00_1885 Scrapbook of Newspaper Clippings Vo 2, 2005.120.002

This page is not transcribed, please help transcribe this page

18

Noted Graves.

[illustration of William Lloyd Garrison's tombstone, inscribed with his name and the name of Helen Eliza Garrison. Years of birth and death] WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON'S RESTING PLACE, FOREST HILLS.

William Lloyd Garrison. The stone and surroundings are typical of the plain, sterling nature of the great liberator, who covered his name with imperishable honor as a philanthropist. The grave will be visited with feelings of grateful veneration by thousands yet unborn.

Rear Admiral John Ancrum Winslow, whose capture of the rebel pirate Alabama sent such a thrill through every loyal heart, lies in a lot on Orange path, in the southerly part of Forest Hills, some 700 feet from the large lake. His monument is a boulder seven feet in height, brought from the New Hampshire mountain after which his noble ship, the Kearsarge,

[illustration of one lone tombstone, separated from clusters of others. There are trees interspersed and a building in the right background] MOLL PITCHER'S NEGLECTED GRAVE, LYNN. (The body rests at the right of a small tree in the foreground.)

was named. Japanese woodbine clusters thickly over it, and a large tablet inserted on one side tells its story:

Rear Admiral JOHN ANCRUM WINSLOW, U.S. Navy. Born in Wilmington, N.C., Nov. 19, 1811. Died in Boston, Mass., Sept. 29, 1873. He conducted the memorable sea fight in command of U.S S. Kearsarge when she sunk the Alabama in the Eng. Channel. June 19, 1864. — This boulder from Kearsarge mountain, Merrimack county, N.H., is the gift of citizens of Warner, N.H., and is erected to his memory by his wife and surviving children.

Gen. William Schouler, whose services as adjutant-general of Massachusetts during the civil war were as valuable as those of many generals in the field, and who is also the historian of his state; Edwin L. Davenport, the genial actor, and many others deserving tributes of love and respect, are also buried at Forest Hills. John A. Andrew, greatest of the war governors, is buried in Hingham, in the village cemetery, along the edge of which the Old Colony railroad runs, and the lot is but a short walk from the station of that road. The Andrew monument is a fine statue of the statesman, representing him standing in an easy attitude upon a massive pedestal. The entire monument is of white marble, and is the work of Thomas R. Gould, who executed it in 1875 at Florence. It stands on a knoll approached by steps, and so situated that a satisfactory view at an easy distance is difficult. The word "Andrew" is the only one which bears reference to the dust which sleeps near by.

Webster is at Marshfield, the Adamses at Quincy, John Harvard, founder of the college, and Thomas Beecher, progenitor of a famous race, [lle?] in the old Charlestown burying ground on Phipps street. The great expounders of Puritanic theology, Increase, Cotton and Samuel Mather, are in Copp's Hill, at he North end. John Winthrop and his distinguished brothers are in King's chapel. John Eliot, who wrote the Indian Bible, sleeps in the Roxbury burying ground on Washington street. Many others are almost equal celebrity lie in the ancient burial places on the city.

One of the most famous of our great men, a man who has been gone from us but a little while, lies in the old village cemetery at Milton, a mile or two beyond the Boston limits.

We shall have to take a horse or steam car o Milton Centre and there procure a carriage to complete the journey. Entering the cemetery at the west gate, we will follow Willow avenue through the hollow and up the hill to Sorrel path, though, as no signs are to be seen, we may have difficulty in finding the spot. Here lies Wendell Phillips, the silver-tounged orator, who threw the weight of his social position, [w?]hich birth and matchless talents into the cause which sought justice for the black man. Neither the great agitator nor his wife, who sleeps beside him, nor indeed the lot itself, has any monument, stone or inscription whatever, except the step at the entrance, which bears the words "Phillips" and "Greene" and the number 349. Flowers will be strewn here on Memorial day, but for his services to Ireland, not America. The land leaguers attended to the matter last year and will again. When Phillips died his body was placed in the family tomb in the Old Granary but at his wife's death both were brought here. The lot is owned by Mrs. George Greene, a sister-in-law. It cannot be that this noble soul, whose voice so often roused his countrymen to a sense of their duty and their peril, will be suffered to remain permanently without a monument from the people to whom he devoted his life.

In the Western burial ground at Lynn is the unmarked grave of Mary, better known as Moll, Pitcher, who, for a quarter of a century previous to 1813, was celebrated, not only throughout America, but over the entire world for her reputed skills as a fortune teller, Mary Dimond, for that was her maiden name, was born in Marblehead in 1738, and was connected with some of the best families in Essex county. She died in Lynn in 1819. Historians pronounce her as "one of the most wonderful women of any age." and had she lived in the days of the alleged witchcraft would doubtless have been among the first to suffer. She made no claim to anything supernatural, and she was a woman possessing in a remarkable degree keen perception and shrewd judgment. She was one of the best educated women of her time, and was benevolent in her disposition.

