#19 Here lies buried Mr. Thomas Perkins, who died June 5, 1761, in ye 74th year of his age.
Old Parish Burying Ground, Summer St. Bridgewater, MA
Showing posts with label Perkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perkins. Show all posts
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Tombstone Tuesday: Perkins in New York
This photo of the gravestone of Nathaniel PERKINS and his wife Mary Record was taken by Thomas Dunne of New York. This photo and others taken by him are used with his permission. (This is the great part of Find a Grave, don't you think?)
Some time ago, a fellow researcher, whose surname is Perkins, contacted me about the gravestone of Mary Perkins that I took at the River Bend Cemetery in Westerly, Washington, RI. He told me that there was a gravestone of her ancestor David Perkins in Bridgewater, MA right where I lived. It is one of my most special genealogical moments. A real delight!
Since then, there have been four of us working on Perkins gravestones and records. I am the only female and it is hard work keeping these men from clashing and to stay on track with the research. The role of genealogist can also be peacemeaker.
One of my "team" decided to travel to New York in search of Nathaniel Perkins (shown here) and his wife Mary. I didn't know where he was going but was interested in his adventure.
When he returned he called me to tell me all about it. It seems he did not have a clear idea of which cemetery before he left from PA to NY. I stopped him from telling me the story and asked for the name of the cemetery and when he told me, I immediately went to Find a Grave and located the grave already photographed. When he was done reporting on his adventure, I emailed him to tell him that it was already online. He was angry with himself that he did not look at Find a Grave first. But, he had a great time going to the places to do the research. The gravestone was just part of the adventure.
Last week, someone asked me about the Crandall genealogy (it is at Ancestry.com) and that reminded me about the mistake in print about the wife of Nathaniel Perkins (he is a junior) shown here. The Crandall genealogy states that her name is Mary Crandall. The problem is probably of transcription. Nathaniel Perkins, Sr. marrried Elizabeth Crandall.
I have found a Crandall family historian's Web site. He mentions that there are a lot of mistakes in the print genealogy and that things should be verified with other sources. Good.
Some time ago, a fellow researcher, whose surname is Perkins, contacted me about the gravestone of Mary Perkins that I took at the River Bend Cemetery in Westerly, Washington, RI. He told me that there was a gravestone of her ancestor David Perkins in Bridgewater, MA right where I lived. It is one of my most special genealogical moments. A real delight!
Since then, there have been four of us working on Perkins gravestones and records. I am the only female and it is hard work keeping these men from clashing and to stay on track with the research. The role of genealogist can also be peacemeaker.
One of my "team" decided to travel to New York in search of Nathaniel Perkins (shown here) and his wife Mary. I didn't know where he was going but was interested in his adventure.
When he returned he called me to tell me all about it. It seems he did not have a clear idea of which cemetery before he left from PA to NY. I stopped him from telling me the story and asked for the name of the cemetery and when he told me, I immediately went to Find a Grave and located the grave already photographed. When he was done reporting on his adventure, I emailed him to tell him that it was already online. He was angry with himself that he did not look at Find a Grave first. But, he had a great time going to the places to do the research. The gravestone was just part of the adventure.
Last week, someone asked me about the Crandall genealogy (it is at Ancestry.com) and that reminded me about the mistake in print about the wife of Nathaniel Perkins (he is a junior) shown here. The Crandall genealogy states that her name is Mary Crandall. The problem is probably of transcription. Nathaniel Perkins, Sr. marrried Elizabeth Crandall.
I have found a Crandall family historian's Web site. He mentions that there are a lot of mistakes in the print genealogy and that things should be verified with other sources. Good.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
In the 84th year
It's true. You don't really learn something until you have to teach it to others. I have learned a LOT by writing the lessons for the Cemetery 101 Class for Family Tree University.
When I transcribe gravestones, I write down everything that is on them but I know that since gravestones are erected AFTER (well usually) the person died, the information on them is only confirming evidence and needs to be proved with vital records or other sources.
I take the death date most seriously as well as where the stone is located and what its type, style and any icons or flag holders indicate.
The person's name and how it is spelled is analyzed and if it is female (and I am lucky) the woman's maiden name. The information on birth was most likely given by someone else who signed the death record or told the gravestone artist what to write.
