nearby markers for Deborah's parents and other Bache family members. 

For the Truly Curious: 

The Christ Church webpage for the burial ground (including a map of the cemetery):  https://christchurchphila.org/burial-grounds/  

Christ Church Burial Ground, at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_Burial_Ground  

My "Surname Saturday" post for my FOLGER lineage:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/11/surname-saturday-folger-of-watertown.html  

Other posts about Benjamin Franklin:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Franklin  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Benjamin Franklin's Burial Site, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 8, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/10/benjamin-franklins-burial-site.html, accessed [access date]).  

Captain Peter Adolph, buried 1702/3 in Sandwich, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at the Old Town Cemetery in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

HERE LYETH Ye BODY OF CAPt.

PETER ADOLPH, OF NEW YORKE

AGED 48 YEARS, WHO DYED

SHIPWRACK IN THIS BAY

16th OF MARCH, 1702/3 &

WAS WASHED ON SHOARE

3 MILES BELOW THIS TOWNE. 

I found this interesting gravestone whilst wandering around looking for ancestors in this ancient burial ground in Sandwich, Massachusetts.  Located on Cape Cod, there were many tombstone for drowings and accidents at sea.  Who was Captain Peter Adolph?

Pieter Adolfz Van der Grost was baptized 8 July 1657 at the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam (now New York City), son of Adolph Pieterszen and Aefje Dircks.  He married Janneken Van Brosum at the same church on 1 January 1679, and they had eight children.  His will was proved on 29 May 1704. 

His 8 June 1696 will reads " Peter Adolph De Groot, being of perfect memory, do make this my last will and testament. First, I have nominated and appointed for my heir my beloved wife, Janeke Adolph, for one half of my estate of houses, lands and goods. And the other half to the four children which I have procured with her, named Adolph, Egbert, Agie, and Peter De Groot. I give to my son Adolph £10 for his birthright, and to my son Peter £5 for the sake of his name. My wife is not to be obliged to make any inventory or to give any account. Witnesses: Abraham Abrahamsen, Andries Abrahamsen. Timon Van Borsum and Cornelius Vielie are made executors. Proved 29 May 1704, and Cornelius Vielie is confirmed as executor"  [New York (County) Surrogates Court Abstract of Wills on file in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York (Volume 1, 1665 - 1707). Collections of the New York Historical Society (New York: Printed for the Society, 1892) pages 388-389.]

Captain Adolph was lost at sea in a shipwreck while sailing from Boston to New York.  The crew washed up on Scorton Beach in East Sandwich, and they all were buried in nearby cemeteries.  Adoph's widow gave a bell to the meetinghouse at Sandwich in gratitude for giving her husband's body a Christian burial.  It is known as the Captain Adolf Bell, and the meetinghouse is known now as the First Church of Sandwich, Massachusetts.  The bell is now on display inside the church. 

For the truly curious:

Find A Grave memorial for Capt. Peter Adolph:    https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86541132/peter-adolph    

 More about this family from Rootsweb:    https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~brouwergenealogydata/genealogy/p655.htm  

Wikipedia article on the First Church of Sandwich, Massachusets:    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Church,_Sandwich_Massachusetts    

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Captain Peter Adolph, buried 1702/3 in Sandwich, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 3, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/06/captain-peter-adolph-buried-17023-in.html: accessed [access date]). 

Clarissa Goldsmith Wilson, d. 1874, Peabody, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at the Wilson Burial Ground in Peabody, Massachusetts.  This little cemetery is located behind Kappy's Liquor Store off Route 114, near the North Shore Mall.  All the land around the mall was the Wilson Farm in the 1700s and 1800s.  Route 114 was "The Andover Road".  

Clarissa Goldsmith, daughter of Jeremiah Goldsmith and Sarah Converse, was born 11 April 1797 in Andover, Massachusetts.  She married John Wilson, son of Robert Wilson and Sarah Felton (my 5th great grandparents) on 1 June 1831 in Andover.  John was born 18 January 1778 in Danvers and died 26 June 1863, leaving Clarissa a widow.  She died on 1 January 1874. 

