Old Parish Cemetery

Old Parish Cemetery
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Longing for the lovely summer day when I took this photo, I decided to post it today as a sign of spring fever!

It was taken in the town where I live not because I am related to anyone here but because it is something I drive by nearly everyday and it has some wonderful gravestones.
This is the oldest cemetery in Bridgewater. It is called GR 7 in the Vital Records and it was long ago transcribed. It is a good thing it was as time, weather and the face that it is located near heavy traffic many of the stones are very hard to read.

You may find several stone photographed in many books. I found one and went to look for it and found it is very worn and even with the mirror very hard to read. I will post it eventually.

Dale Cook transcribed the book that hold the transcriptions as the copyright has expired on this book. Many local genealogists are upset that this book can be transcribed and put online but it is a fact that many more people are enjoying reading it now that it is more easily available. I am sure the author would be very surprised.

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Bridgewater Massachusetts

Quash Williams

Quash Williams
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Quash WILLIAMS and his wife Hannah are buried in the Whitehall Burying Ground in Mystic, CT.

This photo is from the collection of Fred Burdick who has been photographing, researching and in some cases, restoring ancient graveyards in the Stonington, CT area. Fred is the town historian for Stonington.

This is a memorial stone place here long after the death of Quash and his wife. Previously, these was a marble marker placed at this grave.

Many ancestral families are buried in this cemetery and the Williams family is just one of them. When I first saw this grave, I was so surprised and stunned by it that I forgot to take a photo!

The Day, the local newspaper in this area of CT, ran a story about Quash this past week that tells me much about this freed slave that was born into the household of my ancestors. [It is gone from their site now but I printed it for my own use.]

Hannah STODDARD

Hannah STODDARD
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Hannah STODDARD was born 4 May 1727 [Barbour Index: Groton VR Vol. 1 Page 108] in Groton, CT, daughter of Ralph STODDARD and his wife Hannah LESTER (who were married 3 Jan 1723 [Barbour Index: Groton VR Vol 1 Page 108]) She died 10 Nov 1810 in North Stonington, CT [gravestone record]

In Memory of
Mrs. Hannah Avery
Relict of the
Revd Nathan Avery
who departed this life
Novr 10th AD 1810
in the 85th year
of her age.

Hannah was the [relict] widow of the Rev. Mr. Nathan Avery. She is buried alonside her husband in the Great Plain Cemetery in North Stonington, CT

Rev. Nathan AVERY

Rev. Nathan AVERY
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

The Rev, Mr. Nathan AVERY is resting in the Great Plain Cemetery (#57) in North Stonington, New London, CT alongside his wife Hannah STODDARD.

I took this photograph in May 2004 while searching for the graves of Nathan and Barbary Steward. Although, I am an AVERY descendant, I was not sure if Nathan was one of my direct line ancestors but I was impressed with this amazing clearly preserved gravestone. I took this photograph prior to the time I learned to use a mirror to reflect light for clearer readings, so the sun shining at the right angle on this minister clearly comes from heavenly light.

Nathan was born 10 Mar 1712 in Groton, son of Christopher AVERY and his first wife Abigail PARK/PARKE. [Source: Barbour Index, Groton Vital Records: Avery, Nathan [s. Christopher & Abigail], b. March 10, 1712 Vol. 1, Page 127] and he married Hannah STODDARD on 27 Mar. 1746. [Source; Barbour Index, Groton Vital Records; Avery, Nathan, m. Hannah Stoddard, Mar. 27, 1746 Vol. 1 p. 127]

Nathan6 AVERY (Christopher5, James4, James3, Christopher2, Christopher1)

Wheeler's History of Stonington says that Rev. Nathan's house was on the lot where my 2nd great grandmother, Eliza Fish Denison Stewart, (Mrs. Dudley Stewart) was living at the time he was writing his book which was about 1900.

Wheeler's listing for Rev. Nathan (p. 203, 206-207) says he came from Groton to Stonington and purchases the farm and built the house (mentioned above). This part of Stonington is now North Stonington.

He "became a member of the Separatist or strict Congregational Church" and was ordained the pastor and remained so until his death. He was respected and had the confidence of his parishioners and was a devoted and able preacher.

The Barbour Index for Stonington lists his death as "Avery, Nathan, Elder, d. Sept. 7, 1780. Vol 4 Page 15"

Rev. Nathan Avery and his wife Hannah had eight children: Isaac, Nathan, Hannah, Mary, Luther, Stephen, Phebe and Wealthy.

Victor Cleansing Co.

Victor Cleansing Co.
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

An amazing thing has happened!
Jim Ricci emailed me about our grandfathers (and his grandfather's brother) who worked together at Victor Cleansing Co. which was located at 42 Cyr St. at the corner of Montgomery Ave. on the Cranston-Providence, Rhode Island Line.
He had this amazing photo taken about 1917 on the lawn plus two others. He scanned then and sent them to me and I converted them to black and white and adjusted the exposure for better Web viewing.

I've been helping him with his Simpson family genealogy. We are hoping to identify more of these people in this photo and in the two others he has shared.