Monday, August 18, 2014

Tombstone Tuesday: Marcy or Mercy

Photo by Frederick E. Burdick, used with his permission
“Here lies ye body of Marcy ye wife of George Denifon who died Septr ye 24 1724 in ye 67th year of her age”


I was amused to see that he name was carved as Marcy not Mercy on her gravestone. The Denison genealogy states that she was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts on 20 Jan 1657/1658  (page 3)and the Torry index of Early Marriages before 1700 says she married George Denison about 1677. (page 215)

It is interesting to note that she was the daughter of Capt. John GORHAM and his wife Desire HOWLAND, granddaughter of John Howland who came on the Mayflower. 

John GORHAM was the immigrant ancestor in his line and the Find-a-Grave page says he is buried at Cobb's Hill Cemetery. I have been there as I am a Cobb descendant. He doesn't have a gravestone. (Find-a-Grave entry)

Researching this couple is something that I have not done as yet. But one piece of evidence says he is buried on land he owned in Swansea, MA.

This couple did have a long life together. I think the third generation from the time of the Mayflower fared quite well.

3 comments:

BJ said...

Marcy/Mercy.... pronunciation change vs. spelling.

For comparison ~ think of:

clerk (pronounced clurrk in US, clark in England)
derby (durrbee in US, darbee in England)

Same linguistic principle here ;-)

Midge Frazel said...

Thanks!

Colleen G. Brown Pasquale said...

Midge, that is a wonderful old stone; in incredible shape considering its age. Marcy could certainly be her name. Over the years people may have inadvertently changed it to Mercy.