When I photographed this cemetery about 10 years ago it was in the fall and there was not good sunlight.  Since the cemetery is located next to a highway cloverleaf, and behind a mall, it was in bad shape.  Clarissa's gravestone was precariously tipped to one side.  If you look up Clarissa's gravestone on Find A Grave you will see that it is now lying flat on the ground, and it is no longer standing.  

The Wilson Cemetery in Peabody, Massachusetts

John and Clarissa Wilson had two boys:

1.  John Wilson, Jr., born 13 October 1832 in Danvers, died 17 July 1867, and married Elizabeth Abbott Waldo in 1856.

2. Edward Hooker Wilson, born 14 March 1835 in Danvers. 

1870 Federal Census, Peabody, Essex County, Massachusetts
Post Office: Peabody Roll: M593_612 Page: 342 Image: 184
Wilson, Clarissa, age 73, keeping house, real estate $6500, personal $5000, b. Mass.
          Edmund H. age 33, farmer, real estate $4000, personal $2500, b. Mass.
          John B., age 10, attending school, b. Mass.
Peabody, Abigail, age 60, domestic servant, b. New Hampshire
McPherson, Jason, age 20, farm laborer, b. Nova Scotia

On the page for the 1870 census Clarissa Wilson, the widow, was living a few houses down from my 3x great grandfather Aaron Wilkinson, and only two houses away from Aaron's son William Prescott Wilkinson (my 3x great uncle) and many other Wilson families.   

For the truly curious:

Another blog post from 2009 about the Wilson Cemetery:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/09/buried-at-mall.html   

My WILSON Surname Saturday post:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/01/surname-saturday-wilson.html   

Clarissa Wilson's memorial at Find A Grave:   https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141545305/clarissa-wilson    

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Clarissa Goldsmith Wilson, d. 1874, Peabody, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 21, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/05/clarissa-goldsmith-wilson-d-1874.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Odiorne Family, from the Odiorne Burial Ground, Rye, New Hampshire

 These tombstones were photographed at the Wallis-Odiorne Burial Ground on Bracket Road in Rye, New Hampshire.  Most of the inscriptions are legible, but unfortunately the smaller poetry epitaphs are mostly illegible. 

WILLIAM S. ODIORNE

DIED

Nov. 4, 1869

Aged 72 yrs, 1 mo. &

8 days.

???? [illegible]

MARY T.

wife of Wm S. Odiorne,

DIED

April 7, 1867,

Aged 66 yrs, 3 mos.

-------------

Dearest Mother thou hast left us

and thy loss we deeply feel;

But 'tis God that has bereft us,

He can all our sorrows heal.

She sleeps in Jesus and is blest,

???? her slumber may

??? suffering and from sin released

And freed from every ???

TRUMAN S. ODIORNE

DIED

Dec. 3, 1831,

Aged 57 yrs, 2 mos.

-------------

???[illegible]

MOTHER

MARY O.

wife of

Trueman S. Odiorne

DIED

Aug. 16, 1894

AEt. 56 yrs,11 mos

12 days

?????[illegible]

William Seavey Odiorne was born 26 September 1797 in Rye, New Hampshire, the son of Ebenezer Odiorne and Mary Seavey.  He married Mary T. Amazeen on 9 July 1823. She was the daughter of Ephraim Amazeen and Hannah Tarleton.  The Amazeen family goes back in time to the immigrant John Amazeen, who was described as "John Amazeen, an Italian" by Charles Brewer, a Portsmouth historian. William and Mary Odiorne had nine children, and some are buried here in this burial ground.

Truman Seavey Odiorne is the oldest child of William and Mary.  He was born in 1822 in Rye, and married Mary Olive Moulton, the daughter of Joseph Moulton and Lydia Marston on 23 April 1864 in Rye.  She was born in 1837 and died 16 august 1894 in Rye. They had five children: William Wallace b. 11 Sept. 1864; Jonathan Everett b. 18 July 1866; Lydia Ann b. 13 Aug. 1869; Charlotte Seavey b. 3 August 1872; and Mary Amazeen b. 12 Dec. 1873. 

