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Subject: Re: [GENMASSACHUSETTS] Parker Line and Univ. of Ma.-Lowell
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:05:56 EDT


Subject: Thomas Parker
Source: History of Dracut, Mass. - Called by the Indians Augumtoocooke.
by Silas Roger Coburn.
p.274
Cemeteries, Physicians &
Tragedies.
The burial places of the early settlers of Dracut are unknown. It was the
custom to bury the bodies in some
retired spot on the farm and the graves were seldom marked. Sometimes a flat
stone from the field, with
initials and date of death cut on it, would be placed at the head of the
grave, but when broken and the
grave levelled by the elements the place would be forgotten.

The oldest burial ground in Dracut of early days, but now in Lowell, is
between Varnum avenue and the
Boulevard about fifty rods east from the Durkee road and east of the Colburn
garrison house, and although
the first to be located which continues in existence, no very old headstones
are to be seen.

In 1765, Rev. Thomas Parker was buried here, but in recent years his body
was removed to the Woodbine
cemetery. Headstones marke the graves of the Colburns of a least the third
generation, as the graves of the
earlier ones are unknown. There are also headstones marking the graves of
those whose names are not
connected with Dracut history, and several unmarked graves. It is
unprotected by a fence, although a lot
belonging to some family is protected by posts and chains. A cart path from
from Varnum avenue leads
to it.

On the west there are unmarked graves in which are buried the colored people
who lived in this neighborhood.

p.275
The Woodbine cemetery is near Varnum avenue on the Old Meadow Road. It is
the burial place of the
families who were residents of that part of the town before annexation, and
is well cared for and has shade
trees and bank wall. It was a part of the Colonel Ansart farm and at his
death he was buried here. In
1880, the remains of Rev. Thomas Parker were removed to this cemetery, as
already stated, and an account
of his ministry is to

p.275
be found in the chapter relating to the churches of Dracut. The grave is
marked by a slab of dark colored
stone of the same kind as those used in place of the earlier field stone and
which was followed by granite
and marble of the present day. On this headstone are chiseled the features
of a man, also a part of a
gown and bands, showing that his calling was that of a minister. Underneath
this is an elaborate epitaph:

Momento mori
Under this stone is Interred ye
Remains of ye
Revd. Thomas Parker
A gentleman of shining mental Powers adorned
with
Prudence, Benevolence & Curtesie of
manners.
A warm & pathetic Preacher of ye Gospel A
Most watchful and tender Pastor of ye
Church
In Dracut for ye space of 44 years.
Accomplished with learning Human & Divine
& endowed and adorned by ye social
virtues
& affections, who departed this Life March
18th, 1765
in the 65th year of his age.

A cemetery is known to have existed near the first Meeting-House which, as
stated in another chapter
stood on Varnum Avenue nearly opposite the eastern end of the hill on which
the Lowell General Hospital
now stands. The early settlers followed the custom of their English
ancestors and buried their dead in the
church yard, the graves being located near the building and on each side of
the path. No traces of this
cemetery remain and the records, if ever kept, are destroyed, but these
facts are known from the state-
ments of those who have seen the graves. An old cemetery was located on the
eastern side of the Mamm-
oth road, north of Justus Richardson's. Headstones could be seen in recent
years, but the site is now
occupied by an orchard.

The Pawtucketville cemetery on Mammoth road is of more recent date, the
oldest headstone being that of
Asa Coburn, who died February 8, 1800. There are two family tombs, that of
Captain Phineas Whiting,
built in 1815; the other of David Blood and Captain William Blood, built in
1819. Here is buried Captain
John Ford who was present at the battle of Bunker Hill and who died in 1822.
There are other Revolutionary
soldiers buried here, but as a burial place it was discontinued as the lots
are all occupied.

The Oakland cemetery is the burial place of the people of Collinsville. It
is situated about a mile from the
village and away from the Mammoth road a short distance. It is well cared
for as it is in the keeping of
an incorporated company composed of the residents of the village and others
interested. The Varnums
and Clements, who were among the earliest settlers of this part of the town,
are buried here; also Peter
Coburn, who commanded a company of Dracut men at Bunker Hill on the
memorable 17th of June, 1775.
Several of the members of this same company also find this their last
resting place. This is the burial
place of Admiral Eaton and his wife, both descendants of the Varnums. On a
knoll adjoining and a little
to the north of the cemetery is the burial place of the older residents of
the village. There are no head-
stones, and while the names of those buried are unknown, they were probably
the earlier settlers of this
vicinity. One headstone, which is a common flat stone, remains with the
letters roughly cut in:

I A
RC 4
1775.
Whatever was originally on the stone has been obliterated by storm and
frost. A few years ago the writer
found a headstone makred N.C. but it has disappeared. These are the initials
of the name Nathaniel Clement
who lived here so may have marked his grave. As his son, Daniel Clement,
served in the Revolution, it is
possible that this ground was in existence and the stone might mark his
father's resting place. If so, it is
reasonable to suppose that the other graves were those of the early Coburns
and Varnums. There are 36
of these graves neatly arranged in rows and level with the top of the
ground. They are easy to distinguish,
as each is covered with cobble stones which protected them from the wolves.

The Hildreth cemetery, by reason of annexation, is now within the limits of
the city of Lowell. The title of
ownership remains in possession of Dracut, but like other real estate, when
annexation occurs, the city
obtains no fee in the soil but acquires certain rights not before enjoyed.
The cemetery was presented

p.277
to the town by Major Ephraim Hildreth, who became a resident of the town in
1709 and whose headstone
is the oldest in the cemetery, his death occurring in 1740. In 1752, his
sons confirmed the verbal gift of
their father by a deed as follows:

"Dracut, November 17, 1752.
We, the subscribers, being willing to confirm our Honored father's promise
verbally made relating to the
Burying place now in use in Dracutt, to which track of land there hath, as
yet, been no title, we therefore
confirm the same by the following record. Said track of land being bounded
as followeth.

Bounded easterly by the highway leading to Robert Hildreth Ferrey, the north
and east corner is a stake
and stones by said road: thence runing westerly eight rods and a half to a
stake and stone, thence running
southerly nine rods to a stake and stone by said highway; the above
mentioned track of land is and is to
remain a burying place for the town of Dracutt, and in testimony of the
above record and remaining a good
and firm title to the Town of Dracutt of the abovesaid track of land, we
have hereunto set our hands the Day
above mentioned.

Ephraim Hildreth
William Hildreth
Elijah Hildreth.

The thoughtfulness of these men has given to the town possession of a tract
of land which, but for this
writing might have been to the town the cause of much litigation. The first
settlers of the Hildreth family were
buried on the top of the knoll where their headstones may be seen, but later
an additional lot on the west
side has been enclosed and reserved for the use of the family. This cemetary
is the burial place of many
of the men who fought in the Revolution, among them Capt. Stephen Russell
who died in 1800 but the
exact location of the grave is unknown. It is thought to have been westerly
of the Samuel Fox lot. The
headstone of of Lieut. Abraham Coburn, who died in 1797, may still be seen
near the street, also that of
Capt. Ezekiel Hale, near the center of the cemetary, which has been enlarged
in recent years by an addi-
tion on the south which includes the site of the second schoolhouse in
District No. 5.
Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
(full text of this book is online with Google Books Online.)





















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