Inscriptions from the Burial Ground in West Roxbury, Mass.
Extracted from
New England Historical & Genealogical Register
Mr. William B. TRASK

[Transcribed by Jane Devlin]

Vol 7, p 331, October 1853 Mr. James DRAPER, d. Jul 1691, ae abt. 73 yrs Mrs. Marriam DRAPER, wife of Mr. James, d. Jan 1691, ae abt. 77 yrs James DRAPER d. 30 Apr 1698, in the 44 year of his age John LYON, d. 15 Jan 1702, ae 55 yrs Abigail, wife of John LYON, d. 15 Jan 1702, ae 48 yrs Elizabeth, wife of Jacob BACON, d. 27 Feb 1713, ae 57 yrs William LYON d. 10 Aug 1714, ae abt. 62 yrs Abigail, wife of James DRAPER, d. 25 Oct 1721, in the 59 year of her age Mr. Nath'l DRAPER, d. 30 Dec 1721, ae 38 yrs Mrs. Sarah, wife of Mr. James HERRING, d. 18 Jun 1724, in the 51 year of her age Joseph LYON d. 19 Jun 1724, in the 47 year of his age Mrs. Sarah JACKSON, widow of Mr. Sebes JACKSON, d. 20 Apr 1725, ae 75 yrs James HERRING, d. Mar 1732, in the 76 year of his age Mr. John COLBURN, d. 7 Jun 1732, in the 57 year of his age Mr. Nath'l HEALY d. 2 Jun 1734, in the 76 year of his age Mrs. Rebeckah HEALY, Widow of Mr. Nath'l HEALEY d. 6 Jan 1734/5, in the 74 year of her age Hannah, wife of Mr. Benj LYON, d. 11 May 1738, in the 31 year of her age Mrs. Mehetabel, wife of Mr. Robert NEWEL, d. 4 Nov 1739, ae abt. 70 yrs Mr. Samuel DRAPER d. 12 Jun 1744, in the 31 year of his age Mrs. Rhoda, wife of Mr. Ebenezer WHITING, d. 10 Nov 1746 in the 42d year of her age Elizabeth LYON, dau of Mr. Eliphalet LYON d. 3 Apr 1747 in the 17th year of her age Capt. Jonathan DRAPER d. 28 Feb 1747, in the 77 year of his age Mrs. Hannah HEALY, wife of Mr. John HEALY d. 23 Sep 1751, in the 50 year of her age Mr. Benjamin LYON d. 20 Feb 1752, in the 44 year of his age Mrs. Mehetabel, wife of Nathaniel DRAPER, d. 18 Mar 1757, in the 42 year of her age Mrs. Hannah, wife of Mr. Edmond GOOKIN, d. 6 Dec 1758, ae 23 yrs Mr. Nathaniel WHITING, Jr., d. 21 Jun 1760, in the 22d year of his age Mrs. Elizabeth, wife of Mr. William DRAPER, d. 28 Oct 1761, in the 26 year of her age Mr. John HEALY, d. My 1783, in the 85 year of his age Vol 8, p 243, Jul 1854 Central Burial Ground, "Peter's Hill" Anna, wife of Mr. Edward BRIDGE, d. 21 Jun 1722 in the 30 year of her age Grace, wife of Benjamin CHILD, d. 10 Dec 1723, in the 63d year of her age Benjamin CHILD d. 24 Jan 1723/4, in the 66 year of his age Three children of Jacob & Sarah CHAMBERLAIN: Patience d. 14 Dec 1727, ae 1 mo; John, d. 1 Jul 1729, ae 1 mo; Stephen d. 20 Jul 1731, ae 3 mos Rebecca WELD d. 15 Mar 1727, ae 2 mos, 15 dys; (ditto marks for name, day & month) 1732, ae 2 yrs, 2 mos, 1 day; (ditto marks for name, day, month, & year) ae 3 yrs, 24 dys; children of Mr. Ebenezer & Mrs. Mary WELD Joshua, son of Joshua & Deborah CHILD d. 4 Aug 1728, in the 3d year of his age Anna, dau of Joshua & Deborah CHILD, d. 10 May 1729, in the 1st year of her age Mr. Joshua CHILD d. 18 Jan 1729/30, in the 73d year of his age Mr. Nathaniel DAVIS, A. M., d. 5 mar 1731, in the 26 year of his age Mr. John BAKER d. 7 Nov 1732 in the 88th year of his age Deborah, wife of Joshua CHILD, d. 21 Apr 1732 in the 40 year of her age Two children of Mr. Daniel & Mrs Elizabeth WELD: Ann d. 5 Feb 1738, ae 7 days; Josiah d. 27 Feb 1738, ae 29 days Stephen, son of Mr. Daniel & Mrs. Elizabeth WELD, d. 16 