I am an Odiorne descendant, and William Seavey Odiorne is my 4th cousin, 5 generations removed.   Our common ancestor is the immigrant John Odiorne, born about 1625 in Shevlock, Cornwall, England and died 1707 in New Castle, New Hampshire. John Odiorne's parents and siblings first lived on the Isles of Shoals off the coast of Portsmouth, and were later granted land at Great Island, now known as New Castle.  John later purchased the land that is now Odiorne State Park in Rye.  

For the truly curious:

"Surname Saturday - Odiorne" a blog post from 5 November 2011

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/surname-saturday-odiorne.html  

Find A Grave, Truman Seavey Odiorne:   https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182148226/truman_seavey_odiorne   

Portsmouth Athenaeum, Truman Seavey Odiorne:     https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182148226/truman_seavey_odiorne 

Also, a sketch on John Amazeen "an Italian?"   http://kristinhall.org/fambly/Amazeen/JohnAmazeen.html 

----------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Odiorne Family, from the Odiorne Burial Ground, Rye, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 16, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-odiorne-family-from-odiorne-burial.html: accessed [access date]). 

Reverend Ebenezer Coffin, died 1816 Newbury, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday

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

In memory of

EBENEZER COFFIN, A.M.

aged 45

Faith, hope and Charity

His soul possesses the three.

Erected by his son

Robert Stevenson Coffin

1826

Ebenezer Coffin was born 15 February 1769 in Newbury, Massachusetts, the son of Reverend Joshua Coffin and Sarah Bartlett. He went to Harvard College, and graduated in 1789. He was ordained as a Congregational pastor at the church in Brunswick, Maine in 1792.   Ebenezer married Mary Newhall on 25 September 1793 in Brunswick. She was the daughter of Samuel Newhall and Elizabeth Sprague of Newburyport. They had five children born in Brunswick and removed back to Newbury in 1802 where he was the school teacher.  Ebenezer died on 26 January 1816.  

Robert Stevenson Coffin was the second child of Rev. Ebenezer Coffin.  He was born in Brunswick and when the family relocated to Newbury he was apprenticed to a printer. During the War of 1812 he was a sailor aboard a ship that was captured by the British and the entire crew was imprisoned, and later released. He worked at a printer in Boston and in Philadelphia. He was a poet known as the "Boston Bard", but later became "intemperate" and died in Rowley, Massachusetts in 1827.  Robert Stevenson Coffin never married. 

Ebenezer Coffin's other children were Newhall, Eloisa, Horace, and Cazneau Bayley, who died in September 1826 when struck by lightning on the ship Hogart off the coast of Texas.   

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Reverend Ebenezer Coffin, died 1816 Newbury, Massachusetts for Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 9, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/04/reverend-ebenezer-coffin-died-1816.html: accessed [access date]). 

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]). 

Maria Josefa Garcia Martin, Madrid, Spain, Tombstone Tuesday

 Today's "tombstone" was photographed at the Cementerio Sur in Madrid, Spain.

MARIA JOSEFA

GARCIA MARTIN

*8-7-1934

+11-10-2023

TU HIJO NIETA

Y FAMILIA

NO TE OLVIDAN

D.E.P

(English translation)

MARIA JOSEFA 

GARCIA MARTIN

BORN 8 JULY 1934

DIED 11 OCTOBER 2023

YOUR SON, GRANDDAUGHTER

AND FAMILY

WILL NOT FORGET YOU

R.I.P.

[REST IN PEACE]

Maria Josefa Garcia Martin is my mother-in-law, who died a few months ago in Madrid, Spain. Everything about her final days was a strange experience to me.  Her home care, her hospital care, her funeral arrangements, her final resting place, and the legal bureaucracy of settling her estate in a foreign country were overwhelming not just emotionally, but also physically exhausting.  We finally were able to see her "tombstone" when we visited Madrid for her funeral mass.

