Is This About Six Deaths of the Children, My New Relatives OR Research Problems -- Tombstone Tuesday

In the ideal world of tombstone hunting in an old cemetery, I should do a thorough research a head of time on who I was looking for and have an idea who else is buried there as well. However, in this case, I came across the cemetery stone by accident and didn't know the 6 Childs children were related to me. All 6 died within weeks of each other, so I wanted to post the tombstone because it's an interesting stone and sad because of all the deaths. Their stone photos were taken in two different years, in three visits. (Photos below with transcription.)

When I began this post last year, I thought some of the photos of other grave stones could be related to the children and later discovered two to be their parents. It seemed that each subsequent trip provided another family member to them and to me.

Without a doubt, I've lost a lot of time making these trips, when two visits should have been enough. Even if I didn't know who they were, the above Childs and Cutlers were buried in the same area, and that was a clue. I now need to return for a fourth trip because I see that the children's great-grandmother, Abigail Dewey Cutler is also buried there.  Much time could have been saved, if I had used FindAGrave for the Childs children first and looked at all the family members. (On the link above, you'll see that at one time, the long tombstone was almost flat on the ground.)

The six children of Abijah Childs and Sarah Cutler were buried in this plot located in Y^e Old Burying Ground in Lexington, Massachusetts. They died within a three week period between August 19 and September 6, 1778. The parents were buried behind them under the two tall cemetery markers, seen in above photo and below), photos taken Oct. 17, 2015. (Photo too dark, so I returned last week for a better picture. Summer photo too light.)

Abijah Childs and Sarah Cutler above and below.

They are my 2nd cousins, 7 times removed. Photos taken Aug. 22, 2015.

In memory of
Mr. Abijah Childs
who died
Aug. 30
1808
Age 70

His wife is below.

SACRED 
to the memory
of
MRS. SARAH CHILDS
wife of
Mr. Abijah Childs,
who died
March 3, 1812
Age 78.

A return trip to the cemetery on October 9, 2016 was necessary because I used FindAGrave again and discovered the children's grandparents were two stones from them. (Photo above and below.)

Benjamin Cutler and his wife Mary Hartwell are  the grandparents to the Childs children, and My 1 cousin 8 times removed.

Memento mori

Here lies the
Body of Mr.
Benjamin Cutler
who departed this
Life Novr. 3d. 1776.
Aged 79 years
3 months and
29 days

Here lies the
Body of Mrs. Mary
Cutler, wife of Mr.
Benjamin Cutler
she departed this
Life Novr. 6th

Aged 75 years 9 
months and 21 days

For more information about this cemetery, please see my post HERE called,  How to Find a Tombstone in the Old Cemetery in Lexington, MA

Children listed on the above stone.

My third cousins 6 times removed.

Sarah Childs

Died

August 28^th

1778

Aged 13 Years

^{8 months}

^{and 11 days.}

^--- 

^{Eunice Childs}

Died

August 23^rd

1778 

Aged 12 years

3 months

and 8 Days

---

Abijah Childs

Died

Sep^t 6^th

1778

Aged 11 years

And 37

Days.

---

Abigail Childs

Died

August 29^th

1778

Aged 7 years

7 months

and 11 Days.

--- 

Benj^m Childs

Died

August 24^th

1778

Aged 4 years

9 months and

8 Days.

--- 

Moses Childs

Died

August 19^th

1778

Aged 3 years

Wanting

8 Days.

This Monument is Erected to the Memory of 6 Children

of M^r Abijah Childs and M^rs Sarah his wife.


Foot stone listing the six Childs children.