Aug 1745 in the 23d year of his age Mrs. Sarah, wife of Mr. Jacob CHAMBERLAIN, d. 14 Oct 1745, ae 84 yrs Mrs. Abigail, wife of Mr. John BAKER, d. 25 Oct 1746, in the 34 year of her age Mrs. Elizabeth, wife of Mr. Thomas MAYO, Jr., d. 27 Jan 1748, in the 34th year of her age Sarh, dau of Mr. Thomas, Jr., & Mrs. Elizabeth MAYO d. 27 Apr 1749, in the 11th year of her age Rebekah, dau of Mr. Thomas, Jr., & Mrs. Elizabeth MAYO, d. 17 Jun [1747] [Rebe]kah MAYO, dau of Mr. Thomas & Mrs. [Elizabeth] MAYO d. 29 [Nov 1839], in the 29 year of her age Nehemiah WALTER, son of Rev Nathaniel & Rebecca ---- Marth[a], dau of Capt. Jos[eph &] Mrs. Martha WEL[D], d. 20 Aug 174- in the 5th year of her age Priscilla, dau of Mr. John & Mrs. Esther CHILD, d. 14 Apr 1750 in the 2d year of her age Mrs. Elizabeth, wife of Mr. Joshua CHIELD, d. 6 Mar 1752, ae 87 yrs Mrs. Elizabeth, wife of Mr. Isaac CHILD, d. Apr 1754, in the 62d year of her age Mrs. Margaret, wife of Mr. Edward CHILD, d. 1 Dec 1754, i the 66th year of her age Deac. Ichabod DAVIS d. 16 Mar 1754, in the 78 year of his age Mr. Joshau CHILD d. 20 Jul 1756 in the 70th year of his age Richard CHILD d. 18 May 1759, ae 57 yrs Stephen, Jr., son of Mr. Stephen & Mrs. Elizabeth KENT, d. 16 Apr 1760, ae 20 yrs Thomas BAKER d. 10 May 1761, ae 83 yrs Mr. Edward WELD d. 13 Oct 1761, in the 29th year of his age Lt. Daniel WELD, d. 20 Jan 1761, in the 64 year of his age Mrs. Mary, wife of Mr. Ebenezer WELD, d.10 Oct 1763, in the 58 year of her age Mr. Isaac CHIELD d. [1]2 Sep 1765, in the 77th year of his age David, son of Mr. Isaac & Mrs. Elizabeth CHILD, d. 16 Oct 1766 in the 19th year of his age Mr. Ebenezer WELD d. 24 Sep 1767, ae 65 yrs Mrs. Bethiah DAVIS, wife of Mr. Ichabod DAVIS, d. 23 Apr 1768, in the 92d year of her age Mrs. Hannah BAKER, Relict of Mr. Thomas BAKER, d. 6 Mar 1776 in the 95 year of her age Capt. Jonathan HALE of Glastonbury in Connecticut, d. 7 Mar 1776, in the 56 year of his age Experience, dau of Lt. Elisha & Abigail WHITNEY, d. 17 Sep 1777, ae 8 mos Capt. John BAKER d. 10 Aug 1781, ae 75 yrs Deacon Ezra DAVIS d. 4 Mar 1784, ae 74 yrs Mr. Daniel DANA d. 15 Nov 1787, ae 70 Mrs. Sarah, Relict of Deac. Ezra DAVIS, d. 14 Feb 1789, ae 75 Mr. Nathaniel AYERS of Boston d. 10 Aug 1800, ae 46 Mrs. Cynthia, wife of Mr. Lemuel RICHARDS d. 22 Sep 1812, ae 26 HASTINGS Monument (no names or dates) Vol 10, p 20, Jan 1856 Inscriptions from the Jamaica Plain Burial Ground Copied by Luther M. HARRIS, M.D. Samuel KEYES d. 26 Oct 1785, ae 9 wks Mary, dau of Mr. George WOODS & wife, d. 17 Apr 1795, ae 5 yrs, 6 mos Mr. Sylvanus, youngest son of Mr. George & Mrs. Dolly WOODS, d. 25 Mar 1808, ae 17 Mr. George WOODS, d. 15 Oct 1815, ae 73 yrs George, son of Mr. Richard & Mrs. Mary LETHBRIDGE, d. 21 Sep 1818, ae 5 mos, 14 dys Mrs. Mary, wife of Mr. Richard LETHBRIDGE, d. 27 Dec 1818, ae 32 Mrs. Martha, wife of Mr. Amasa ELLIS, d. 26 Nov 1812 Mrs. Mary, wife of Mr. John HARRIS, d. 7 May 1814, in the 57th year of her age Mr. John HARRIS, b. 1 Oct (O.S.) 1750, d. 5 Dec 1831, in the 82d year of his age Mr. Robert HARRIS d. 8 Apr 1826, ae 40 William Henry COBLEIGH d. 21 Aug 1836, ae 17 yrs, 10 mos Capt. Lemuel MAY d. 19 Nov 1805, ae 67 Miss Rebecca, dau of Mr. Samuel & Mrs. Joanna GODDARD, d. 26 Mar 1798, in the 12th year