Our Pilgrim Ancestor
Newbury, Mass.
Aug 16, 2014
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We had a surprisingly tough time finding William Sawyer's marker,
especially given that Jen and I had visited Newbury back in 1991
and had seen it then. I was prowling around the First Parish cemetery
near Newburyport when Jen decided to ask directions at the nearby
Tristram Coffin House. They directed us about 3 miles further down
the road to the Burying Ground of the First Settler's, where we
found the marker. It's not the original, but looks like it was
replaced in the 1920s when members of the Dole family fixed up this
original burial ground.
I couldn't figure out why this graveyard was so far out of town, out
in what felt like the middle of nowhere, a long way to carry a coffin
from town. But a book on Old Newbury that I picked up explained
it: in the late 1640s, the population outgrew the original space they had
laid out, and they moved the whole town up to near where Newburyport is
today. Still, William's marker says he died in 1701 (which is different
from the year 1703 on our family tree), long after the town had moved.
Maybe he had stayed out in that part of the town.
In case you're ever looking for it: The Burying Ground of the
First Settlers is located 3.4 miles south
on High Street from State Street in Newburyport, Mass. It's on the
west side of High Street, marked by a black-and-white sign. The sign
is in front of an opening in the hedge, and through that opening is
the burial ground. You can park just a few yards past the sign. (Screenshots
of the maps below, and here's
a link to the directions in Google Maps.)
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