43 Revolutionary War Soldiers and Widow Balch Buried in Bedford, MA -- Tombstone Tuesday

Before visiting the burial site of Elizabeth Fairfield, the 2nd wife of my ancestor Freeborn Balch, I did what I always do. I checked Google to see if anything was written up about the Old Burying Ground in Bedford, MA.

Wow, the small town has one of the best kept cemetery records I've ever seen. First, there is a typed listing of all those buried there, and second, there is a detailed map. How lucky could I get. All I had to do was walk through the entrance and go straight until I saw the last stone by the stone wall! Less than a minute was all it took. Fortunately, I looked around, as I often do, and saw a marker listing the 43 Revolutionary Soldiers also buried in this cemetery. The marker and the inscribed names are below.

The link for the individuals buried in the cemetery is at: http://www.bedfordma.gov/sites/bedfordma/files/file/file/old_burial_ground.pdf

The link for the corresponding map is at: http://www.bedfordma.gov/sites/bedfordma/files/file/file/old_bury_ground.pdf

Here Lyes Buried y^e Body of Mrs Elizabeth Balch

Wife to Mr. Freeborn

Balch of Beverly

Who Died January

31^st A.D. 1736/7 in y^e 71^st

Year of Her Age.

Headstone and footstone of Elizabeth Balch (above right).

Elizabeth is buried in the Old Burial Ground in Bedford, Massachusetts. She was the 2nd wife to my 7th great-grandfather.

OLD BURYING GROUND

FORTY THREE BEDFORD SOLDIERS OF THE

AMERICAN REVOLUTION

CAPT. MOSES ABBOTT	MR. SAMUEL LANE
MR. MOSES ABBOTT JUN’R	MR. SOLOMON LANE
MR. ABIJAH BACON	STEPHEN LANE
MR. ELIJAH BACON	MR. WILLIAM MAXWELL
JOHN BACON	CAMBRIDGE MOORE*
MR. OLIVER BACON	CAPT. JOHN MOORE
REUBEN BACON	MR. EBENEZER PAGE
THOMPSON BACON ESQ.	MR. NATHANIEL PAGE
LIEU. ELEAZAR DAVIS	MR. WILLIAM PAGE
MR. DAVID FITCH	MR. MATTHEW POLLARD
JEREMIAH FITCH JR.	OLIVER POLLARD JR.
MR. JOHN FITCH	CAESAR PRESCOTT*
DEA. MOSES FITCH	CAPT. DAVID REED
MR. JOSEPH HARTWELL	MR. OLIVER REED
CAESAR JONES*	OLIVER REED
TIMOTHY JONES ESQ.	CAPT. EDWARD STEARNS
MR. DAVID LANE	MR. SOLOMON STEARNS
MR. JAMES LANE 3RD	CAPTAIN JOHN WEBBER
JOB LANE	CAPT. JONATHAN WILLSON
MR. JOHN LANE JR.	DEA JAMES WRIGHT
MR. SAMUEL LANE	·       FORMER SLAVES

BEDFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY, MINUTEMEN, AND BEDFORD PUBLIC WORKS

MAY 31, 1999

On His Birthday, I remember John F. Kennedy

Earlier this month, I read that the memorial statue of John F. Kennedy would once again be open to the public. Apparently, it was off limits right after 9/11/01, but now it may be seen by all. Since I wasn't aware of the statue in the first place, I made it a priority to see  it quickly...before the tourists hit town. I was rather lucky, even though there were several school groups, I remained patient and they soon moved on.

I have since learned that the public will be able to view the statue of the former U.S. president seasonally, from April to October, starting at 9:30 a.m. and ending at 4:30 p.m., from Monday through Friday.

If you face the State House, the statue is to your left.

In the below photo, I was behind the statue facing the Boston Common.

The view of the Shaw Memorial and the Boston Common as I stood by the memorial.

My post, "The Patriot and the Sculpturer, Both are Well-known. One Didn't Come Back" is about the Shaw Memorial. Yesterday was the anniversary for Robert Gould Shaw and his troop. The memorial scene depicts the 54th Regiment marching down Beacon Street on May 28, 1863 as they left Boston to head south.

Senator from Massachusetts 1953 - 1960 (I'll go back for that photo.)

For more information about President Kennedy, please see HERE.

The Dudley Garden Memorial at Harvard College, Massachusetts

If I had stumbled upon a charming garden, located within the walls of Harvard College, I would have been thrilled. But because the garden memorial is named in honor of my 9th great-grandfather, Thomas Dudley, it is extra special. He is one of the few ancestors of mine who has a garden or park named after him. I found out about the garden last fall, and have patiently waited for a Boston area spring, so I could visit. The trip had to be before the ivy and shrubs took over the area, as it was, I couldn't read part of the inscription because of the ivy, but fortunately, I found an older readable photo online.

This garden is hidden, and the student who helped me locate it had no idea it was within the walls, right next to the well-visited Lamont Library. I found a long path through a woodsy area, a large open area for sitting on two huge circular cement benches, a sundial, flowers, and a grassy area. (Photos below.) I hope some of the Thomas Dudley descendants (quite a few of whom I know) will enjoy this piece. What an honor to have Thomas Dudley as an ancestor!