of her age Mr.Lyman SPRINGER d. 25 Nov 1839, ae 32 yrs, 11 mos Mrs. Rosina, wife of Mr. Reuben LAWRENCE, d. 3 Dec 1842, ae 36 yrs. Also, Hannah S., dau of Reuben & Rosina LAWRENCE, d. 7 Mar 1841, ae 8 yrs Mr. David WHITE d. 28 Apr 1816, ae 70 yrs Mrs. Margaret WHITE d. 18 Jul 1841, ae 92 Capt. Isaac STURTEVANT of Roxbury d. 10 Jul 1806, ae 66 Mrs. Rebecca STURTEVANT d. 7 Jun 1827, ae 69 Betsey S. GREGORY d. 4 Jan 1834, ae 17 yrs Sila PIERCE d. 13 Oct 1837, ae 30 Mrs. Esther, wife of Mr. Thomas WELD, d. 1 Jul 1811, ae 56 Mr. Thomas WELD d. 12 May 1821, ae 70 Mr. Samuel WHITE d. 8 Sep 1793, ae 52 Thomas W., son of Josiah & Rebecca SEAVERNS, d. 29 Jan 1802, ae 4 mos Mrs. Anna, wife of Mr. Gulliver WINCHESTER, d. 18 Apr 1797, ae 60 Mr. Gulliver WINCHESTER d. 12 Nov 1811, ae 79 Mr. Henry WINCHESTER d. 12 Jun 1801, ae 40 Mrs. Elizabeth, wife of Mr. William HOLMES, d. 6 Jan 1835, ae 50 yrs Mr. Charles STIMPSON, d. 15 Aur 1800, ae 27 yrs Capt John GOULD d. 10 Jan 1814, ae 41 Mr. Royal GOULD d. 13 Jul 1822, ae 35 Mr. Royal GOULD d. 13 Jul 1822, ae 35 Mr. Lemuel HARRING d. 20 Jun 1815, ae 20 John PAYSON d. 14 Jan 1819, ae 6 yrs Frederick CHANDLER, d. 9 Jun 1832, ae 40 yrs (on same monument) Elizabeth N. ANGUS, d. 6 Jan 1847, ae 53 Frederick, wife of Frederick & Elizabeth CHANDLER, d. 14 Dec 1830, ae 13 yrs Mr. William SHEPHERD d. 28 Aug 1801, ae 38 Mrs. Elizabeth, wife of Mr. Phineas CHILD, d. 28 Sep 1800, ae 49 Abigail, dau of Mr. Phineas & Mrs. Elizabeth CHILD, d. 10 May 1795 ae 6 yrs Mr. Phineas CHILD d. 17 Mar 1813, ae 64 Mr. Joseph CRANCH d. 17 Nov 1806, ae 60 Maria Vietch CRANCH, d. 29 May 1810, ae 22, "of a lingering & painful disease" Andrew RIDDLE d. 14 Dec 1830, ae 58 yrs Jane, wife of Andrew RIDDLE, d. 18 Sep 1830, ae 56 John RIDDLE d. 24 Jul 1836, ae 29 yrs Mrs. Margaret SMITH d. 25 Sep 1812, ae 47 Henry J., son of Morris & Esther MILLET, d. 24 Aug 1836, ae 2 yrs Mrs. Zibiah, wife of Mr. Abraham RANDALL, d. 18 Mar 1833, ae 78 yrs Joseph, son of Mr. Abraham RANDALL, d. 7 Oct 1793, ae 14 mos Mary, wife of William JEMERSON, d. 31 Aug 1839, ae 63 yrs Louisa, dau of William JEMERSON, d. 15 Oct 1844, ae 38 yrs HODGDON Monument: A. P. H. d. 3 Apr 1836, ae 3 yrs, 9 mos J. W. H. d. 7 Jul 1842, ae 2 yrs, Children of Mr. Abraham & Mrs. Emily HODGDON. Mrs. Emily HODGDON, wife of Mr. Abraham HODGDON, d. 1 Jul 1843, ae 41 yrs John FESSENDEN, Esq., d. 16 Nov 1845, ae 75 yrs Two monuments in an enclosure: Mary ASHTON, d. 15 Dec 1840 Sarah E. H. ASHTON, wife of Benjamin CALLENDER, d. 3 Feb 1848, ae 31 yrs On a marble slab within an enclosure: WILLIAMS Ellen, ae 30 J. W., 14 mos J. S. W., 3 mos Miss Sarah DRUSE d. 23 Dec 1792, ae 42 yrs (She was the housekeeper & intended wife of the late Dea. Nath'l WELD. She died of natural small-pox. The Deacon had her buried on his own ground, about 30 rods from his house. The stone now stands in an open field) "In memoria Doctoris Ludovici LEPRILETE, Mass. Med. Soc. Socii, Nati Nante in Gallia, 10 Oct, Anno Domin MDCCL. Obiit carcinomate in glandula prostata, Julii die 29, MDCCCIV. Aetat suae LIV. Celeberrimus in Chirurgia. Hic etiam, ejus filius solus Ludovicus LEPRILETE sepultus est, natus Jan. 12, Anno Domini MDCCLXXXV, Obiit Oct. 30, MDCCXCII, Aetat. mum octavo anno. (On a marble slab stainding in a field on the BOYLSTON