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Archiver > MAWORCES > 2003-11 > 1069614922


From: "Bluecelt" <>
Subject: Re: [MAWORCES] Worcester Common Burial Ground
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 14:15:36 -0500
References: <20031123.121442.-456613.3.llepore2@juno.com>


At least one and possibly all of the gravestones have been exhumed and can
be viewed at: http://www.davidrumsey.com/farber/
The gravestone of my seventh great-grandfather, Jonas Rice, was exhumed from
the Worcester Common by two men named Farber and Bouley in 1966 and now
resides at the Worcester Historical Society and a copy is displayed on the
Common. They possibly exhumed many or all of the gravestones at that time
but I am not sure. Farber and his wife photographed many of the gravestones
of New England and there is a fair chance that many were from that Common
Cemetery as they lived in Worcester. The gravestone of Jonas Rice is of
slate and seems to be well preserved, possibly better than if it had been
upright and unburied as vandals and the elements might have done
considerable damage. He was the first permanent resident of the city of
Worcester and they may have picked his gravestone to be exhumed first, as
there is an index to where the gravestones were before being buried, but I
wouldn't think that they would have stopped after exhuming just one
gravestone.

........ Bill (bluecelt)


----- Original Message -----
From: "lisa lepore" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2003 2:42 AM
Subject: Re: [MAWORCES] Worcester Common Burial Ground


> Page -
>
> That's a great idea. I don't have any ancestors buried in this
> cemetery, but maybe some who do could get their local genealogy
> society interested in approaching a university. Actually, Massachusetts
> has a State Archaeologist -
>
> Massachusetts Historical Commission
> 220 Morrissey Blvd.,
> Boston, MA 02125.
> Telephone 617-727-8470.
> Web: http://www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc/mhcidx.htm
> MHC emaill:
> State Archaeologist:
>
> Maybe they could answer whether the stones could have survived
> underground that way.
>
> Lisa
>

----- Original Message -----
From: "lisa lepore" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2003 2:42 AM
Subject: Re: [MAWORCES] Worcester Common Burial Ground


> Page -
>
> That's a great idea. I don't have any ancestors buried in this
> cemetery, but maybe some who do could get their local genealogy
> society interested in approaching a university. Actually, Massachusetts
> has a State Archaeologist -
>
> Massachusetts Historical Commission
> 220 Morrissey Blvd.,
> Boston, MA 02125.
> Telephone 617-727-8470.
> Web: http://www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc/mhcidx.htm
> MHC emaill:
> State Archaeologist:
>
> Maybe they could answer whether the stones could have survived
> underground that way.
>
> Lisa
>
>
>
> On Sat, 22 Nov 2003 07:29:29 -0800 (PST) Page <>
> writes:
> > You might interest a university Anthropology department in a
> > historical archeology project - just in uncovering the stones,
> > maybe. I wonder if the rubbings are still available?
>
> > Page in Kansas
> >
>
> > lisa lepore <> wrote:I doubt very much that the
> > city of Worcester would undertake
> > such a project. Some organization with clout and deep pockets
> > would be required to try to do this. Then you would have the future
> > maintenance to consider. If the cemetery was neglected and in
> > such disrepair in 1854, there probably isn't much left to recover
> > by now - although I suppose it depends on what the stones were
> > made of.
> >
> > Interesting subject - I never heard of the before.
> >
> > Lisa
> >
> >
> > On Fri, 21 Nov 2003 09:26:02 -0600 "Deborah Campbell"
> > writes:
> > >
> > > This may be a silly question, but why can't the stones be set
> > > upright again?
> > > I have often wondered about not just this burial ground, but
> > others
> > > as well.
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Jim Halpin [mailto:]
> > > Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 9:08 AM
> > > To:
> > > Subject: Re: [MAWORCES] Worcester Common Burial Ground
> > >
> > >
> > > From the Worcester Parks dept web site....
> > >
> > > http://www.ci.worcester.ma.us/wpr/parks/common/history.htm
> > >
> > > "In 1730 about an acre of land on the easterly end of the
> > > Common was set apart for a burying ground and as such was
> > > the principal cemetery of Worcester until 1795. The lot,
> > > enclosed by a stone wall, extended to a point near the
> > > present Soldier's Monument, then to about where the
> > > Timothy Bigelow Monument stands.
> > >
> > > For some reason it was not square but more like a keystone
> > > in shape. As a result of the neglect, the burial ground
> > > gradually became an eyesore and in 1854, the city had a
> > > plan made of the graves and the inscriptions copied from
> > > the headstones. The headstones were then laid flat on the
> > > graves and the whole plot covered with a foot of earth and
> > > leveled off."
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Fri, 21 Nov 2003 08:09:51 -0600 (CST)
> > > (Marcia Payne) wrote:
> > > >
> > > >I just read a paragraph in a book and I'd like to know
> > > >the reason for
> > > >doing this.
> > > >
> > > >Ths is what was said:
> > > >
> > > >"In 1853, the city council (of Worcester) voted that the
> > > >stones in this
> > > >ancient burying place should be laid flat, their
> > > >inscriptions carefully
> > > >copied, and then covered with earth. The grave markers of
> > > >more than 300
> > > >early settlers are now lost from sight."
> > > >
> > > >Does anyone have an explanation for this? Seems awfully
> > > >strange.
> > > >
>
>
>
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