Colonial Graveyards

Little Martha Waite (Wayte)
At King's Chapel, Boston.

Martha was the second child of Return and Martha Wayte of Boston. She was born Auust 4, 1681, and according to her gravestone she died September 16, 1681.

Her father Return Wayte, son of Richard (1), b. 1639; was a member of the Artillery Company in 1662; a Sergeant in regular pay, 1674-81; was a tailor, and imported part of the show at Gov. Leverett's funeral, March, 1679, appearing bimself in the procession. He succeeded his father as marshal, and died in September, 1702, aged 63 years.

THE DAUGHTER OF RETURN & MARTHA WAITE

MARTHA
WAITE AGED 6
WEEKS DECᴰ.
SEPTEMBER
Yᵉ 16
1681

Katherine (Gray) Graves lived above 76 years.
At Phipps Street, Charlestown, MA

Carver: The Old Stonecutter. As you can see her stone is split and the inscription is only partially visible.

THE BODY OF KATHERINE Ye WIFE OF
CAPt THOMAS GREAUES AFTER SHE HAD
LIVED ABOVE 76 YEARS
WAS LAYD UP IN THIS GRAVE
[FEB] 23 1681 IN HOPE OF [...]

Katherine Gray was born about 1606 at Harwich, England, daughter of Thomas Gray and Katherine Myles. Her father died in 1607; her mother remarried Rowland Coytemore of Wapping and, widowed a second time, followed her children to New England and settled in Charlestown as the widow Katherine Coytemore.

Katherine married Thomas Graves in England, probably by 1630. He was a shipmaster who had been crossing to New England since 1628 — mate of the Talbot when Higginson came over in 1629 — and he brought Katherine and their children to Charlestown about 1636-37. The couple was admitted to the First Church on Oct. 7, 1639. In 1652, after capturing a Dutch privateer while commanding a merchantman, he was appointed by Parliament captain of the frigate President; the next year, as rear admiral of the White, he was killed July 31, 1653 in battle with the Dutch aboard the St. Andrew. Katherine outlived him by nearly thirty years. She died Feb. 21, 1681/2 and was buried two days later — the date on the stone.

Their children:
i. Rebecca, adm. church Jul. 9, 1648; m. Samuel Adams.
ii. John, lived at Limehouse, near London.
iii. Thomas, grad. H.C. 1656.
iv. Nathaniel, bapt. Nov. 5, 1639.
v. Susanna, b. Jul. 8, 1643; adm. church Apr. 17, 1664; m. Zechariah Symmes 1669.
vi. Joseph, b. Apr. 13, 1645; of Sudbury.

Richard Frothingham's History of Charlestown has this note about Capt. Graves:
"The name of Thomas Graves is not found on the Town Records until 1638; and of course, he had no share in any divisions of land previous to this time. In 1639, with his wife Catharine, he was admitted to the church of this town; and after this date, until his death, his name is constantly found on committees, and in divisions of land: and the names of his children, among the list of baptisms in the Church Records. He died July 31, 1653. Winthrop commends him as 'an able and godly man.'"

A small detail worth noticing: the stone spells the name GREAUES — Winthrop wrote it "Greaves" too.

Sources:
Graves Family Association
History of Charlestown, by Richard Frothingham

Elizabeth Paine received 20 lashes.
King’s Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, Ma.

Carving: Attributed to William Mumford.
When in Boston this morning I was happy to get a better picture of this than I had.

HERE LYES
Ye BODY OF
ELIZABETH
PAIN WIFE
TO SAMUEL
PAIN AGED
NEAR 52
YEARS DEPARTED
THIS LIFE NOVEMBR
Ye 26 1704

There is no known record of Elizabeth’s parentage, we do know by court records that her last name was Payne — or perhaps Paine, as spelling was not a concern as it is today.

Based on her gravestone inscription, she was born about 1652. Elizabeth became the center of a scandal in Puritan Boston, when as an unmarried woman, she gave birth to a child out of wedlock—considered both a sin and a crime under the strict Puritan laws of the time.

On March 6, 1683, the child died, and Elizabeth was brought to trial on charges of murder. Court records show she was indicted for “wilfully murdering her child,” but she pleaded not guilty. The jury acquitted her of murder but found her guilty of negligence for failing to call for help to preserve the child’s life. For this, she was fined and sentenced to be whipped with twenty lashes.

Not long after the trial, Elizabeth married Samuel Paine and nothing is to be found of her life afterward. She died on November 26, 1704, aged about 52.

❖ Record of the Court of Assistants:
“Att the Court of Assistants Adjournment 17th of Aprill 1683.
Elisabeth Payne spinster being presented by the Grand Jury, in march last for murdering of hir child was now brought to the Barr & Indicted by the name of Elizabeth Payne spinster for not having the feare of God before hir eyes & being led by the Instigation of the divil did on or about the 6th day of march last wilfully murder hir child Contrary to the Peace of our Soueraigne Lord the king his Crowne & dignity the lawes of God and of this Jurisdiction holding vp hir hand at the Barr pleaded no' Guilty & put hirself on tryall by God & the Country — Accordingly after the Indictment & euidences produced were read Comitted to the Jury and are on file the Jury brought in their virdict not Guilty according to Indictment but greatly negligent in not Calling for help for the preservation of the childs life.

The Court on Consideration of the Case for hir fornication sentenct hir to be whipt with twenty stripes paying & dischardging the charge of hir tryall & fees of Court stands Comitted till the sentence be performed.”

❖ Connection to The Scarlet Letter?
Local lore suggests that Nathaniel Hawthorne, who knew Boston well and visited King's Chapel Burying Ground, is believed to have drawn inspiration from this stone for the description of Hester Prynne's grave at the end of the novel. The book describes a slate slab with an engraved escutcheon that can be interpreted heraldically as "ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES" (a black field with a red letter A).

N.B. The letter A when worn as a punishment for adultery was not always scarlet, it had to be a contrasting color to whatever garment it was on.

Infant Rebecca Russell
At Phipps Street Burying Ground, Charlestown, Ma.

Here Lyes The Body
of Rebekah Russell
The Daughter of Mr
Daniel & Mrs Rebekah
Russell Aged 7 Weeks
& 6 Dayes Died July
ye 13th: 1712

According to Wyman, Rebecca Russell was born May 19, baptized on the 25th of 1712, and died July 13. Her parents were the Honorable Daniel and Rebecca (Chambers) Russell. Her gravestone stands at plot L24, at the head of her great-grandmother Maud (Pitt) Russell’s table-stone, the oldest dated marker on the grounds, dated 1652.

I arrived at Phipps Street at 7:45 am following a 45 minute sojourn into Charlestown. Wishing I'd arrived earlier