Hannah Hardy
New Ipswich Historical Society
On this day - September 18, 1908
James Roger diary entry
18th (Friday)
Cool morning warm day, wind NW to W. Very smoky all round . Sun red as fire morning and night. David and Henry tried to get turf for Webber lot, but ground too dry. Great need of rain for the springs and also to lay the dust. I took a coop of broilers to Depot in morning and brought grain then gathered some fallen apples and lifted the potatoes. David and Henry digging them. Lifted 36 bushels in all today. Sent pc to Roslin last night.
On this day - September 17, 1897
William Jurian Kaula diary - no entry
Gravestone Mysteries
THE BROWN BABIES - Part I
by Kim Black
Sept 2022
On the continuing quest to clean every historic gravestone in the Porter Hill Burial Ground, four small stones caught my attention on the back, steep slope of the grounds - two headstones accompanied by two footstones. They were covered with lichen, practically unreadable, and three of the stones were precariously tipped. Upon inspection, the stones revealed the names "Aaron Brown" and "George Brown." These were the only clear clues available at the time and one would assume they were babies or small children of the Brown family as both stones were identical in shape and size, and very similar in artistic style and font (lettering). What is the popular saying about making assumptions? Most of you are well familiar with that saying...
The stones were sprayed with D2 biological solution and left to marinate for about two weeks to kill and loosen the lichen and pollution clinging to the surface. They were then carefully cleaned, per protocol, and special handling was given to George's tipping headstone. The stones were then photographed and the inscriptions recorded for entry in www.Findagrave.com, an international website with photos and data of millions of gravesites around the world.
When recording inscriptions, one often needs to sit down very close to the stone and at eye level to the etchings as some of them are either deteriorating with age or just not very deep and shadowy (see note at end of article re: gravestone rubbings). With the benefit of being freshly cleaned, see if you can compare/contrast the features and markings on the photos of these stones.
e
G^orge Brown. Son
of Mr. Reuben &
Mrs. Sarah Brown,
died May 20th 1798
aged 8 months &
26 days.
Fare well sweat babe
Till we meet again.
Aaron Brown Junr.
Son of Mr. Aaron
& Mrs. Hannah Brown
died 22 May 1798
aged 7 months &
22 days.
You found several...right? Here were my observations.
1. The artwork is different but very similar in style - curlicue lines (heavily etched mid-line, lighter weight at the ends) located at the top arched section (lunette), similar carved facial features with hair slightly different (parted hair vs. bangs), identical 8-sided star on both stones, and identical border lines.
2. Both stones are slate and of identical shape and size.
3. Identical font - serif lettering where "f" = "s", "2's" are forward leaning, "9's" and "7's" hang lower than other numbers, "g's" have large hanging loops, and identical ampersands are used.
4. George is mis-spelled so the carver added a carat below and an "e" above the name.
5. The boys had different parents so they were not siblings as first assumed! Perhaps cousins?
6. Aaron and George died just two days apart - May 20th & May 22nd of 1798.
7. George's stone contains an epitaph; Aaron's does not.
8. "Farewell" is carved "Fare well" - possibly common in the 1700s.
9. "Sweet" is mis-spelled "sweat." Oh dear!
Did you find all nine? Did you find more than nine? If so, please let us know in the comments.
Join us in the next New Ipswich Historical Society newsletter to learn about the Brown families. Some covered topics include the Revolutionary War family lore, the Kidder and Barrett Mountains, and patrilateral cousins marrying patrilateral cousins...oh my!
Note: Our 2022 Cemetery Trustees, Bernie Honeywell and Bill Seppala, along with Sexton Andrew Morrill are currently working on having old gravestones straightened. The gentleman providing this outstanding work, Bruce Aho, has completed many of the stones at Porter Hill. This will prevent them from breaking and/or warping due to sheer weight and will contribute to the ongoing preservation of those stones. Perhaps they will still be standing in another 270 plus years - 2300!
Note:
TITLE XXVI
CEMETERIES; BURIALS; DEAD BODIES
CHAPTER 289 CEMETERIES
Section 289:22 - Stone Rubbings.
No person shall make gravestone rubbings in any municipal cemetery or burial ground without first obtaining the written permission of the town selectmen or the mayor of a city or designee. Before granting such permission, the selectmen or mayor will ascertain to the best of their ability that the person making the request knows the proper precautions to be taken and the proper materials to be used for this activity. The town selectmen or city mayor or their designee shall notify the cemetery trustees of the request and its disposition. Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Effective: Aug. 7, 1994.
Note: One trick I use to read old inscriptions is to hold up a bright white piece of paper close to the stone, at an angle, to direct the sun onto the clean, wet surface. It creates a nice contrast across the etchings without damaging the gravestone.