Lakeville, [Formerly a Part of Middleborough], 14 Feb 1853
Old Colony Inscriptions
Extracted From
New England Historical & Genealogical Register
Vol 8, July 1854, pgs 285-287

[Transcribed by Jane Devlin]

"To the Editor of the N. E. Hist. Gen. Register. Sir, -- The following inscriptions are from stone in an old burial ground near the Old Forge, so called, in Freetown, and were taken from the stones and carefully preserved several years since. Freetown was my native place, and these are the oldest that I have found in that town. Ebenezer W. PEIRCE" Mrs. Hannah, % Col. Ebenezer HATHAWAY, d. 20 Dec 1727, * 34th yohra Shadrach HATHAWAY, M. A., d. 3 Dec 1749, * 33 yoha Col. Ebenezer HATHAWAY d. 16 Feb 1768, * 79th yoha Mrs Elizabeth HATHAWAY, % Mr. Gilbert HATHAWAY, d. 2 Feb 1779, * 29th yohra Capt. Ebene'r HATHAWAY d. 16 Jun 1791, * 73d yoha Isaac HATHAWAY d. 7 Jun 1749, * 45th yoha From the ancient burial ground near the old muster field in Berkley. No labor bestowed on the stones except to cut the letters, which are all capitals, with a dot or period between the words:-- William PAUL d. 9 Nov 1704, ae 80 yrs William PHILLIPS d. 12 Jun 1705, ae 35 Thomas RICHMOND d. 14 Dec 1705, ae 47 James TISDALE d. 15 Jan 1715, ae 71 John PAUL d. 23 Mar 1718, ae 56 Ruth, # Ephraim PRAY, d. 7 Oct 1719, ae 3 Hannah PHILLIPS, % William PHILLIPS, d. 6 Jun 1705, ae 28 Ebenezer TISDALE d. 11 Nov 1705, ae 22 Mary, % James TISDALE, d. 9 Sep 1713, ae 66 Judeth PRAY d. 28 Jan 1715, ae 3 yrs Mary PAUL, % William PAUL, d. 3 Oct 1715, ae 76 Lidia, # Ephraim PRAY, d. 20 Jan 1716, ae 1 yr Sarah BLACKMAN d. 13 May 1717, ae 24 Ephraim, @ Ephraim PRAY, d. 11 Oct 1719, ae 6 Lidia, % Theophilus WETHERELL, d. 7 Sep 1719, ae 67 The following are from stones in the old burial ground of the Precincts Congregational society of Lakeville & Taunton. These stones are not smoother than the hand of Nature made them, and all the letters aer capitals, very similar to those at Berkley:-- A child of Elkanah LEONARD d. 1711 Elkanah LEONARD d. 29 Dec 1714, ae 38 Henry LEONARD b. & d. 1714 Thomas LEONA-----