I have been ignoring the statement "his his/her 84th year or at 5 years, 2 months and 5 days" unless I can prove that with a birth, baptismal or even a family Bible entry.
Yesterday, I had to find out what "in the xxth year of his age really meant". So, after looking at all my books, I took the question to FaceBook. In 10 minutes I had a consensus of opinion from the genealogy community with no exceptions.
So, with that in mind, I went to the gravestone of one of my 8th great grandparents who died in Bridgewater, MA. I knew I had researched his birth, marriage and death with vital records. Then, I took this information to RootsMagic's date calculator as you can see in this screen shot.
So, in his 84th year, it meant he has celebrated his 83rd birthday and was moving toward his 84th birthday when he died.
I am glad to have made a mistake. I learned something great!
When I transcribe gravestones, I write down everything that is on them but I know that since gravestones are erected AFTER (well usually) the person died, the information on them is only confirming evidence and needs to be proved with vital records or other sources.
I take the death date most seriously as well as where the stone is located and what its type, style and any icons or flag holders indicate.
The person's name and how it is spelled is analyzed and if it is female (and I am lucky) the woman's maiden name. The information on birth was most likely given by someone else who signed the death record or told the gravestone artist what to write.
I have been ignoring the statement "his his/her 84th year or at 5 years, 2 months and 5 days" unless I can prove that with a birth, baptismal or even a family Bible entry.
Yesterday, I had to find out what "in the xxth year of his age really meant". So, after looking at all my books, I took the question to FaceBook. In 10 minutes I had a consensus of opinion from the genealogy community with no exceptions.
So, with that in mind, I went to the gravestone of one of my 8th great grandparents who died in Bridgewater, MA. I knew I had researched his birth, marriage and death with vital records. Then, I took this information to RootsMagic's date calculator as you can see in this screen shot.
So, in his 84th year, it meant he has celebrated his 83rd birthday and was moving toward his 84th birthday when he died.
I am glad to have made a mistake. I learned something great!
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Conant St. Cemetery [1829]
Since last August, when I found out I was a PERKINS descendant of Abraham PERKINS [of Hampton, NH] through his son David PERKINS who married Elizabeth BROWN and moved to Bridgewater, MA, I have been on a cemetery quest to locate and photograph as many gravestones as I can of the Bridgewater branch of this family.
It is not a simple task and it requires the help of many other researchers. One who grew up here and still lives in Massachusetts and three or four others who live many states away. We are forming a 21st century collaborative team to work on this family. It is expected to take many more months of work. This is the lifeblood of the family historian!
One researcher named Ed Perkins, is compiling a book to be published, so we are all being very careful to document our work. I am insisting upon quality data and I am pleased to be getting it!
As it turns out, Ed's branch is the hardest to document even with the wonderful Vital Records of Bridgewater to 1850 available to me via my research membership at NEHGS. Ed's tree branch has a split in it and we are not able to prove who was the first wife of Nathan PERKINS (1710-1780)! Could it be a woman named Deborah?
Nathan married second, Sarah HARLOW , who was the widow of Nathan PRATT. This is a recorded event in the vital records. But, who was the first wife?
1752/PERKINS/Nathan and Sarah Pratt, April 2, 1752, Marriage/Bridgewater
We know from Mitchell's History of Bridgewater, that there were two children, Charles and Deborah from Nathan's first marriage. Ed Perkins, is descended from Charles (b. 1737). Since Nathan and Sarah didn't marry until 1752, these are clearly NOT their children together.
Charles's sister Deborah Perkins married John Conant and is buried in the Conant Cemetery on Conant St. in Bridgewater. I ventured out this morning to investigate this cemetery and found it to be delightfully well kept and easy to photograph.
It is not a simple task and it requires the help of many other researchers. One who grew up here and still lives in Massachusetts and three or four others who live many states away. We are forming a 21st century collaborative team to work on this family. It is expected to take many more months of work. This is the lifeblood of the family historian!
One researcher named Ed Perkins, is compiling a book to be published, so we are all being very careful to document our work. I am insisting upon quality data and I am pleased to be getting it!
As it turns out, Ed's branch is the hardest to document even with the wonderful Vital Records of Bridgewater to 1850 available to me via my research membership at NEHGS. Ed's tree branch has a split in it and we are not able to prove who was the first wife of Nathan PERKINS (1710-1780)! Could it be a woman named Deborah?
