Stearns-Cummings House
New Ipswich Historical Society
Stearns-Cummings House
#94 on the Center Village Historic District Registry:
The builder of this house is not known, but Dr. Moors Farwell, who also lived in the Abel Shattuck House (#90) and the Farwell-Spaulding House (#92), is the first known occupant, followed by Richard Wheeler (d. 1832), Levi Ward (d. 1836), and Job Davis (c. 1776-1850), who first married Mary Stearns, in 1805, and, after her death, her sister, Sarah. In 1858 Jesse Stearns (1784-1866), a brother of Mary and Sarah, and a teacher, surveyor and formerly a farmer near Gibson's Four Corners, was living here. Two of his sons became ministers, and three of his daughters married ministers. One of them, Abigail Stearns Cummings (1822-1895), a Mt. Holyoke graduate, and her husband, Rev. Seneca Cummings, became missionaries in China. They returned to America and, after her husband's death, Abigail remained here until her death. Their son, John W. Cummings, used the house as a summer residence in the early 20th century. In 1917, the house was purchased by Miss Mary Hopkins, a buyer for Jordan Marsh & Co. in Boston, who used it as a summer residence.
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Thursday, June 23, at 6:30 p.m. at New Ipswich Library: How to Clean A Gravestone
Have you ever wondered how to clean an ancestor’s or family member’s headstone without damaging it? Or perhaps, you’ve seen a blackened or lichen-laced stone in a local cemetery and thought of volunteering to clean it. If so, you are welcome to attend this free public program in-person or via Zoom*) sponsored by the New Ipswich Historical Society. Kim Black will explain the proper methods for cleaning gravestones and the protocol for seeking permission to clean those belonging to non-family members. The presentation will include recent photographs of Carl Toko’s and Kim’s work on historic grave markers in New Ipswich’s oldest public cemetery on Porter Hill.
Zoom Meeting Information for June 23 @ 6:30 PM
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Meeting ID: 872 0919 2625
Passcode: 380756
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Before Photo
After
Saturday, June 25, at 9:00 a.m. at Central Cemetery in New Ipswich: How to Clean a Gravestone: A Hands-On Workshop
Join Kim Black and Carl Toko for a hands-on workshop in Central Cemetery, where they will clean the headstones in the Stearns’ family plot. Jesse Stearns and Lucinda Davis were the first of the Stearns family to live in New Ipswich during the late 1700s into the mid-1800s. Of the ten family gravestones being cleaned, the first burial occurred in 1850, with the last known burial in 1915. Additional names on one of the monuments are currently illegible. After the cleaning, who knows whether we may learn something new and exciting to add to the researched information? Additional information about those buried in the Stearns’ family plot is posted on the New Ipswich Historical Society website.
Meet Kim and Carl at the front gate of Central Cemetery at 9:00 a.m. Parking is available on the street adjacent to the cemetery. Appropriate clothing and footwear as well as bug spray are highly recommended.
On this day - June 16, 1908
James Roger diary entry
16th (Tuesday)
Rain commenced about 40 am and stopped in forenoon making everything look fresh and clean from dust. David went to Club House and finished the painting &c. Daniel and him went an auction in Rindge. David bought 3 pictures and a fretwork book case besides some small articles. I cleaned brooders and put up some perches for chickens. Got PC from Hamish all well. The children are enjoying themselves running around.
On this day - June 16, 1897
William Jurian Kaula diary - no entry
See That My Grave's Kept Clean
Well, there's one kind-a favor I'll ask of you
Well, there's one kind-a favor I'll ask of you
There's just one kind favor I'll ask of you
You can see that my grave is kept cleanAnd there's two white horses following me
And there's two white horses following me
I got two white horses following me
Waiting on my burying groundDid you ever hear that coughin' sound?
Did you ever hear that coughin' sound?
Did you ever hear that coughin' sound?
Means another poor boy is undergroundDid you ever hear them church bells tone?
Have you ever hear that church bells tone?
Did you ever hear them church bells tone?
Means another poor boy is dead and goneAnd my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
Now I believe what the Bible toldThere's just one last favor I'll ask of you
And there's one last favor I'll ask of you
There's just one last favor I'll ask of you
See that my grave is kept cleanSong by Blind Lemon Jefferson