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.

CEDAR GROVE CEMETERY, MARSHFIELD, MA., 1JUNE 2012 PT3

Some last pictures of Cedar Grove Cemetery in Marshfield, Ma:

Old headstones sometimes give information that makes you wonder what the
story is behind them. Look at where this married couple died. Was the husband
a sea captain, or was he a merchant?

One of my Harlow cousins:

A close fit with the access ramp to the church. Unfortunately, the inscription is blocked:

Some of my Foord/Ford cousins:

Another gravestone with two men of Marshfield who died far from home:

 

Finally, there are several Delano family monuments. FDR's relatives lived in
Marshfield and neighboring Duxbury.

CEDAR GROVE CEMETERY, MARSHFIELD, MA., 1JUNE 2012 PT2

More from Cedar Grove Cemetery in Marshfield, Ma.:

I see these plants in many of the older cemeteries in this area:

A monument to some of my Ford family cousins:

The older graves are closer to the road and around the church:

These are some headstones belonging to members of the Winslow family. The
orange color on two of them is caused by the rusting metal frames around the
headstones:

The gravestone of Snow Winslow has weathered the elements better than those of relatives:

Headstones of some of my Thomas family cousins:

To be continued.

CEDAR GROVE CEMETERY, MARSHFIELD, MA., 1JUNE 2012 PT1

Cedar Grove Cemetery in Marshfield Ma. is right on Rte 139 just before entering
Marshfield Center. And when I say, I mean only a few feet from the cars passing by:

As close as the front is to the road, the rest of the cemetery extends some
distance in and there is an access road into it. Be careful entering and exiting
because of the high volume of traffic on Rte 139.

This cemetery is around 300 years old and encloses the Congregational Church.
Also known as the Old Burying Ground, it's the final resting place of some of my
Carver, Cushman, Ford, Thomas, and Tilden cousins.

I visited Cedar Grove in late June and the grass was mown, but there were some
gravestones overgrown by weeds and bushes:

and in some spots displaced by trees:

Still, it's a beautiful cemetery:

To be continued.