[illustration of Paul Revere's monument in front of the Old Granary building] THE MONUMENT TO PAUL REVERE, OLD GRANARY BURYING GROUND.

Paul Revere, who hung out his lantern "for a signal light" in the belfry of the Old North Church, and rode to Concord, crying to the country folk to up and arm against the British oppressors; but how many readers of the HERALD have seen his grave? We will go back to Boston and enter the

Old Granary Burying Ground on Tremont street, adjoining Park Street

[illustration of Joseph Warren's grave, inscribed with multiple names] THE BURIAL PLACE OF JOSEPH WARREN, FOREST HILLS.

Church. The gate is kept locked, but we have a magic key. Leaving the street border, where bright beds of flowers are blooming, we see that all the rest looks ancient and time-worn. About 40 feet from the rear and nearly opposite the front entrance is a monument of gray sandstone, not over four feet in height, bering the inscription:

PAUL REVERE, Born in Boston, January, 1784; Died May 4, 1818.

In the southwesterly corner of the Old Granary is the substantial brown stone vault of him who gave to Boston its free market and its most famous hall. The vault has an iron plate at the end, which was probably removed for interments. On the stone cover are these words:

PETER FANEUIL, March 3, 1743. JONES. FETTS. DAVENPORT.

The four families evidently used the burial place in common. Let good old Peter Faneuil, in whose hall so many noble sentiments have been uttered, have a green wreath above his head when the decorations are being distributed.

At Forest Hills, in the Jamaica Plain district of Boston, on Mt. Warren avenue, rests Joseph Warren. He was first buried in Charlestown, but afterward removed to the Minot tomb in the Old Granary. After that the remains were taken up and placed in an urn under St. Paul's Church on Tremont street, and finally removed, about 30 years

[illustration of John A. Andrews grave with a small flag and near a statue] JOHN A. ANDREW'S GRAVE AND A STATUE OF HINGHAM.

19

The rear windows of many houses and stores look on this stone. Ten feet away is a black piece of flat stone, not larger than a boy's slate, which is marked "Revere's Tomb." The yound coppersmith who rode himself into unexpected fame sleeps well after life's fitful fever in this sacred place.

What name calls up more patriotic thoughts than that of John Hancock? The writer of that bold signature to the Declaration of In-

[illustration of Wendell Phillip's grave marker inscribed with Phillips and Greene] THE UNADORNED GRAVE OF WENDELL PHILLIPS, MILTON. (The remains of the Great Order he just at the right of the entrance to the lot.)

dependence, the uncompromising leader of the Revolution, the statesman and orator, where does he lie? "Somewhere," says the historian, "between the grave of his servant Frank and the Park street edifice." Less than a hundred years ago a weeping nation laid his form to rest here, and now we know it is "somewhere" in a certian part of the ground. We find a stone marked "Frank, servant to John Hancock, who died 23d January." The year is not decipherable. It is one of the ironies of mortality that we can identify the bones of the humble servant and not those of his great master. A piece of stone marked "Tomb of Hancock," apparently the broken remnant of a large slab, leans against the wall near by.

ago to their present location. When the urn was opened, upon leaving St. Paul's, those present saw the bullet hole in the skull, which cut short the promising career of one of the most dauntless spirits of the revolutionary era. The grave is on one of the highest points in the cemetery. By its side rises a mound, which at first sight seems to be built of common field stones cemented together, but which, on closer inspection, is shown to

be a natural boulder of Roxbury puddingstone. A slab which leans against it is inscribed: "Maj.-Gen. Joseph Warren, slain at Bunker Hill June 17, 1775." Other slabs bear reference to other members of the Warren family, buried, like him, along the base of the rock. A drooping beech of a not commong variety keeps watch over the gallant dust. Veterans, when you honor your later heroes, do not forget to leave a sprig of rosemary on Warren's grave.

On Smilax path, leading from Spruce avenue, and west of the soldiers' lot, is a plain, square monument of North river flagging, and beneath it lies

ANSWERS — 3020. Four, and only four, of the Revolutionary soldiers who took part in the battle of Bunker Hill June 17, 1775, were present at the laying of the cornerstone of Bunker Hill Monument June 17, 1825, and also at the celebration of the completion of the monument June 17, 1843.