Nathan married second, Sarah HARLOW , who was the widow of Nathan PRATT. This is a recorded event in the vital records. But, who was the first wife?
1752/PERKINS/Nathan and Sarah Pratt, April 2, 1752, Marriage/Bridgewater
We know from Mitchell's History of Bridgewater, that there were two children, Charles and Deborah from Nathan's first marriage. Ed Perkins, is descended from Charles (b. 1737). Since Nathan and Sarah didn't marry until 1752, these are clearly NOT their children together.
Charles's sister Deborah Perkins married John Conant and is buried in the Conant Cemetery on Conant St. in Bridgewater. I ventured out this morning to investigate this cemetery and found it to be delightfully well kept and easy to photograph.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Perkins Project
Sometimes, I take on too many projects at once! Does this sound familiar?
Being a professional genealogist and member of the APG, has causes me to slow down much of my own work to help others. I was warned about this in 2003 by several prominent genealogists at a regional conference. I tried to listen, really I did!
But, today, collaboration by several people, using the Internet, is the modern way to solve problems of family history. Each person has a "piece" of the puzzle, access to family held records and memberships in different organizations so we work together for quality information.
Although, I am a Perkins descendant, I really didn't know much about this family until last summer. Since then, I have been lucky to locate several researchers who are working hard on their "charts".
One Perkins researcher is writing a book about this family. To ensure the quality of his data for this branch, which lived in Bridgewater, MA, a family member and I have been gravestone hopping together to find graves and the dates on them to "fix" and supplement the information in two previously written books. I am happy to say that this project is coming along. The Vital Records of Bridgewater gives us a lot of solid evidence to work with.
There are stumbling blocks to overcome but we forge ahead.
Being a professional genealogist and member of the APG, has causes me to slow down much of my own work to help others. I was warned about this in 2003 by several prominent genealogists at a regional conference. I tried to listen, really I did!
But, today, collaboration by several people, using the Internet, is the modern way to solve problems of family history. Each person has a "piece" of the puzzle, access to family held records and memberships in different organizations so we work together for quality information.
Although, I am a Perkins descendant, I really didn't know much about this family until last summer. Since then, I have been lucky to locate several researchers who are working hard on their "charts".
One Perkins researcher is writing a book about this family. To ensure the quality of his data for this branch, which lived in Bridgewater, MA, a family member and I have been gravestone hopping together to find graves and the dates on them to "fix" and supplement the information in two previously written books. I am happy to say that this project is coming along. The Vital Records of Bridgewater gives us a lot of solid evidence to work with.
There are stumbling blocks to overcome but we forge ahead.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Ebenezer PERKINS
This is a partial piece of a footstone which reads E.P. 1823 which rests in a lovely circle (created by a Boy Scout) at the Trinity Churchyard in Bridgewater, MA. When I saw this, I knew that it was orphaned and placed lovingly apart from the headstones.
It must be the footstone for Ebenezer PERKINS (1752-1823) but when I looked at the map of the cemetery, I knew that something was amiss! The headstones of Ebenezer and his wife Mary PRATT were missing. I walked all around the cemetery and didn't find them.
I emailed a Perkins family member who said, "Yes, they were moved to Mt. Prospect Cemetery!" It seems that the grandson of Ebenezer and Mary, had a wife who was unhappy with the Episcopal Church and decided to move the headstones to Mt. Prospect Cemetery.
Anyone looking for these gravestones would be mystified as to where they went, wouldn't they? It doesn't seem to be recorded anywhere. So, today, that family member and I went in search of the headstones of Ebenezer and Mary.
Now, the question remains...did they move the bodies as well as the headstones? We still don't know.
It must be the footstone for Ebenezer PERKINS (1752-1823) but when I looked at the map of the cemetery, I knew that something was amiss! The headstones of Ebenezer and his wife Mary PRATT were missing. I walked all around the cemetery and didn't find them.
I emailed a Perkins family member who said, "Yes, they were moved to Mt. Prospect Cemetery!" It seems that the grandson of Ebenezer and Mary, had a wife who was unhappy with the Episcopal Church and decided to move the headstones to Mt. Prospect Cemetery.