estate, about 20 rods from Boylston Street.) {The burial ground at Jamaica Plain is part of the original parish lot. At the parish meeting held 14 Mar 1785, it was voted, "that the ground behind the meeting-house stable, when wanted, shall be appropriated to a burying yard." The stable has been removed; and the appripriated yard now lies directly in the rear of the Unitarian Church, and fronts upon Eliot street. There are within its area 24 tombs, which contain, probably, more remains thatn are deposited in graves. Since the current of public opinion has set so strongly in favor of cemeteries in retired locations, and particularly since the consecration of Forest Hills, comparatively few interments have been made in this ground. It is even whispered, occasionally, that it would be a good poliy to "remove the deposits" entirely; as by so doing two or three good house lots might be gained. The ground belonging exclusively to the Unitarian Society, they might authorize their Treasurer to give warranty deeds of it; but could he, or they, warrant that the old occupants should not sometimes appear ther to "revisit the glimpses of the moon," or that the ghosts of "unmannerly corses," whose names no monuments preserve, should not so infest "the allarge," that no one, except a butler who "speaks latin," or a spiritualist, could lay them. There are three other places within the limits of Jamaica Plain, where burials have been made. In the summer of 1775, one or more regiments were stationed on the Plain, and many of the soldiers quartered in different houses, upon the inhabitants. (See Dr. Gray's Half Century Sermon.) Three estates in the place were confiscated, and the houses standing on them used as hospitals; viz.: Commodore LORING's, Governor BERNARD's, & Capt. Benjamin HALLOWELL's. The Commodore's house, built in 1760, on a corner made by the intersection of Austin & South streets, after having weathered the storms of 95 years, is at this day, taken in connection with its surroundings, hardly exceeded by any modern built mansion in its neighborhood. About a quarter of a mile back of this then hospitals, the soldiers who died within its walls were buried. Col. HENLY, who had some charge over Burgoyne's captive army while at Cambridge, is recollected to have occupied the LORING house at that time. It came next into the possession of widow Ann (HOUGH) DOANE, who, in 1784, married David Stoddard GREENOUGH, Esq. Their son, and only child, Col. David Stoddard GREENOUGH, owned it on the death of his father. Col. David Stoddard GREENOUGH, of the third generation, now owns & occupies it; he also having a son David Stoddard. It is creditable to the GREENOUGH family that, through their several ownerships & occupancies, no violation of the graves of the revolutionary soldiers, on their ground, has yet been allowed. The number of burials made cannot not be ascertained, from the mounds having become levelled by the rains of so many years, and by the tread of cattle in feeding over them. But from the number of rude stones, probably taken from walls or picked up in the fields, and set up as head & foot stones, they may be estimated at thirty -- or more. The following inscription, pretty well executed for the time, was taken from the only headstone showing the mark