Empty Space

Empty Space, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

My husband's ancestor, Thankful NEWTON, wife of Aaron FAY and mother to Nathan FAY is on the list of 300 unmarked graves at the Old Southborough Burying Ground. Where Aaron FAY is buried, I still do not know.

Knowing that there are unmarked graves in this cemetery, explains the wide open spaces. I might not have questioned this if I had not known that this cemetery was considered "full" by the town of Southborough and it was decided that they needed space for a new burial ground. They called this new burying place Southborough Rural Cemetery. It was established in 1842. Except for a small family cemetery nearby to the historical society building and St. Mark's Churchyard (est. 1842) Old Southborough Cemetery is the only burying place where my husband's ancestors could be buried. They might be buried on their own farmland or have not moved to Southborough from Marlborough. This does give us a framework of where to look.

It is also known that the Hurricane of 1938 toppled many trees and thus knocked over gravestones in this cemetery. Many gravestone were not replaced because of the depression and some have been recovered by residents in the town. They were flipped over and used for paving stones.

I have heard from a cousin of my husband  and asked him if he would like to go to Sutton to the Dodge Cemetery and to Newton Center's East Parish Cemetery and look for the Hyde gravestones. He was excited to help out. This is great. It will give me more time to work on the research.