Anyone looking for these gravestones would be mystified as to where they went, wouldn't they? It doesn't seem to be recorded anywhere. So, today, that family member and I went in search of the headstones of Ebenezer and Mary.
Now, the question remains...did they move the bodies as well as the headstones? We still don't know.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Trinity Church Cemetery [1756]
Perkins Adventure Post 5
This is the sign for the Trinity Church Cemetery. Notice that it is dated 1756. Since the deed for the land (see description) is dated 1747 and the first burial was in 1763, I have no idea why this bears this date of 1756.
David Allen Lambert's newest edition of A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries (2009) lists this cemetery date as 1748 which is probably most correct as it must be based on the recorded deed.
The Vital Records of Bridgewater call this resting place "GR #10", which stands for grave records #10. It is also known as the Episcopal Cemetery.
Bridgewater cemeteries seem to have many names but at least they are marked with these white signs which must have been a Scout project some time ago.
This is the sign for the Trinity Church Cemetery. Notice that it is dated 1756. Since the deed for the land (see description) is dated 1747 and the first burial was in 1763, I have no idea why this bears this date of 1756.
David Allen Lambert's newest edition of A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries (2009) lists this cemetery date as 1748 which is probably most correct as it must be based on the recorded deed.
The Vital Records of Bridgewater call this resting place "GR #10", which stands for grave records #10. It is also known as the Episcopal Cemetery.
Bridgewater cemeteries seem to have many names but at least they are marked with these white signs which must have been a Scout project some time ago.
Trinity Church Graveyard
Perkins Adventure Post 4
This church graveyard, located on Main St. in Bridgewater, MA is typical of the numerous small and medium sized graveyards sprinkled throughout the town of Bridgewater.
Bridgewater today was once South Bridgewater as "Bridgewater" geographically encompassed Brockton (North Bridgewater) and the towns of East, West and South Bridgewater. This makes reading old books on Bridgewater a challenge!
It has a description, numbered map of the gravestones, an index (two pages), and transcriptions [click on the gravenumber in the index] which are in Thatcher's gravestone inscriptions. This book by Charles Thatcher is in the public domain.
We are grateful for these documents which Dale H. Cook and his team have posted online because the New England weather and time are really making the gravestones unreadable.
I took this angled photo to show that the church is no longer next to the graveyard [despite the description given]. The stone wall is only on two side which makes the gate seem out of place. The church is now located down the street and the house you see in this photo obviously has been here some time.
I determined that this cemetery is where some of the Perkins family members were buried after the oldest cemetery in town. Some of the family became Episcopalians. (Their religion is important to part of the story and that is why it is reported here.)
This church graveyard, located on Main St. in Bridgewater, MA is typical of the numerous small and medium sized graveyards sprinkled throughout the town of Bridgewater.
Bridgewater today was once South Bridgewater as "Bridgewater" geographically encompassed Brockton (North Bridgewater) and the towns of East, West and South Bridgewater. This makes reading old books on Bridgewater a challenge!
It has a description, numbered map of the gravestones, an index (two pages), and transcriptions [click on the gravenumber in the index] which are in Thatcher's gravestone inscriptions. This book by Charles Thatcher is in the public domain.
We are grateful for these documents which Dale H. Cook and his team have posted online because the New England weather and time are really making the gravestones unreadable.
I took this angled photo to show that the church is no longer next to the graveyard [despite the description given]. The stone wall is only on two side which makes the gate seem out of place. The church is now located down the street and the house you see in this photo obviously has been here some time.
I determined that this cemetery is where some of the Perkins family members were buried after the oldest cemetery in town. Some of the family became Episcopalians. (Their religion is important to part of the story and that is why it is reported here.)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Site of David Perkins Sawmill
Perkins Adventure Post 3
For a solid week, I have been investigating the descendants of my Bridgewater, MA ancestor David Perkins. My husband and I went out to look for the approximate place where David built his sawmill in 1688. Yes, you read that correctly, 1688. David and his wife and several children moved from Beverly, MA where they were married and lived for some years before coming to Bridgewater.
David's sawmill must have been on this side of the railroad tracks (of course there were no tracks then) and up closer to the Taunton River.
I took several photos of Perkins "land" that is still owned by members of the large family.
