Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA -- How to locate Records from Home or in Person

Researching for a tombstone at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA couldn't be easier, no matter if you do it from home or in person, even with 97,000 people buried there. The instructions on how to do it from home are after the first section of photos in which I show you how to do it in person.

A little bit about the cemetery, information from a flyer. "Today Mount Auburn's 175 acres are still recognized as one of the most significant designed landscapes in the country. The grounds are an internationally renowned arboretum and botanical garden, encompassing more than 9,400 trees and shrubs."

View of the Visitors Center from the main entrance. If you are looking for a site, this is where you would go first.

You enter the small room on the right.

Inside, there is one touch screen, with instructions. First thing you enter is the surname. All those with that name appear, and you select the given name. My example was Fairchild, then Joy (the father). My husband is holding the large map of the cemetery that was just printed out for me. On the lower left are the names of those buried in Lot 241.

Another detailed map shows the location where I need to search. Woodbine Path is in the upper middle, and with so many paths, I felt I needed the exact location, so we went to the office for help.

We were here on Saturday morning and was happy to find it open.

The helpful employee printed out a very detailed map with the exact location marked with the small green circle. In addition, she sent me a pdf to my email. This nice service had me wishing I had more family buried here.

My Rev. Joy H. Fairchild tombstone is shown above and since this is a hilly area, you need to walk, of course when my person was buried in 1859, that is what you had to do. Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to read the inscription. His family of 7 others were buried here, but this was the only marker. He was the father-in-law to Anthony Ten Eyck, I recently wrote about Anthony and his Hawaiian Connection, see HERE.

Huge tree greets you as you enter through the main gate.

Lovely stained glass photo taken from the restroom.

How to search from home

Below is the website to Mount Auburn along with their instructions.

http://mountauburn.org/2011/location-of-burial/
and additional information: http://mountauburn.org/2011/research-requests/

To start your search, you must complete both the name field and provide a range of dates for the burial in the form below.  Click the "Search" button, to see a list of all matching records from our database.  To see the burial location for anyone in the resulting list, simply click on the appropriate record and the location will appear on our map.

A Few Tips:
+  To narrow your search, please type in as much of the name as possible, for example "John James Smith" rather than just "J Smith."

+  Providing a range of dates for burial can either expand or narrow your search results.  If you are unsure when the burial might have taken place, you can always search our records from 1831 to the present.  If you know the approximate date of burial, limiting your search to a few years or even a decade will narrow the results.

+  If you are looking for all individuals buried at the Cemetery with a specific surname, simply type the last name into the form and search all records from 1831 to the present.

(Below is what I filled out at home.) The list of Fairchilds buried there are below.)

Search

Use this interactive search tool to locate a specific plot.

Between   Start Year  2014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900189918981897189618951894189318921891189018891888188718861885188418831882188118801879187818771876187518741873187218711870186918681867186618651864186318621861186018591858185718561855185418531852185118501849184818471846184518441843184218411840183918381837183618351834183318321831  and   End Year  2014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900189918981897189618951894189318921891189018891888188718861885188418831882188118801879187818771876187518741873187218711870186918681867186618651864186318621861186018591858185718561855185418531852185118501849184818471846184518441843184218411840183918381837183618351834183318321831

Search

• CARRIE FAIRCHILD
  Interred 7/29/1882
• FLORINA F. FAIRCHILD
  Interred 4/15/1853
• JOY H. FAIRCHILD
  Interred 2/24/1859
• LENNIE JOY FAIRCHILD
  Interred 11/16/1868
• MARY B. FAIRCHILD
  Interred 1/18/1864
• MARY JOY FAIRCHILD
  Interred 7/20/1843
• SENECA CREGEAN FAIRCHILD
  Interred 8/5/1863

UPDATE: JUNE 23, 2015: History of Mount Auburn Cemetery from Mass (Massachusetts) Moments

https://mountauburn.org/?cache Go to Explore Burial Search Tab: https://www.remembermyjourney.com/Search/Cemetery/325/Map

https://mountauburn.org/digitization-days-revealing-the-individuals-in-our-past/

Genealogical Research Requests

By HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS

 

October 12, 2011

Mount Auburn offers a range of research and genealogy services. Please choose from the services below:

• Verification of Burial and/or Cremation
• Location of Burial
• Copy of Cemetery Map
• Copy of Cemetery Lot Card
• Copy of Decedent Card
• Copy of Burial Records
• Digital Photograph of Lot, Monument, or Marker
• Search of Files for Related Information
• Search for and Copy Historic Images or Inscriptions of Lot, Monument, or Marker

 To request these services, please visit our web store, print out and mail a copy of our research request form, or contact our Historical Collections Department directly at research@mountauburn.org.