In Spain, and in many European countries, the deceased is laid out for visitation (velatorio) at a tanatorio within a few hours of death, and buried the next morning. The remains are not embalmed.  There is no delay, and the funeral mass (for Catholics) is held a month later in the church. The tanatorio funeral director arranges for all the legal paperwork and for the burial place. 

There are several very large public cemeteries in Madrid, and the public tanatorios are enormous, handling dozens of funerals at the same time. It is an amazingly quick and streamlined process.  Cremations are not common, but are available. Usually just close friends and family attend the velatorio, and attendance at the mass held later is much higher.  For Maria, friends and family from all over Spain came to Madrid for her funeral mass in December at the neighborhood Catholic church.  

Cemeteries are completely different in Spain from cemeteries in New England, especially in the urban areas.  Most people in Spain have insurance which pays for the funeral and final expenses including a gravesite or niche in a columbarium.  Niches are by far the most popular, since family gravesites are rare and expensive.  Niches are rented in five or ten year increments, or even rented for 100 years.  At the end of the rental agreement you may extend the rental or the body is exhumed, the niche is cleaned out and rented again. Since the body was not embalmed, there may only be bones. These remains are reburied in a common burial ground or ossuary. 

If an American dies abroad, the US Embassy can provide a CRODA certificate, which serves as a death certificate along with the Spanish death certificate. A CRODA certificate will help with settling the estate and legal matters back in the United States, such as social security or life insurance, and it is neccessary if the remains are being taken back to the US (including cremains).  CRODA is a Consular Report of a Death Abroad.  The embassy staff in Madrid was very helpful to us both when Vincent's mom died, and also years ago when his father died and we had to bring his ashes back to the United States. 

You can see that the columbarium at the Cemeterio Sur had walls four niches high.  Rolling ladders were available for placing flowers.  Vincent bought some poinsettias and left them at his mother's niche.  

A little bit of genealogy: 

Maria Josefa Garcia, born 8 July 1934 in Orbaiceta, Navarra, Spain and died 11 October 2023 in Madrid, Spain.  She married Vicente Rojo, son of Moises Rojo and Anacleta Benito, on 9 January 1960 in Madrid.  

Generation 1:  Jose Garcia, born 28 November 1908 in Bouza, Salamanca, Spain and died 3 December 1994 in Madrid, Spain, married on 8 September 1933 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain to Maria Consuelo Martin, born 11 November 1908 in Villar de Ciervo, and died 29 April 2001 in Madrid.  

Generation 2:  Sebastian Garcia, born 6 May 1878 in Fraga, Huesca, Spain, and died 22 June 1962 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, married on 9 April 1902 to Maria Ribero, born 4 June 1873 and died 21 January 1944.

Manuel Martin, born about 1880 in Barcelona, Spain and died 10 September 1971 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, married 23 January 1904 in Villar de Ciervo to Josefa Rivero, born 23 October 1884 in Villar de Ciervo, and died 17 November 1937 in Villar de Ciervo. 

Generation 3: Celestino Garcia, born 25 May 1851 in Barba de Puerco (now Bouza), Salamanca, Spain, and died 11 February 1914, married on 1 December 1877 in Barba de Puerco to Joaquina Munoz, born 30 September 1858 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, and died 2 December 1893 in San Vicente, Badajoz, Spain.

Vanancio Ribero married Rosalia Montero on 11 June 1856 in Barba de Puerco (now Bouza), Salamanca, Spain.

Mateo Martin,  born in Vitigudino, Salamanca, Spain married Manuel Ventura.

Manuel Rivero, born 24 December 1850 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, married Ofofila Gonzalez, born 17 January 1849 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain

Generation 4: Juan Antonio Garcia, born 8 March 1825 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, married Ramona Espinazo, born 15 June 1820 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca Spain.

Bernardino Munoz married Ynes Zato, born 23 April 1834 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain. 