Henry Perkins Co. 1848, Company Sign, Business Entrance on Broad St.
A family member is helping me identify gravesites and the homes that this family has lived in. This is called a "One-Name" study and I am learning a lot about how to research and document just one family. I call it Perkins Madness.
For a solid week, I have been investigating the descendants of my Bridgewater, MA ancestor David Perkins. My husband and I went out to look for the approximate place where David built his sawmill in 1688. Yes, you read that correctly, 1688. David and his wife and several children moved from Beverly, MA where they were married and lived for some years before coming to Bridgewater.
David's sawmill must have been on this side of the railroad tracks (of course there were no tracks then) and up closer to the Taunton River.
I took several photos of Perkins "land" that is still owned by members of the large family.
Henry Perkins Co. 1848, Company Sign, Business Entrance on Broad St.
A family member is helping me identify gravesites and the homes that this family has lived in. This is called a "One-Name" study and I am learning a lot about how to research and document just one family. I call it Perkins Madness.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Cemetery Restoration
This plaque and a lovely stone bench for resting and reflecting [when it is not freezing temperature wise] marks the work of a local Boy Scout here in Bridgewater, MA in the Trinity Church graveyard where I took some photos of gravestones.
As this is "Tombstone Tuesday" is is good to remember those who are trying to clean up and restore some of most ancient graveyards.
As this is "Tombstone Tuesday" is is good to remember those who are trying to clean up and restore some of most ancient graveyards.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
David PERKINS
Perkins Adventure Post 2
Clearly (pun intended) you can see that using the mirror on ancient gravestones like this on can make reading the inscriptions match the records you need to gather. I also took a close-up of Elizabeth's grave and some shots of sections of each grave to demonstrate the lettering style, numerals and the spacing in gravestones of this era.
"Here Lyes Buried ye Body of Mr. David Perkins Who Departed This Life Octbr Ye 1st 1716 in the 84th year of his age."
The older graveyards in Bridgewater have been transcribed and checked but not photographed stone-by-stone. Charles Thatcher transcribed [link is public domain PDF] several cemeteries in southeastern Massachusetts and we are so lucky to have this document. After looking at the blog posts I intend to write about Perkins family in Bridgewater, you will be as grateful as I am for the printed transcriptions.
Clearly (pun intended) you can see that using the mirror on ancient gravestones like this on can make reading the inscriptions match the records you need to gather. I also took a close-up of Elizabeth's grave and some shots of sections of each grave to demonstrate the lettering style, numerals and the spacing in gravestones of this era.
"Here Lyes Buried ye Body of Mr. David Perkins Who Departed This Life Octbr Ye 1st 1716 in the 84th year of his age."
The older graveyards in Bridgewater have been transcribed and checked but not photographed stone-by-stone. Charles Thatcher transcribed [link is public domain PDF] several cemeteries in southeastern Massachusetts and we are so lucky to have this document. After looking at the blog posts I intend to write about Perkins family in Bridgewater, you will be as grateful as I am for the printed transcriptions.
Perkins Adventure in Bridgewater
Perkins Adventure Post 1
Since last summer when I found out that I had an ancestor, David PERKINS and his wife Elizabeth BROWN who came to Bridgewater, Plymouth, MA in 1688, I have been thinking about the connection that was made when I randomly (or so I thought) chose Bridgewater to live in when I married and moved from my native Rhode Island to Massachusetts.
I have been reading a book titled, Psychic Roots, and have been impressed with the ideas presented about the coincidences, serendipity and intuitive moments that are part of genealogy and family history work. The author gathered stories from experienced genealogists who can't explain the twists and turns made along the way as they sought their own ancestors or looked for ancestors for clients. This book has made me think more clearly about the unusual ways in which my brain is working when I am working on family history.
By posting my family tree at Ancestry.com, I have been fortunate to find relatives (cousins) who have some connection to those in my charts. David Perkins is a good example of this situation and has made me a believer in online database sharing such as Ancestry.com
Mercy Perkins, wife of Stanton Hall has a gravestone shared with her husband, with several children buried nearby in the lovely and peaceful River Bend Cemetery in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island. Their marriage leaves no doubt to when and where they were married. [Hall, Stanton of Westerly and Mercy Perkins of Charlestown; m. by Elder Oliver Bright, July 8, 1800 Vol 5 Page 37, Westerly] Mercy was the youngest child in her family and genealogy math tells me that she was only 14 when she married and her husband Stanton Hall was only 16!