of a graver's tool: "Here lies ye Body of serg't Dan'l NILES of Easton, who Died Nov'b ye 2nd A. D. 1775. Aged 41 years." The Governor Bernard estate was situated on the westerly side of Jamaica Pond, having thereon a considerable extent of shore and a liberal share of front on Pon street. After the removal of soldiers from the premises, the first remembered occupant was Martin BRIMMER, Esq., who after a long residence, died there in 1804. Capt. John PRINCE bought the estate in 1806, & in 1809 took down & removed the old house, a part of which had stood 141 years; and in which no doubt many bumpers of good wine had been drunk to the healths of the seven soverigns of Great Britain, who had flouished during that period. Some few years before his decease, Capt. PRINCE procured a road to be laid out and made through the premises, from Pond street to Perkins street; after the accomplishment of which, he divided the whole into good sized building lots, on several of which beautiful houses have since been erected. The burial ground on the Bernard estate was near a small fish pond, on elevated ground, at some distance back from the buildings. The spot was ploughed many years ago; and it is said some of the coffins were disturbed in the operation. No one in the neighborhood remembers to have seen the ground before the ploughing, and therefore no estimate can be made of the number buried. The Hallowell house, built about 738, stands on a corner made by the intersection of Austin & Boylston streets. It has lately been purchased by Dr. B. F. WING, who has thoroughly repaired it, and, by the addition of one or more wings, has given it something more of quaintness than it previously exhibited. Capt. HALLOWELL married a BOYLSTON, and in the right of his wife held the above property; but his sympathies happening to be with the Royalist party, he left Roxbury in some haste for Boston in 1775, and thence took passage for England, where he passed the remainder of his life. While the HALLOWELL house was used as a hospital, the burials from it were made near the road, about forty rods from the house, on the way to Boylston street depot. An octogenarian pair noted for their accurate recollections, who were born and have always lived near the HALLOWELL house, think the first occupant of the place after the term of its hospital-ity, was a French man, whose name was LEFABRE; and that it was he who, to the astonishment and universal indignation of the neighborhood, ploughed over and obliterated all marks of the graves. They likewise say that people who had set up marks whereby to distinguish the graves of their friends or kinsmen, and came afterwards to remove them, returned home disappointed and in sorrow. About the year 1789, Dr. LEPRILETE bought the premises and kept possession till after the decease of Capt. HALLOWELL, when a son of his assumed the name of his mother's family -- BOYLSTON. This son, Ward Nicholas BOYLSTON, presuming, or being advised, that the confiscation could hold no longer than his father's lifetime, came over, and in the name & right of his mother, laid claim to, and by the process of law obtained the property, about the year 1800. It now belongs to Mr. Thomas BOYLSTON, by the will of his grandfather, the late Ward Nicholas BOYLSTON, Esq. MA INDEX