Counting Headstones
Headstones are history. They mark grave-sites. The are the oldest artifacts of the colonial Europeans who settled Middleborough over 380 years ago. They are tourist attractions for both headstone enthusiasts and familial descendants. They reflect the culture of every generation of residents who are buried within them. Cemeteries are outdoor museums filled with artistic, sculptured treasures.
We do not know how many headstones are in Middleborough.
Amazingly, headstones travel. The gravestone of Deborah Cushing was recorded by Charles Thatcher in the 188os in the North Plympton Cemetery and yet today it is on Purchase Street. In Freetown, the Historical Society recovered the 1798 headstone of Rebecca Porter from Escondido, CA and no one knew that it had "wandered off" over 100 years ago. Middleborough is extremely fortunate to have the cemetery transcriptions of Charles Milton Thatcher from the 1800s. We know what headstones were here in his day, and accounting for the stones that he recorded will help with counting our headstones.
Knowing this information serves many purposes. The goal of this project is obvious. We want to count every headstone in Middleborough. We should know how many field stones, head stones, foot stones, tombs, monuments, mausoleums, and tombs are here. We should also know if the markers are made of slate, marble, granite or zinc. We should know the names on all of the stones, and know if people are in graves that are not marked with stones. For this summer, we just want a count.
We aspire to clean our headstones, and the count will help us know how much of what we need to purchase in order the clean the stones properly. Eventually, the count will help with the inventory of the headstones and the needs assessments of the cemeteries.
We do not know how many headstones are in Middleborough.
Amazingly, headstones travel. The gravestone of Deborah Cushing was recorded by Charles Thatcher in the 188os in the North Plympton Cemetery and yet today it is on Purchase Street. In Freetown, the Historical Society recovered the 1798 headstone of Rebecca Porter from Escondido, CA and no one knew that it had "wandered off" over 100 years ago. Middleborough is extremely fortunate to have the cemetery transcriptions of Charles Milton Thatcher from the 1800s. We know what headstones were here in his day, and accounting for the stones that he recorded will help with counting our headstones.
Knowing this information serves many purposes. The goal of this project is obvious. We want to count every headstone in Middleborough. We should know how many field stones, head stones, foot stones, tombs, monuments, mausoleums, and tombs are here. We should also know if the markers are made of slate, marble, granite or zinc. We should know the names on all of the stones, and know if people are in graves that are not marked with stones. For this summer, we just want a count.
We aspire to clean our headstones, and the count will help us know how much of what we need to purchase in order the clean the stones properly. Eventually, the count will help with the inventory of the headstones and the needs assessments of the cemeteries.