The date of her birth is not recorded but a letter in the possession of another family (who kindly scanned it and shared it with me because she was thrilled to see the gravestone) it is recorded that she was born 3 March 1786 which meshes with census and her gravestone date of death and number of years. Bingo!
I was excited to know this much and to be able to prove that she is not Mercy Lewis as some people do assume and have recorded in their database records. But, imagine my surprise when I received an email from a Perkins researcher whose ancestor is Mercy's brother Nathaniel that there are two genealogies of this Perkins family whose immigrant ancestor was Abraham Perkins of Hampton, NH. From this point on, it was easy to connect the dots to discovering David buried right here in Bridgewater. I have walked by his grave many times. I would have to say, I KNEW, somebody in that cemetery was my ancestor.
It won't surprise me to find that ancestral memory is coded into our DNA.
On to finding David and Mary Perkins...
Since last summer when I found out that I had an ancestor, David PERKINS and his wife Elizabeth BROWN who came to Bridgewater, Plymouth, MA in 1688, I have been thinking about the connection that was made when I randomly (or so I thought) chose Bridgewater to live in when I married and moved from my native Rhode Island to Massachusetts.
I have been reading a book titled, Psychic Roots, and have been impressed with the ideas presented about the coincidences, serendipity and intuitive moments that are part of genealogy and family history work. The author gathered stories from experienced genealogists who can't explain the twists and turns made along the way as they sought their own ancestors or looked for ancestors for clients. This book has made me think more clearly about the unusual ways in which my brain is working when I am working on family history.
By posting my family tree at Ancestry.com, I have been fortunate to find relatives (cousins) who have some connection to those in my charts. David Perkins is a good example of this situation and has made me a believer in online database sharing such as Ancestry.com
Mercy Perkins, wife of Stanton Hall has a gravestone shared with her husband, with several children buried nearby in the lovely and peaceful River Bend Cemetery in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island. Their marriage leaves no doubt to when and where they were married. [Hall, Stanton of Westerly and Mercy Perkins of Charlestown; m. by Elder Oliver Bright, July 8, 1800 Vol 5 Page 37, Westerly] Mercy was the youngest child in her family and genealogy math tells me that she was only 14 when she married and her husband Stanton Hall was only 16!
The date of her birth is not recorded but a letter in the possession of another family (who kindly scanned it and shared it with me because she was thrilled to see the gravestone) it is recorded that she was born 3 March 1786 which meshes with census and her gravestone date of death and number of years. Bingo!
I was excited to know this much and to be able to prove that she is not Mercy Lewis as some people do assume and have recorded in their database records. But, imagine my surprise when I received an email from a Perkins researcher whose ancestor is Mercy's brother Nathaniel that there are two genealogies of this Perkins family whose immigrant ancestor was Abraham Perkins of Hampton, NH. From this point on, it was easy to connect the dots to discovering David buried right here in Bridgewater. I have walked by his grave many times. I would have to say, I KNEW, somebody in that cemetery was my ancestor.
It won't surprise me to find that ancestral memory is coded into our DNA.
On to finding David and Mary Perkins...
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Clearly a Six
The next line in David Perkins gravestone is the year of his death which according to the transcription and the vital record of Bridgewater is 1736.
Note the same spread out way of recording the numerals in the date. The last digit is a 6 but not until you look very closely. See it here next to the word in
The last line says:
ye 84th year of his age.
Zooming in closely on hard to decipher sections of the grave does work quite well, especially if you are being bitten alive by mosquitoes as I was at this very moment!
Note the same spread out way of recording the numerals in the date. The last digit is a 6 but not until you look very closely. See it here next to the word in
The last line says:
ye 84th year of his age.
Zooming in closely on hard to decipher sections of the grave does work quite well, especially if you are being bitten alive by mosquitoes as I was at this very moment!
Reading Lines
The next line of the gravestone of David Perkins shows that the gravestone engraver spaced out the next two lines a lot.
Octbr (for October) and at the other end of the line 1st with Ye in the middle (note: ye is pronounced the)
The br with is superscript is smaller that the st superscript but that is because the gravestone itself is so old that the engraving is becoming squished.