 For location of burials, please utilize our map feature by simply entering the surname of the deceased and the approximate dates of interment.

I finally saw The Westford Knight

Update: I finally saw The Westford Knight last year, and my photos are below, thanks to a post today by Dick Eastman about this. His post reminded me that I hadn't posted my photos yet. My original post on this was in November 2009.

PRINCE HENRY, FIRST SINCLAIR OF ORKNEY,

BORN IN SCOTLAND, MADE A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

TO NORTH AMERICA IN 1398. AFTER WINTERING

IN NOVA SCOTIA HE SAILED TO MASSACHUSETTS,

AND ON AN INLAND EXPEDITION IN 1399

TO PROSPECT HILL TO VIEW THE SURROUNDING

COUNTRYSIDE, ONE OF THE PARTY DIED. THE

PUNCH-HOLE ARMORIAL EFFIGY, WHICH ADORNS

THIS LEDGE IS A MEMORIAL TO THIS KNIGHT.

Now why haven't I seen The Westford Knight?  Dick Eastman posted an article about it yesterday (Nov. 2009) in his Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, full article for Plus subscribers, see:http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/11/-the-westford-knight-1.html  There have been many newspaper articles and blog postings about it.

On April 11, 2014, Dick Eastman wrote another piece about the Westford Knight. See: http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2014/04/knights-in-shining-armor-in-the-1300s-in-massachusetts.html

Per The Westford Museum, "According to one account the first Europeans to reach Westford were part of an expedition led by Prince Henry Sinclair, of Scotland. This voyage would have reached the New World in about 1400 A.D. The "Westford Knight" would then be a grave marker for one of the expedition who died near-by. The carvings can be seen as a picture of the Knight, complete with sword."

UPDATE: News article dated June 13, 2015 from the Lowell Sun.

UPDATE: On July 3, 2015, I returned to the site and took additional photos. There is now "a new glass covering for the carving, new landscaping, posts and a retaining wall, and a new lifesize bronze sculpture of the knight."

Anthony Ten Eyck and his Hawaiian Connection

Washington Place, taken by Cynthia Shenette, February 2014

Cynthia Shenette of Heritage Zen blog, asked if I had anything she wanted me to look up during her trip to Hawaii. After a few inquiries, I mentioned a request, and learned she would be in Honolulu and would indeed be visiting Washington Place, a Greek Revival palace a distant relative of mine, Anthony Ten Eyck named for George Washington. She took the above photo for me, and gave me some leads for information. I believe it was Heather Rojo, of the Nutfield Genealogy blog, who asked me many years ago, if I had Anthony Ten Eyck in my tree, because she had also gone to Washington Place and had seen his name. Commissioner Anthony Ten Eyck was my 5th cousin 4x removed. Because of the history, photo and my curiosity, I am posting this piece.

There is quite a bit of information on Washington Place, and below are parts of the official documentation about the naming of the Palace, thanks to Wikipedia, "One of the first boarders was Anthony Ten Eyck, an American Commissioner to the islands appointed by President James K. Polk who established the American Legation in the house. Ten Eyck named the house "Washington Place" in a February 22, 1848 letter, after George Washington in celebration of the first US president's birthday. King Kamehameha III officially approved the name." By the time this occurred, Anthony's wife had passed away in 1846. "It was where Queen Liliʻuokalani was arrested during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Later it became the official residence of the Governor of Hawaiʻi. It is a National Historic Landmark, designated in 2007. The current governor's residence was built in 2008 behind the historic residence, and is located on the same grounds as Washington Place." The placing of the House as a National Historic Landmark document is 8 pages long,  and below are pages 2 and 6 with mention to Anthony TenEyck.

 "It is to Commissioner TenEyck that Washington Place owes its name"

From various resources, I've been able to do a short timeline of Anthony's career.

26 Feb 1811 born in Watertown, New York, son of Egert Ten Eyck, a judge, and Rebecca Pearce

1835-1841 Lawyer, later Clerk of Michigan Supreme Court in Detroit, Michigan

1841-1843 U.S. Commissioner to Sandwich Islands, Hawaii

Secretary James Buchanan on March 28, 1845 appointed Anthony Ten Eyck commissioner to Hawaii. US Diplomatic Representatives to Hawaii Commissioners from 1845 - 1848

1 Jun 1861–23 Sep 1865 Major and Paymaster Vol. In 1865 was mustered out of volunteer service.

5 Oct 1867-- Died in Guilford, New Haven Co., Connecticut and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan.

Anthony and Harriet had two children, Egbert F. born about 1839 and Harriet Fairchild born about 1844. Information is nil on them. However, a reader and friend took photos of where his father and family were buried, photos were on my post almost two years ago.