Ambrosio Ribero married in 1813 to Ynes Martin

Antonio Montero, born 21 November 1809 in Barba de Puerco (now Bouza), Salamanca, Spain, and died 31 December 1845 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, married to Catalina Espinazo, born 25 November 1806 in Barba de Puerco. 

For the truly curious:

Consular Report of a Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad:   https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/while-abroad/death-abroad1/consular-report-of-death-of-a-u-s--citizen-abroad.html   

Cementerio Sur Carabanchel, Madrid, Spain   https://sfmadrid.es/cementerio/cementerio-sur-carabanchel  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Maria Josefa Garcia Martin, Madrid, Spain, Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 23, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/01/maria-josefa-garcia-martin-madrid-spain.html: accessed [access code]). 

Major Joshua Coffin, died 1774 - Tombstone Tuesday

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

In Memory of

Major JOSHUA COFFIN

who was born January 9th 1732

& died march 30th 1774

He was a Gentleman of

Ingenuity Humanity & Piety

Lived Greatly usefull &

Died Generally Lamented

The sweet Remembrance of the Just

Shall Flourish when they sleep in the Dust

Joshua Coffin, son of Joseph Coffin and Margaret More, was born on 9 January 1732 in Newbury, Massachusetts, and died on 30 March 1774.  He married Sarah Bartlett, the daughter of Thomas Bartlett and Hannah Moody,  on 21 January 1755 in Newbury and they had twelve children, and eight survived to adulthood. Two sons, Edmund and Joseph Coffin, inherited their father's house, originally built by Tristram Coffin in 1678. In 1929 the Coffin family donated the Coffin house to Historic New England.   

Joshua's papers and manuscripts are stored at Historic New England under the title "Coffin Family Papers" MS010. Please see this web page for more information: https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/gusn/187800/  

For the truly curious:

See the book Coffin Gatherings: Five Generations of Descendants of Tristram Coffin of Newbury and Nantucket, By W. S. Appleton. Boston: Press of David Clapp & Son, 1896, p 19.

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Major Joshua Coffin, died 1774 - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 12 December 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/12/major-joshua-coffin-died-1774-tombstone.html: accessed [access date]). 

Cornelius and Elizabeth Tarbell, Merrimack, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday

 This double tombstone was photographed at the Turky Hill Cemetery in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

In memory of Mr. Cornelious

& Mrs. Elizabeth Tarbell

Mr. Tarbell             Mrs. Tarbell

died Dec. 11             died June 7

1803 in the              1797 in the

82 Year of             77 Year of

his age.               her age.

Erected by Mr. Daniel Ingalls

Cornelius Tarbell was born 29 March 1722 in the part of Salem, Massachusetts that is now the town of Peabody. He was the son of Cornelius Tarbell and Mary Sharp. Cornelius, Jr. married Elizabeth Giles, and their intent to marry was file on 19 October 1745 in the Salem vital records.  Cornelius died 11 December 1803 in Merrimack, New Hampshire.  He is buried with his wife, and his mother Mary is buried nearby. 

Elizabeth Giles was born in Danvers, Massachusetts around 1720, and she died on 7 June 1797 in Merrimack.  She had at least four children, Elizabeth, Mary, Ruth and Cornelius.  The daughter Mary married Daniel Ingalls who paid for this double tombstone.  Daniel and Mary Ingalls are also buried at the Turkey Hill Graveyard. 

Cornelius Tarbell was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. He removed from Danvers to Andover to Merrimack where he served as the town moderator and tythingman.  Cornelius owned three lots of land in Merrimack, one was across from the meetinghouse.  He sold his land to his sons-in-law Daniel Ingalls and Deacon Benjamin Franklin Nourse.  

For more information on this Tarbell family see the book Thomas Tarbell and some of his descendants, by Charles Henry Wight, published in 1907 by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Cornelius and Elizabeth Tarbell, Merrimack, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 5, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/12/cornelius-and-elizabeth-tarbell.html: accessed [access date]).   

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]).