They were Philip Bagley of Newburyport, Mass., private Frye's Massachusetts regiment, died Newburyport April 23, 1844, age eighty-nine; Josiah Cleveland (Cleaveland) of Owego (Tioga County), N.Y., as stated on his monument (not of "Oswego," N.Y., as stated under this number June 18, 1910, and previously, for that city is in Oswego County, and "Captain Josiah Cleaveland ...now resides in Tioga County, New York"—Boston Courier, June 19, 1843), private Putnam's Connecticut regiment, died Charlestown, Mass., June 30, 1843, age eighty-nine; Enos Reynolds of Boxford, Mass., private Stark's New Hampshire regiment, died Boxford Aug. 11, 1845, age eighty-nine; and Jesse Smith of Salem, Mass., private Nixon's Massachusetts regiment, died Salem June 4, 1844, age eightyeight. Their graves should be specially decorated each year, on the 17th of June, by the local members of the Revolutionary patriotic societies.

Josiah Cleaveland was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Mass. His monument is on lot 4143, Lime avenue, owned by the heirs of Calvin Wadham. The inscription is as follows:

To the memory of CAPT. JOSIAH CLEAVELAND, Of Owego, N.Y. This tablet is erected by those among whom he departed this life, and who felt respect for his private virtues, and gratitude for his public services. — He was born at Canterbury, Con., Dec. 3, 1753. He died at Charlestown, Mass., June 30, 1843. — He was an Officer of the Army of Freedom. He served his country bravely and faithfully through the whole War of the Revolution. He fought her Battles At Bunker Hill, Harlaem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth and Yorktown. He sustained an unblemished reputation and lived in the practice of every Christian virtue. He loved, feared, and served God. In the ninetieth year of his age, he journied nearly five hundred miles from his home, to be present at the celebration of the completion of the Monument on Bunker Hill. He lived to witness the memorable spectacle. He was satisfied. He laid down quietly and yielded up his breath near the scene of his first conflict with the enemies of his Country. — He came among strangers. He died among friends.

Will some reader of Newburyport send a copy of the inscription on the gravestone of Philp Bagley; and at Salem a copy of the inscription on that of Jesse Smith, in Harmony Grove Cemetery in that city? It is hoped that the Sons of the American Revolution will soon place a stone at the now unmarked grave of Enos Reynolds, at Boxford.

The extracts from Temple's "History of Framingham, Mass.," and from the Salem Gazette as to Needham Maynard, one of the fifteen survivors of the battle, present at the dedication of Bunker Hill Monument, June 17, 1843, printed under this number, June 18, 1910, should have stated that he died in Waterloo, not Watertown, N.Y. J.F. —

20

BEAUTIFUL_{(Boston) Sunday Herald}FOREST_{L.B. Porter} HILLS BOSTON. SUNDAY. JULY 19. 1896 ---

[illustration of entrance with Gothic architecture. A lampost on the corner near a tree] MAIN ENTRANCE AND SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE, FOREST HILLS AVENUE.

[illustration of a small lodge with brickwork] BEECH AVENUE LODGE, FOREST HILLS CEMETERY.

[illustration of a tower emerging from trees on a small hill. Lower left corner is signed "Smith"] THE TOWER.

[illustration of a chapel in style of Gothic architecture] CHAPEL, FOREST HILLS CEMETERY.

21

[image of Lake Hibiscus surrounded by trees with tome of Major Thomas H. Chadwick] LAKE HIBISCUS, WITH TOMB OF MAJ. JOSEPH H. CHADWICK.

[image of receiving tomb with a fountain in front and trees in the background] RECEIVING TOMB, WITH FOUNTAIN AND FLOWER BEDS.

The ancients did not consider it either decorous or reverential to the dead to deposit their remains in the midst of the living, while a due regard to sanitary measures rendered such a custom most objectionable, and thus they were induced to locate their places of interment beyond the walls of the cities. Thebes, with its hundred gates, had its cemeteries excavated in the mountains distant from the city, and the burial place of Memphis was on the borders of Lake Meoris, where expensive catacombs were hewn out of the solid rock, and richly embellished with paintings, sculptrues and inscriptions illustrative of the rank and memorabe events in the lives of those whose remains were there deposited after they had been embalmbed in such a perfect manner as to last for more than 3000 years.

The Athenian cemetery was situated in the Ceramicus, which extended from the gate opposite the Forum to the gardens of the Academy, and included the residence and school of Plato; and within that vast area were not only interred the citizens of Athens, but the ashes of every officer, soldier and mariner who fell in battle in distant countries, and whose bodies were brought back and there deposited with honor. Processions, formed by each of the 10 tribes to which they belonged, accompanied the funeral car; orators were appointed to deliver eulogies, and richly sculptured cenotaphs were erected at the public expense, which commemorated their names and gallant deeds in defence of the rights and honor of their country. — By the 12 tables of the law, the Romans were prohibited from burying or burning any person upon the funeral pile, within the walls of their cities. The funeral monuments of the most distinguished civil and military officers and the noble and wealthy citizens were erected on the bor-

ders of the Appian, Claudin, Flaminian and other great highways which connected the imperial city with the distant parts of the empire.