I am missing quite a bit about this family, and I'm quite hesitant about posting this. But, perhaps by doing so, somebody will share the same line and maybe have more information, and hopefully share.

In April 2021, I discovered quite a bit of new information about Anthony, just by using google and a few search names.  Union College, where Anthony graduated in 1831 has a file on him, the papers have been digitized by the College and is in Union / Digital Works. This is an online repository, Courtesy of Special Collections, Schaffer Library, Union College. There are six downloadable pages. The copyright is not evaluated, I called four departments and was able to connect with anybody. I'm sharing one page 

 A short Descendant Report, beginning with his parents is below.

 

"Mourning Victory" for the Melvin Brothers in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, MA, Tombstone Tuesday

"Daniel Chester French was approached in 1897 to create a memorial monument for Asa, John and Samuel Melvin, three brothers who died in the Civil War. Their surviving brother, James C. Melvin, commissioned the memorial." The above statement and more about the memorial may be seen HERE.

Yesterday, my blog post had a photo of the Civil War Memorial in Concord, and I listed all the names on it. As I typed the four deceased men with the Melvin name, I suddenly remembered taking photos of the Melvin Memorial at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. My purpose for the cemetery trip was to find the burial place of Daniel Chester French. That post may be seen HERE*, and in addition, I knew that Mr. French also built this memorial. It was pure luck that I was able to park right in front of the above memorial.

Since I didn't go beyond the chained off area, I copied what was written from the above article.

"IN MEMORY OF THREE BROTHERS BORN IN CONCORD

WHO AS PRIVATE SOLDIERS GAVE THEIR 

LIVES IN THE WAR TO SAVE THE COUNTRY

THIS MEMORIAL IS PLACED HERE BY THEIR SURVIVING

BROTHER, HIMSELF A PRIVATE SOLDIER IN THE SAME WAR.

'I WITH UNCOVERED HEAD

SALUTE THE SACRED DEAD

WHO WENT AND WHO RETURN NOT.'"

* One of my top 10 favorite posts.

Recently, fellow blogger, Janice Webster Brown informed me that she had written a blog post several years ago, called, "Exeter, New Hampshire Sculptor: Daniel Chester French (1850-1931)." In her New Hampshire's History Blog, aka Cow Hampshire, she included quite a bit of information, including his lineage and sources. Thanks Janice for telling me this.

Concord, Massachusetts -- Civil War Memorial

The Civil War Memorial located on the Concord, Massachusetts green.

They Died for Their Country in the

War of The Rebellion

______________

Maj. Amiel W. Whipple

Capt. Daniel Foster

Chaplain James Means

Chaplain William C. Whitcomb

Thomas Carey

Capt. James E. McCafferty, Jr.

Martin Lynch

Paul C. Kittredge

Herman Flint

Charles Brigham

Edward C. Garrity

John McDonough

Charles A. Lawrence

James M. Billings

Charles H. Brown

Thomas McGuire

Lieut. Ezra Ripley

Col. George L. Prescott

Serg't Charles Appleton

Corp'l. William J. Damon

Francis Buttrick

Barney Clark

George B. Erskine

Jonas E. Melvin

James Thompson

Bertrand Burgess

Edwin C. Proctor

George J. Carr

Charles B. Hannaford

Alonzo Francis Munroe

Serg't Franklin M. Gregory

Corp'l Erastus H. Kingsbury

Oliver M. Richards

Charles W. Stuart

Michael Murray

Serg't Henry Carley Smith

Richard R. Clark

George Poland

Paul A. Dudley

Asa H. Melvin

John H. Melvin

Samuel Melvin

Charles Nealey

Thomas Doyle

Frederick J. Tarbell

Serg't James S. Fernald

Alden Buttrick

Corp'l Charles Hosmer Wright

The

Town of Concord

Builds This Monument

In Honor of

THE BRAVE MEN

Whose Names it Bears:

And Records

With Grateful Pride,

That They Found Here

Birthplace, Home or Grave.

1866.

Another view of the tall monument in the background. The one in front is the World War I memorial, see my post HERE.