The inscription is below.

Thomas Dudley Governor of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay

Baptized October 12 1576 at Yardley Hastings England Married at Hardingstone England Dorothy Yorke Apr 25 1603 and at Roxbury Massachusetts Catherine Hagburne Widow April 14 1644 – Died at Roxbury July 31, 1653 In 1597 He received a Captain's Commission from Queen Elizabeth and was at the Siege of Amiens under Henry IV of France One of the Twelve signers of the Cambridge Agreement Aug 26 1629 Sailed from Southampton England in the Arbella March 22 1630 Chosen Deputy Governor of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay at a Court of Assistants on Board the “Arbella” March 23 1630 Arrived at Salem Massachusetts June 12 1630 A Founder and the First Householder of Cambridge 1631

Deputy Governor of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay 1630-34  1637-40   1646-50   1651-53 Governor of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay 1634-35   1645-46   1650-51 Assistant of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay Chosen one of the Standing Counsell for the Tearme of his Life May 25 1636 Appointed in 1637 by the General Court Held at Newtown One of twelve men to take order for a College at “Newetowne” Commissioner of the United Colonies 1647-48   1649-50 Appointed Sergeant Major General  The Military Forces of the Colony May 29 1644 Signed the Charter May 31 1650 of Harvard College Buried in the Old Cemetery at the corner of Eustuis and Washington Streets.

 

  

Lexington, Massachusetts -- One monument with 77 Names

After living in this town for 8 years and attending grades 4th through 11th, I thought I knew quite a bit about what was there to see. That was, until I toured the newly renovated Buckman Tavern two days after it opened this spring (2014). As I walked around the grounds, I noticed the back of a memorial, it was inscribed with names, and that was new to me, since I had always just looked at the front. (As a genealogist, it reminded me to always walk around four sides of a cemetery stone...you never know what could be written unless you look first.) I've incorporated photos taken just a year ago with some taken in early spring to show some popular sites on the green.

MEMORIAL

TO THE LEXINGTON MINUTE MEN WHO WERE

ON THE GREEN IN THE EARLY MORNING ENGAGEMENT

APRIL 19, 1775

John Parker	Joseph Simonds	Joel Viles	Ebenezer Parker
William Tidd	Daniel Harrington	Samuel Sanderson	William Diamond
Robert Munroe	William Munroe	John Munroe	Jonathan Harrington

Ebenezer Bowman	Jedediah Munroe
John Bridge Jr.	John Munroe Jr.
James Brown	Nathan Munroe
John Brown	William Munroe 3rd
Solomon Brown	Nathaniel Mulliken
John Chandler	Isaac Muzzy
John Chandler Jr.	John Muzzy
Joseph Comee	Jonas Parker
Robert Douglass	Jonas Parker Jr.
Isaac Durant	Nathaniel Parkhurst
Prince Estabrook	Solomon Pierce
Nathaniel Farmer	SGT. Francis Brown
Isaac Green	Joshua Reed
William Grimes	Joshua Reed Jr.
Caleb Harrington	Nathan Reed
John Harrington	John Robbins
Jonathan Harrington, Jr.	Phillip Russell
Moses Harrington 3rd	Benjamin Sampson
Moses Harrington Jr.	Joshua Simonds
Thaddeus Harrington	John Smith
Thomas Harrington	Phineas Smith
Isaac Hastings	Simeon Snow
Timothy Blodgett	Phineas Sterns
Samuel Hastings	Jonas Stone Jr.
Samuel Hadley	John Tidd
Thomas Hadley Jr.	Samuel Tidd
John Hosmer	Joseph Underwood
Micah Hagar	Benjamin Wellington
Amos Lock	Enoch Wellington
Benjamin Lock	John Winship
Reuben Lock	Thomas Winship
Ebenezer Lock	Sylvanus Wood
Abner Mead	James Wyman
Ebenezer Munroe Jr.	Nathaniel Wyman
Thaddeus Bowman Esq.

Boston Remembers The Nurses

Above photo taken Memorial Day, 2014 in the Boston Common.

 IN MEMORY

OF THE NURSES OF

THE ARMED SERVICES

MASSACHUSETTS

ALL NURSES

POST #298

AMERICAN LEGION

11 NOV. 1959

Photo taken in the Massachusetts State House.