Some of these magnificent monuments still remain, and the beautiful marble sarcophagus of Scippio Africanus was removed from the stately mausoleum of that eminent family by a modern pontiff, and is yet to be seen in the Vatican. This has been often copied as a sepulchral monument at home and abroad, and the monument to Spurzheim, near the gateway of Mt. Auburn, is a notable example. — The Turks have imitated the example of the Israelites and have established their cemetery for Constantinople on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus, and from the universal custom of planting trees at each end of the graves of the surviving relatives, the extensive grove which has thus been formed in the burial place of Scutari during five centuries makes one of the most picturesque features in the scenery of the capital of the Ottoman empire, and it is a favorite place of resort for all ranks of society during the warm summer months. — So general was the practice of all nations, both ancient and modern, to banish cemeteries from cities that no hostile example was presented in any portion of Europe, at least, until the reign of Pope Gregory the Great, in the sixth century, when he permitted vaults to be constructed under the churches of Rome, and the precedent was followed by all Christian nations, with the addition of allowing inhumations within the enclosures of cathedrals, churches and chapels.

After an experience of 12 centuries, considerations for the preservation of the public health and a returning recognition of pious regard for the ashes as well as the memory of the dead, combined with the difficulty of obtaining a sufficiently spacious tract of land within the limits of Paris to meet the increasing demand for a place of interment, compelled the municipal government to seek a proper site in the country, and in 1804 the extensive park of Pere la Chaise was purchased for that purpose. The example of France was soon followed in England and other portions of Europe, and here, almost in our own midst, the noble cemetery of Mt. Auburn was consecrated in 1831. And this was followed with like rural cemeteries at Salem, Worcester, Springfield, Philadelphia, on Long Island and in many other parts of the United States. — It was 48 years ago, on Wednesday, the 28th of June, 1848, that one of the most charming suburban cemeteries, situated in West Roxbury, was consecrated under the name of Forest Hills. It has grown steadily in the public favor, and perhaps there is not a more favorite place of sepulture in the vicinity, not even excepting the older and perhaps more aristocratic burial place—if there can be such a thing as artistocracy connected with death—Mt. Auburn.

[sideways image of a stone bridge surrounded by trees] THE BRIDGE.

In the month of February, 1847, a petition was presented to the city council of Roxbury, signed by a number of citizens, in which was represented the "great importance, in view of the health and comfort of the inhabitants, as well as the pleasing aspect of the city generally, that some regulation should be made, in order to prevent the interment of the dead in the established burial grounds, in thickly settled districts in the heart of the city, or in places for other reasons unsuited to the purpose," and it was requested that an ordinance might be passed for accomplishing that object.

On the 6th of September following a report was made by the committee on burial grounds, in which it was alleged, "That from the limited extent of the several burial grounds in Roxbury, and the rapid increase of inhabitants, it had become necessary that a tract of land should be procured, in as nearly a central position as was possible, for a public cemetery, and of a sufficient size to meet the prospective requirements of a population which must be vastly augmented within less than 30 years"; and further, that after having made extensive reconnoissances, for the purpose of discovering a site that would the most perfectly combine all the requisite qualities in natural features, capability of improvement, and appropriateness of location, "they had been so fortunate as to select two tracts of land, which not only included most of the important elements for the fulfilment of these conditions, but the largest could be obtained on favorable terms."

These two tracts included the Seaverns farm, which had a frontage on Canterbury street, and a lot of about six acres owned by Dr. John C. Warren, on Walkhill street, which it was recommended should be purchased, and the committee was empowered to procure 55 acres of the former; but, inasmuch as an act of the Legislature was considered necessary to enable the city council to provide for the establishment of a rural cemetery in the most perfect manner, the negotiation for the land was not completed and a deed obtained until the 28th day of March, 1848. — Two days later five commissioners were chosen by the city council, who were invested with the sole care, superintendence and management of the cemetery, and work was commenced on the 25th of April.

Incomparable difficulties were encountered in the attempt to effect a purchase of the lot owned by Dr. Warren, and he generously ceded a passageway, 33 feet in width, through it, from Walkhill street to the cemetery but as that was not regarded as sufficiently spacious for the chief entrance, an effort was made to procure an acre of land west to that passageway for the purpose of enlarging it, but this the owner declined selling, and so the commissioners were authorized to purchase 14 acres of land to the north of the cemetery, which not only enabled them to form a road to Curtis or Walnut streets, but also to extend the grounds in a northerly direction, thus rendering the whole area more available for the object sought. Thus an avenue was opened from near the northwestern angle of the cemetery to Scarboro street, 50 feet wide, by the liberal aid of the proprietors of the land through which it passed.

It having been ascertained that most of the avenues and paths necessary to the cemetery could be formed, and 300 or 400 lots laid out by the latter part of June, arrangements were completed for opening the grounds for interments on that 28th day of that month, when they