52 GRAVESTONES IN 52 WEEKS 4: TILDEN FAMILY PLOT, MARSHFIELD HILLS CEMETERY

Another photo from my  20111 visit to the Marshfield Hills Cemetery in Marshfield, Ma.
It's another family plot for members of the Tilden family, so these are more distant cousins. I'm
descended from Nathaniel Tilden, my 9x great grandfather. His son Stephen (my 8x great
grandfather) lived in Marshfield with his wife Hannah Little, who he married there in 1661.

 The family name is easily visible at the bottom of the monument... 

...but the names of the family members are weathered and difficult to read.

These headstones are also in tough shape.

52 GRAVESTONES IN 52 WEEKS 3: REV. GEORGE LEONARD OF MARSHFIELD, MA.

    REV. GEORGE LEONARD,
                  Son of
    REV. ELIJAH LEONARD.
Born in Marshfield May 26, 1801.
                Graduated at
     Harvard University 1823.
Ordained vat Marshfield 1836.
Pastor of Second Congregational
        Society for 25 years.
             Died July 9, 1881.
A faithful and beloved minister.
A preacher direct and sincere in speech.
An affectionate husband, a kind father.
An honored and trusted citizen.
His memory will be a legacy of honor
and inspiration to the community.
 "Blessed are the dead who died in the Lord."

                   CHARLOTTE E.
                        His widow
                  Died Nov.21, 1884.
                       Aged 78 years.
          "Her children shall arise up and call  
          her blessed."

Charlotte's full name is Charlotte Emmeline (Washburn) Leonard. It turns out she is a distant cousin
through my Edson, Fobes, and Packard family lines. I didn't know we were related until just now as
I wrote this blog entry.

Despite the great esteem Rev. George Leonard was held in at the time of his death in 1881, when I
visited the Marshfield Hills Cemetery in 2011, the Leonard family plot was overrun by weeds and
young trees:

I'll have to go back to the cemetery this summer to see what condition the plot is in now.

THEY RODE WITH CUSTER...IN THE CIVIL WAR

Front side:
Ira Carver
1810-1874
Susan C. Ames
1811-1877
Ira Lysander Carver
 1833-1912

Right Side:
George William Hight
1842-1914
Member of Company O
44th Regiment
Massachusetts Volunteers
His Wife
Lucy Barstow Carver
1844-1915

Back Side:
Lucius Carver
Born in Marshfield 1840
Enlisted in Boston 1863
Assigned to Michigan 7th Cav
As private. Promoted to Serg.
Co. M. Serg Major of the Reg.
And Lieu, Co.M. Killed in action
At Front Royal Va. Aug16 1864
A brave heroic soldier
Courteous and manly

Left Side:
Allyne Cushing Litchfield
1835-1911
Captain
5th Michigam Cavalry 1862
Liutenant Col.
7th Michigan Cavalry 1862
Colonel
7th Michigan Cavalry 1864
Brevet Brigadier General
Volunteers 1865
"For gallant
And Meritorious Service"

I took these pictures at the Marshfield Hills Cemetery in August.
I hadn't read the inscriptions when I took them but when I was
transcribing them for this post I was overcome with curiosity. The
7th Michigan Cavalry was commanded by George Armstrong Custer.
How did two men from Massachusetts end up serving in his command?

My answers came in two different places online. The first was a website for
the Litchfield-French papers 1862-1918 at the William L. Clements
Library at the University of Michigan. (The French is Litchfield's son-in-law
Roy  A.French). A short biography told me Litchfield was born in Hingham
Ma in 1835 and working in the lumber industry in Michigan when the war
broke out which is how he wound up in the 7th Michigan Cav in 1862.
His connection to the Carvers was his wife Susan who was sister to
Lucius Carver. It wasn't uncommon in the Civil War for family members
to serve together in the same units so Litchfield might have arranged to
have his brother-in-law assigned to his so he could keep an eye on the
younger man.

The second spot where I found more information was the book
PERSONAL AND HISTORICAL SKETCHES AND FACIAL
HISTORY OF AND BY MEMBERS OF THE Seventh Regiment MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY 1862-1865 COMPILEDBY WILLIAM O. LEE Late Q. M. Sergeant-Co. "M" (published 7th Michigan Cavalry Association detroit, mich. [no pub date given])
at the Internet Archive there is this short self written account by
Allyne Cushing Litchfield of his Civil War experiences:
Born July 15th, 1835, at Hingham, Plymouth County,
Mass. ; enlisted at Georgetown, Ottawa County, Mich.,
August 14th, 1862, as Captain in Co. "B," 5th Michigan
Cavalry; was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel,7th Michigan
Cavalry, November 14th, 1862 ; commissioned Colonel March
20th,1864, and mustered as Colonel to date May 15th,1865.
Horse killed at Gettysburg, and falling on me severely
jammed me, but not so as to prevent my continuing on duty
with the Regiment. Was taken prisoner on Kilpatrick's Raid
at Atlee Station on railroad, about seven miles from
Richmond, March 1st, 1864, and was in close confinement
with five other officers and four colored soldiers until
July 15th, 1864. For the last six weeks of this time we
were put on one-third of a prison ration; was then sent
to Macon, Ga., from thence to Charleston, S. C, thence
to Columbia, S. C, where for five and a half months we
received no meat whatever; was paroled for exchange March
1st, 1865. Brevet Brigadier General United States Volunteers
March 3d, 1865, for gallant and meritorious service.
Mustered out as Lieutenant Colonel May 21st, 1865;
mustered as Colonel May 22d, 1865, and mustered out
as Colonel May 26th, 1865. (pp26-27)


He also had this to say about the death of his brother -in-law:
I was terribly shocked when in prison at Charleston, S. C, to read 
in the New York Times the account of his death in the Battle of
Front Royal, Va., the following August, from which place I tenderly
removed his sacred remains to the village church-yard of his native 
town. (p32)
.
And that village churchyard was the Marshfield Hills Cemetery where
a century after Allyne Litchfield's death I took my pictures.

THE FRIEND TILDEN TOMB, MARSHFIELD HILLS CEMETERY

When I visited the Marshfield Hills Cemetery two weeks ago I saw what
for me was an unusual tomb. The inscription over the entrance reads
"Friend Tilden !879 "  There are two panels of inscriptions at the entrance,
one that apparently broke free and then split in half. Only the bottom of
that panel is visible; the larger top half is leaning face first against the
entrance. The part I'd never encountered before are the headstones lining
the entranceway. They are for the same people listed on the tomb panels.
 Is it possible that Friend Tilden or his family had the remains of his 
parents and other relatives moved there from their original resting places
and included the original headstones in the move?

As I said, it's the first time I've seen something like this. But I'm still a
relative newbie in exploring cemeteries. Has anyone else ever seen
this sort of arrangement in their own explorations?

MARSHFIELD HILLS CEMETERY, MARSHFIELD MA.