TO THE ARMY NURSES

FROM 1861 TO 1865

ANGLES OF MERCY AND LIFE

AMID SCENES OF CONFLICT AND DEATH

A TRIBUTE OF HONOR AND GRATITUDE

FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT

DAUGHTERS OF VETERANS

1914

Phillips Brooks Memorial, North Andover, Massachusetts

Phillips Brooks

Memorial in North Andover, Massachusetts

Phillips Brooks

1835 -- 1893

Great Preacher

Citizen Patriot

To Commemorate the Nobility of the Man

The Richness of his Intellectual Gifts

And the Complete Consecration of His Life

To the Cause of Jesus Christ

This Monument is Erected by Men and Women

of Many Creeds

The North Parish of North Andover Church

(and below)

From the Andover Memorial Hall Library site on Historic Homes, I share this information on Rev. Samuel Phillips. "Rev. Samuel Phillips came to Andover in 1710 as the pastor of South Church, an office he held for 62 years. His son, the Honorable Samuel Phillips, went into trade and built the Phillips Brooks House near North Andover Center in 1752. It stands across the street from the Parson Barnard House, built in 1715, and the Old Burying Ground, one of the few intact 18th century cemeteries in New England. Part of the Anne and Simon Bradstreet home that burned in 1666 was built into the back of the Phillips Manse. The Rev. Phillips Brooks, who wrote the lyrics to "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

Mr. Brooks was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts. See HERE. I will visit the grave located on Mimosa Path, Lot 1288 on my next visit to the cemetery to take a photo. 

There Is A Lot to Like About Lowell -- Memorials around the City Hall

"There is A Lot to Like About Lowell" is the city slogan.

(See tab on right side called "Lowell Series" for many more articles about Lowell.)

Memorials around the City Hall

City Hall to the right. See below for inscription.

CITY OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS

NORTHERN CANAL RENEWAL AREA

ARCAND DRIVE

Dedicated on November 11 to the Memory of

PFC. Donald Leonard Arcand

Born in Lowell, February 13, 1946

Killed in Action, Vietnam, September 1, 1965

City Manager  Charles A. Callagher

Mayer  Robert C. Maquire

Commissioner of Public Works  George P. Legrand, JR.

Councillors:

John E. Cox

Thomas L. Crowley

Edward J. Early

Raymond J. Gilbridge

Richard P. Howe

Armand W. Lemay

Samuel S. Pollard

Ellen A. Sampson

Dedicated to the Early

Greek Immigrants by Their

Grateful Progeny

1983

AI_NIA   AYT_N   H  MNHMH
(Memory Eternal)

DEDICATED

IN HONOR OF

THE POLISH

AMERICANS OF

LOWELL

MAY 3, 1977

CZESC POLONII

DEDICATED TO THE

IRISH-AMERICANS

OF LOWELL

1822  --  1977

IN MEMORY OF

1915  --  1923

THE VICTIMS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

A MOTHER'S HANDS

Knot by knot, her hands weave the history of her people.

The delicacy of the crochet integrated into this cross stone

is symbolic of the beauty and strength of the Armenian heritage.

This ancient culture lives forever, just as the imprint of

the first genocide of the 20th century

lives in the collective memory of the Armenians.

The blooming cross stone is the permanent reminder that

the massacre of more than 1.5 million Armenians

within the Ottoman Empire will never be forgotten

that in spite of the pain and horror of the genocide,

knot by knot, the Armenian People everywhere

weave their hopes and dreams, as they bloom and prosper.

IN HONOR OF THE

HERITAGE AND

CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE

PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY TO

THE CITY OF LOWELL

JUNE 10, 2009

IN HONOR OF THE FRANCO - AMERICANS

OF LOWELL, MASS

JUNE 24, 1974

IN HONOR OF THE FRANCO - AMERICANS

OF LOWELL, MASS

JUNE 24, 1974

I am so proud that Lowell recognizes the various ethnic groups in this city. The ones represented above came to the city many years ago, but there are others who have come more recently, came for a better life. They left war and poverty of their home land, and are very peaceful.

A quick look at the Wikipedia report on Lowell, provided the following statistics about the nationalities of the citizens here. "According to the 2010 Census, there were 106,519 people residing in the city. The population density was 7,842.1 people per square mile (2,948.8/km²). There were 41,431 housing units at an average density of 2,865.5 per square mile (1,106.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.3% White, 20.2% Asian American (12.5% Cambodian, 2.0% Indian, 1.7% Vietnamese, 1.4% Laotian, 0.6% Chinese, 0.2% Filipino, 0.1% Korean, 0.1% Thai, 0.1% Burmese), 6.8%African American, 0.3% Native American, 8.8% from other races, 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.3% of the population (11.3% of the population is Puerto Rican, 1.9% Dominican, 1.5% Colombian, 0.5% Mexican, 0.2% Salvadoran, 0.2% Guatemalan). Non-Hispanic Whiteswere 52.8% of the population in 2010, compared to 92.5% in 1980.^[29]

In 2010, Lowell had the highest proportion of residents of Cambodian origin of any place in the United States, at 12.5% of the population. Estimates of the total number of Cambodians living in the city of Lowell range from 11,000 to 25,000-35,000. The Government of Cambodia had opened up its third U.S.Consular Office in Lowell, on April 27, 2009, with Sovann Ou as current advisor to the Cambodian Embassy. The other two are in Long Beach and Seattle,Washington, which also have a large community."

This is a city of many restaurants, each nationality seems to have several. Just today, we ate at a Greek restaurant, established 63 years ago, and it was packed. Olympia, a good solid Greek name.

Do we get along, I think so, do we all understand each other, I doubt it. My hairdresser of 10 years came from Vietnam 20 years ago, not speaking a word of English. We have some funny conversations, but I wouldn't change her for the world.