So this this line says he died on: 1 October
Octbr (for October) and at the other end of the line 1st with Ye in the middle (note: ye is pronounced the)
The br with is superscript is smaller that the st superscript but that is because the gravestone itself is so old that the engraving is becoming squished.
So this this line says he died on: 1 October
Worn out Gravestones
If you think you're tired, worn-out doesn't even begin to cut it when it comes to reading this gravestone of my ancestor, David Perkins, Sr. Even with the mirror technique, not all the lines are that easily read.
Fortunately, this graveyard was completely transcribed and is online so I had a good idea of what it really says, so I decided to see what my digital camera could do with photographing the unreadable sections. This is the overview photo so you can see how the next photos fit into this experiment. This is the first four lines which are fairly clear.
Here lyes buried
ye body of Mr.
David Perkins who
Departed this life
Fortunately, this graveyard was completely transcribed and is online so I had a good idea of what it really says, so I decided to see what my digital camera could do with photographing the unreadable sections. This is the overview photo so you can see how the next photos fit into this experiment. This is the first four lines which are fairly clear.
Here lyes buried
ye body of Mr.
David Perkins who
Departed this life
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Perkins, Hall and Crandall
My gravestone photo of Stanton Hall and his wife Mercy Perkins has proved to cause quite a stir as three people researching either Perkins, Hall or Crandall lines have contacted me about these three surnames. It is so great to have help with these lines! This is the fun of genealogy.
It all began with Phebe Eliza Hall, the wife of Matthew Stillman Barber and mother of James Albert Barber, all of Westerly, Rhode Island. From there I discovered that young (1820-1842) Phebe was a child of Stanton Hall and his wife Mercy Perkins. That's as far as I got for a long time.
The Peckham genealogy lists the children of Theodoty Hall and his wife Mary Peckham (p. 299) as Mary "Polly", Theodoty, Jr., Stanton, Varnum, Free, Peckham and Margaret. This was the first clearly given record I had:
"Stanton Hall, b. 1784; m. Mercy Perkins in 1800"
It always pays to go back to the records you gather first in an ancestor investigation and take a longer look at them. I now see that Stanton Hall's brother married Caty Crandall which means the Hall, Peckham and Crandall lines cross over here too.
I am grateful to Barbara Fallon of Westerly for helping me locate the exact location of Stanton and Mercy's grave for this is proving to be a great "ancestor detective" adventure. Stay tuned for more information.
It all began with Phebe Eliza Hall, the wife of Matthew Stillman Barber and mother of James Albert Barber, all of Westerly, Rhode Island. From there I discovered that young (1820-1842) Phebe was a child of Stanton Hall and his wife Mercy Perkins. That's as far as I got for a long time.
The Peckham genealogy lists the children of Theodoty Hall and his wife Mary Peckham (p. 299) as Mary "Polly", Theodoty, Jr., Stanton, Varnum, Free, Peckham and Margaret. This was the first clearly given record I had:
"Stanton Hall, b. 1784; m. Mercy Perkins in 1800"
It always pays to go back to the records you gather first in an ancestor investigation and take a longer look at them. I now see that Stanton Hall's brother married Caty Crandall which means the Hall, Peckham and Crandall lines cross over here too.
I am grateful to Barbara Fallon of Westerly for helping me locate the exact location of Stanton and Mercy's grave for this is proving to be a great "ancestor detective" adventure. Stay tuned for more information.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Thinking about Random Acts
Category: "Reach out and Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness"
Event D: assist another researcher
Diamond
I really don't think there is such a thing as "Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness". I think things are meant to be found when they are ready and sometimes it means you have to wait for just the right event, day, person, or situation to come along.
While I write some of my last entries for this "Summer Games", I'd like to take the time to talk with you about what this means.
Recently at a family reunion, I noticed a fellow genealogist and "cousin" Scott Bill Hirst struggle with his film camera. It suddenly hit me that this was the person who needed my "old" digital camera. That's a random thought, I suppose, but I pulled him aside and told him that I thought it would be a good idea for me to mail it to him. He looked very surprised and wanted to know how much I wanted for it. We settled on a small amount IF he would learn to use it and take some photos of my family graves which are located in the next town to him in Rhode Island AND if he would take photos of family reunions I couldn't go to and share them with me. He got the camera fine and after a few days of struggling (I kept making him read the manual!), he went out and took some pictures and took them to Walmart and put them on CD. He's going to mail them to me this week. This is a "Win-Win" situation.
