John Houghton and Mary Farrar of Lancaster, Massachusetts -- Tombstone Tuesday

Here Lies Buried

y^e Body of 

John Houghton,

Esquir, As You

Are So Ware We. 

As We Are So

you Will be. 

Who Died February y^e 

3d Anno Domini

1736/7 and

in y^e 87^th

Year of his Age.

John Houghton and his wife, Mary Farrar were my 8th great-grandparents.

They were buried in the Old Common Burial Ground, Lancaster, Massachusetts. 

Here Lies Buried

y^e Body of 

Mrs. Mary Houghton y^e

Wife of John

Houghton Esq'r.

Who Died Apriel

y^e 7^th Ano DM, 1724,

& In y^e 76 Year of Her Age.

Photos were taken in April 2012. During a second trip, I noticed a new large stone with the cemetery name.

Claypit Cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts (See the Changes)

 

Claypit Cemetery

810 Varnum Ave, Lowell, MA 01854

I always knew there was a cemetery in this area, but never saw it until October 4, 2020. The parking lot used to be the land for the outdoor Lowell Drive-In. I went there many years from the '60s to many years later, it was a popular theater and we all knew about the cemetery. It is located on the right side of the cream-colored Marshalls store (below). I went back to the cemetery on December 27, 2023, and what a surprise!

The one above and many below photos were taken on October 4, 2020. As you can see, painting for parking has not been done for the new Market Basket or Marshalls. Market Basket which opened on Friday, October 9, 2020.  Below there are two marked parking spaces for the cemetery.

The last time I saw the cemetery was on October 4, 2020, so I decided to walk around it on December 27, 2023. I was quite surprised to see a fence surrounding it.

I was curious, so I walked to the fence and opened the gate.

The first thing I saw were the holes! But where are the cemetery stones? I saw about 12 orange flag markers. I didn't walk around because of the stability of the ground. I never heard or read anything about this in the news, so clearly this was a surprise.

Taken January 19, 2024

Three websites with information about the cemetery. The first is an article from The Lowell Sun newspaper. The last two are from the Findagrave site which provided information about those buried there.

https://www.lowellsun.com/2019/10/08/the-debate-over-clay-pit-cemetery/

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2222807/memorial-search?page=1#sr-32949082

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24824297/amanda-coburn

Copps Hill Burying Ground, Boston, Massachusetts -- 4th Visit and Boy Did I Get Help

These three happy helpful men were on their lunch break and took me over to what I was looking for. This was their 2nd or 3rd year of doing cemetery repair work at this historic cemetery. My previous posts about my search and what I was looking for may be found at the link below.

They brought me to the white stick and explained they moved No. 414 a few inches from No. 413. Previously, they were almost back-to-back against each other.

My Number 414 had a stick in front of it, and the tombstone faced the opposite side. unlike most of the others.

You can only see the writing if the lighting is good.

Thomas Rand son of Robert & Elizabeth Rand, aged 15 weeks, Died on 18 Sep. 1711.

To Copp's Hill Burying Ground / Cemetery, Boston and the 3rd Time is Not a Charm  (There are maps, more photos, and information about this cemetery.)

When I walked along the path to the right, to get to where I thought my stone was, this is what I saw. If I had come before or after lunch, it probably would have been closed because of their job. When I took this photo I was almost on my stomach. It is a very small.

When I left, I took a parting shot of the three men. The photo below was just eight months before.

My September 2022 photo shows how crooked many of the stones were on this path.

A perfect day to check out the broken stones and those that have been repaired.

The cemetery is on the left and the Old North Church is straight ahead.

Charter Street Cemetery Welcome Center, Salem, Massachusetts--See The New Database

 

On a very quiet April day in 2023, I was in Salem and decided to visit the new Charter Street Welcome Center that opened in June 2021. It was a smart move because I didn't need an appointment and I had a good amount of time to talk to the employee with the computer in the center. He also put a few of my ancestor's names into the database and they were on the list (see below). There are two rooms to view in the Samuel Pickman House, a mariner who acquired land to build his house in 1657. There is a gift shop and a museum. The Welcome Center photos are below.

51 Charter Street, Salem Ma. 01951 Charter Street, Salem Ma. 01970 | info@charterstreetcemetery.com70 | info@charterstreetcemetery.com

Charter Street Cemetery Stone Database at: https://www.charterstreetcemetery.com/accessioning

The database can be used at home, however, I was surprised that I had to scroll line by line to find who I was looking for. It isn't set up to just type in a name, hit search and there you are. I found five names, all of whom I already knew and had taken their photos many years ago.

Simon Bradstreet            03/27/1697

Steven Daniels                02/14/1687

John Marston                  19/12/1681

Miles Ward                      29/08/1764

Sarah Massey Ward          20/11/1728

Salem Witch Trials Memorial with a marker below of John Proctor, hanged August 19, 1692.

My Simon Bradstreet tombstone.

My husband and I visited the cemetery in April 2019. From these photos, you can see that a lot of tree-cutting and repairs have been done. The Welcome Center hadn't opened yet.