Tombstone Tuesday: Chesebrough and Evans Gravestone

Photo by Wayne Howland, 2012, used with permission

 North Adams Family
Update!

Located about 104 miles away, is the Hillside Cemetery in North Adams, Massachusetts. Nestled in Berkshire County,  the towns of Adams and North Adams are where my great grandfather, Charles Edward Stewart went to work as an accountant in the North Adams Gas Light Company and United Zylonite Company and met and married Ada Ann Evans, a local girl.

They married on 15 December, 1885. 

If it wasn't for the tiny photographs of Ada's father and step-mother, in a closed case, I would not have found out that Charles Turner Evans, first married a woman whose name appeared to be Ann Janet, Angionette or Janette as it says on this gravestone. Her maiden surname was Chesebrough. They were from New York and that path sent me back to the Chesebrough family of Stonington, Connecticut. Larry Chesebro  and the compiled genealogy of the Cheseboroughs helped a lot.

Janette died when Ada was less than a year old of consumption. Charles, a Civil War veteran, was a publisher, whose parents died before he enlisted in the War. In 1860 he is living in Adrian, Lewawee, Michigan with his mother's brother, Robert Aylesworth and his family. That branch of my family were practicing Quakers.

Charles served in Company H, 27th Massachusetts infantry and was discharged in July of 1865. The next year, he married Janette and had Ada in 1867. My mother showed me the portraits and I was entranced by the idea that someone whose name was Martha (like mine) but called Mattie was a step-mother. Ada was an only child like me.

It took me a lot of work to find her death record and to find out her maiden name was Davis. Charles left her a widow, (he died of hepatitis) and her death record told me where she was buried. So, I put a request into that cemetery at Find a Grave which was filled this weekend by the kind Wayne Howland of North Adams. I don't know if there are any more of these families buried there.

I still don't have a clear path of Evans back more generations. I think the father was Silvester or Sylvester Evans and his father was John Evans. There was an article in my family Bible about families named Evans but I can't connect it together correctly.

But, the fact remains. I now have a photograph of each of my three 2nd great grandfathers (who served in the Civil War) and a photo of their gravestones. It was a goal that I have now met.

Thanks, Wayne.

1880 North Adams City Directory, Ancestry.com with Chas. T Evans listed with his occupation

I have learned more about this Chesebrough line and I am focusing on them instead of the Evans surname that I don't know as much about.

Deacon Thomas Barrett of Concord

Photos by Carolyn Stone, used with permission

Deacon Thomas Barrett

Carolyn Stone shared these photos she took at Old Hill Burying Ground in Concord, MA of Deacon Thomas Barrett's gravestone because she knows that I am studying "Undifferentiated faces" this month. It is hard not to believe that this is not a portrait of this man, isn't it? I suppose we'll never know.

Deacon Thomas Barrett at Find-a-Grave is an example of the fine sharing that is going on in the gravestone lovers community. Let's be positive and hope it continues.

Tombstone Tuesday: Mrs. Martha Smith

Tombstone Tuesday; Martha, wife of Rev. Aaron SMITH

Mrs. Martha SMITH, wife of Rev. Mr. Aaron SMITH, is buried in the Old Common Cemetery in Marlborough, MA. Her husband is not buried with her, but I did take a photo of his gravestone which is in the North Cemetery in Wayland, MA 

This slate gravestone features the rosettes that are found in many cemeteries in New England. I bought a cemetery pin that is almost identical to the motif of this gravestone.

I am making this "slide" into a graphic so I can get feedback from my readers about including this as a "style" in future presentations. Suggestions are welcome.

Henry and his granddaughter

Henry Jewell HYDE, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Henry Jewell HYDE was the oldest child of Abraham HYDE and his first wife Elener PARMENTER. Henry was my husband's 1st great grand uncle. Henry's brother Vergene Ovando Hyde was my husband's great grandfather. Recently, I blogged about finding the gravestone of Angeline Sophia HYDE and her husband and his family.She was one of Henry and Vergene's sisters.

The vital records of Southborough list him as HENERY. He was born on 31 August 1836. NEHGS lists this vital record in the Massachusetts Vital record to 1850, V1: 45 for Southborough:


HYDE Henery Jewell, s. Abraham and Elener, Aug. 31, 1836.

This is important for two reasons, the first being that I have not found this name written as Henery and I still have no idea where the Jewell came from! I have found a descendant online and I hope she will be able to tell me more about this. The second reason is that it is clear from this that he was born in 1836. As he is first born, it is important to look at the parent's marriage date. (Ahem...) Abraham and Elenor/Elener/Eleanor were married in Framingham on 7 May 1835. This is a plausible date for a first born child.

Henry's gravestone doesn't list any months or days on it. Here is a cropped shot of the dates.  Notice that the birth year says 1837.

The next child born in this family does share a gravestone with his family but there are no dates on it for confirming evidence.

Henry married Amanda DAVIDSON on 1 May 1861 in Southborough. Now, that you know that, we can take a look at the whole gravestone.

Henry Jewell HYDE

Hyde_Young_Front, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.
Photos by Bruce Filgates (filgates@verizon.net) Used with permission 

HYDE-YOUNG monument
Pine Grove Cemetery, Bolyston, Worcester, MA

I hold my breath when I go looking for gravestones at Find-a-Grave! Sometimes, I can't believe what good luck I have finding exactly what I am looking for.

This is the front of the gravestone for Henry Jewell HYDE and his family. It is located in Section 3 of the Pine Grove Cemetery in Boylston, MA 

You will want to go click that link and take a look at the wonderful information listed for the cemetery! I'll wait here while you go look.

This photo (and the others I will be showing) were taken as part of a whole cemetery photographing project at the cemetery in cooperation with the Town of Boylston, MA. This was great news and I didn't have to move from my computer to take the photos.(I love going to cemeteries but not every day!)

Bruce Filgate responded almost immediately to my questions about the gravestones he took by calling me on the phone. I had a great chat with him about the photos and the cemetery project in general. He was very gracious to let me use any of his photos as long as I put his name credited as photographer. Please respect his work.

Old South Burying Ground, Bolton, MA

Old South Burying Ground, Bolton, MA, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

My genea-friend, Marian Pierre-Louis suggested that we take a field trip to nearby (to me) South Cemetery in Bolton, MA.

I must admit that it is a fitting way to remember those who died and those left behind, ten years ago on September 11.

I did some research with Google Maps and off we went. The street view showed the street sign clearly where we were to turn at Wattaquadock Hill Road. I saw that after that turn was a church, a police and fire station and a ball field.

Well, the street was blocked off, probably for a ceremony so we continued on to see what Bolton was like. After some time, we turned around and ventured down the street that turned into Manor Road. It intersects with the blocked road just past the church. Hooray!

We went quite slowly because could see the Winery fields and sure enough where we neede to turn down Berlin Road, the street sign was missing some letters.

We turned and after a couple minutes there was the cemetery and this sign. [It matches the one at the Pan Burying Ground]

There is a "road" inside the cemetery and we drove around to the right hand side and pulled onto the grass. Good thing we did because as this is an active cemetery with new graves, a car turned in because they wanted to tend a grave in the back.

We wandered around. I tested the Resting Spot app and also took photos with my digital camera.

On the way back, we found the street open and we sailed home without incident.

One thing. They are cutting down trees on the property next to the cemetery. It was very noisy. Was it loud enough to wake the dead? Not a chance. But, I did tell them that it was OK, they were safe in God's hands.