This morning, as I tried to clean up my desk to get ready to work plus get some groceries, I just opened the tree I have posted at Ancestry.com and picked an ancestor to look at. I couldn't believe it, someone has found the photo of the grave of that ancestor which I posted that we have in common and had taken the line back several generations (with citations). I followed the line and discovered that one ancestor is BURIED IN MY TOWN. I couldn't get there fast enough to photograph the gravestone! Here's the photo of me with the graves behind me.
I have been there many times and taken a lot of photos of this very old graveyard hoping I could find a connection to that place as I feel drawn to it. I wondered why I wanted to live here. I needed to find these now as we are thinking of moving away from here when we retire. See what I mean by the right time and place and not being random at all?
I have emailed the other researcher and am impatiently waiting!
2008 Genea-Bloggers Games
Midge Frazel
Midge Frazel
Event D: assist another researcher
Diamond
I really don't think there is such a thing as "Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness". I think things are meant to be found when they are ready and sometimes it means you have to wait for just the right event, day, person, or situation to come along.
While I write some of my last entries for this "Summer Games", I'd like to take the time to talk with you about what this means.
Recently at a family reunion, I noticed a fellow genealogist and "cousin" Scott Bill Hirst struggle with his film camera. It suddenly hit me that this was the person who needed my "old" digital camera. That's a random thought, I suppose, but I pulled him aside and told him that I thought it would be a good idea for me to mail it to him. He looked very surprised and wanted to know how much I wanted for it. We settled on a small amount IF he would learn to use it and take some photos of my family graves which are located in the next town to him in Rhode Island AND if he would take photos of family reunions I couldn't go to and share them with me. He got the camera fine and after a few days of struggling (I kept making him read the manual!), he went out and took some pictures and took them to Walmart and put them on CD. He's going to mail them to me this week. This is a "Win-Win" situation.
This morning, as I tried to clean up my desk to get ready to work plus get some groceries, I just opened the tree I have posted at Ancestry.com and picked an ancestor to look at. I couldn't believe it, someone has found the photo of the grave of that ancestor which I posted that we have in common and had taken the line back several generations (with citations). I followed the line and discovered that one ancestor is BURIED IN MY TOWN. I couldn't get there fast enough to photograph the gravestone! Here's the photo of me with the graves behind me.
I have been there many times and taken a lot of photos of this very old graveyard hoping I could find a connection to that place as I feel drawn to it. I wondered why I wanted to live here. I needed to find these now as we are thinking of moving away from here when we retire. See what I mean by the right time and place and not being random at all?
I have emailed the other researcher and am impatiently waiting!
2008 Genea-Bloggers Games
Midge Frazel
Midge Frazel
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Stanton Hall and Mercy Perkins
This is the front of the gravestone for Stanton HALL and his wife Mercy PERKINS. Their daughter Phebe Eliza HALL (1820-1842) was the first wife of Matthew Stillman BARBER (1815-1888).
"Stanton HALL/ Died/January 21, 1837./Aged 53 years./
Mercy HALL, wife of Stanton HALL/Died/October 23, 1865/ Aged 79 years. "
Stantion HALL's father and grandfather were named Theodoty HALL Jr. and Sr. and their resting places remain "lost". Theodoty Hall, Jr.'s wife was Mary PECKHAM and those ancestors are part of the John PECKHAM line of Middletown and Newport, RI.
"Stanton HALL/ Died/January 21, 1837./Aged 53 years./
Mercy HALL, wife of Stanton HALL/Died/October 23, 1865/ Aged 79 years. "
Stantion HALL's father and grandfather were named Theodoty HALL Jr. and Sr. and their resting places remain "lost". Theodoty Hall, Jr.'s wife was Mary PECKHAM and those ancestors are part of the John PECKHAM line of Middletown and Newport, RI.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Back of Hall Stone
This is the back of the Hall stone which reads:
Sacred/ To The Memory of/Our/ Father & Mother/
"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord"
Sacred/ To The Memory of/Our/ Father & Mother/
"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord"
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