Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-10-06

|
For the proposed amendment in re-
lation to codfcation of the
Amended Constitution, 1854 3,262
| The Old Cemetery by Georges Niver-An
| Euteresting Look into the Past.
Taking boat down the river Gu a pleasant
summers day, we effected landing at the old
graveyard some two miles below tide water, with
some difficulty, however, on account Of low tide;
at other times it is easy The yard is some ten
rods from the west bank Of the river, above high
water, upon a point Of land extending like
tongue out into the marsh and between two small
rivulets. The land is owned by VIM. Spear, and
was No. 80 of the Waldo patent, set apart for the
purpose Of the support Of the gospel. Upon this
| lot was built the first church in Warren, situated
at the southeast corner of the yard, all traces Of
which have long since vanished, although those
| acquainted point out the site. 1t must have been
a rude structure, as it was built among the first
| buildings in the settlement when supplies and ma
terias were scarce. The yard contains about one
half acre Of land, in delightful state OF dilapda-
tion surrounded by fine growth Of frs set out
| in the form of hedge, and now grown very reg
| ular)y to about six inches in diameter and about
| a foot apart. Man set them out and nature has
| bcautifed them. On the south side is q picket
fence in fair repair, while the entrance is sadly
| torn down, and the rest is unfenced. Two Or
three large oaks grow in the yard, which bear in
tals OF the hylng, so one may say, both the living
and dead are here. Bushes have had the rule
| mostly, and cattle have been the chief visitors.
| Occas onally some one has cut down the growing
underbrush, but left it to add to the rest of the de-
| caying matter and debris.
| Most Of the graves not tlaceable; part are
| marked BY common slate stone laid into the
| head of the grave, while few have survived
| the lapse of time and destruction, and tell the
story that "IIere lies the body" Some are brok-
en- and displaced; others are cracked eff, and
few look as if the boys had supplied the school
| |, 20 ,apG hon m
play duck with. We are unable to tell the
number of graves here, but we should judge that
their were many, because from the settlement OF
the town in 1876 till 1894, this was all the public
| burying ground in Warren. Old Robert Spear
says it IS full, but found less than twenty and
were only enabled to decipher twelve Inscriptions
| These mostly include the founders of Warren
| Many must have been aged then. as some reached
back into the latter part of the seventeenth CEN
fury, as VIM. james, died in 100, aged " years.
The earliest in. crptlon is that of John McLeen,
died l7i3, one of the old patent holders under
Waldo, as was James. Hugh Scott and Capt.
| Thomas kirkpatrick lie here, who were also OF tie
original holders. The latter, as a leader in the
Indian wars, became a terror to aborigines, As is
| shown by their name for him, Tom klll-the -dev
! H." Iii, friends called him Tom oInd-the-
| devil" But the most noted character, whose re-
mains sleep in this yard, is that Of DR. John Martin
Shatfcr died 1884, aged "a years. He came from
| New York to Boston and thence to Broad Bay,
now Waldohoro, as a German Lutheran preacher
for the consideration Of f3 and two days work
from each parish ,ner. His ability as preacher
| was excellent, and his requirements good, but bis
morals were not above question. interruptions
in business unfai,hfu TO his family ties, and given
| TO dissipation ard Righteousness yet he held sway
| as minister many years, till he could no longer
get an audience to hear him. He added to his
work and business, the practice OF physician,
and held such sway over his Pensioners that they
had no choice in the matter of his doctoing One
abomnable practice was bleeding each member Of
the family each spring, and collecting hity cents
| per head. The money wrung out Of the pa
| tient with an iron hand. He had fee for every
funeral marriage and baptism, and collected a.
,cays IN adrance. He would have made good
printer.
These things Gll,d his Golfers, and wLile at first
he cloaked his sin, wealth emboldened him to
throw it off. lie went on from bad 10 worse, and
| excused himself in his improper behavior by say
| inn, when have my plack coat on den am
minister, and you must do as l say but when
| have my green coat on, den l am tccor. lie
moved TO Warren a few years before he died, and
while on visit TO Boston, his house was broken
| into the won.un were bound, and he was Ie-
eved of much CT his ill-gotten gain The people
tried to find the thief, but when effort failed said
| il was all right he got his money by meanness.
He never recovered from the loss, and this, togeth
er with his Flip" killed him. We may not say
peace to his ashes, but can say that other ages
| were cursed by bad men as we'll as ours.
The inscriptions on the he adstones show conclu-
siYely that the people believed in the death Of the
| body and not OF the split. Here Is an example :;
"IIeie lies the Jody of John 'elmond, who de-
parted this life Mar 6, l712" Nearly all the stones
had either death bones or a cherub on the lnscrlp-
| ton. Titef were scarce; not alwaEs MI Is to be
| found, and sentiment almost entirely wanting,
| Here is the only one--an exact COPY:
"Stop here my Friend and cast an Eye,
| As YOU are row, so Once was l.
! As am now so you must be,
Prepare for de ath and follow me"
The history of this yard is meagtr, but II must
have been laid out pretty soon after the settlene emit
| as one grave hears the date Of l743. While hts
,Grr is thus si'ert in rF laiioa to s .Q,2eir. has
| always been haiiowcd spot, where fhe townsihan
| has pointed with pleasure to relic, and stranger
has liz ed to wander, tho the place. 1t is out OF the
way, with little difficulty it is accessible by way
| of the river, and by road the main road beng
| some u nile away. The town also has voted sew
cral times to fence and repair the grounds But by
| the appearance. the work has been done in the
| town meeting and not so much in the yard. His
torCal relics are scarce in Maine, on account OF
the wanton destruction of them, the needless
neglect to care for them.
These places furnish that enjoyment for the low
or of the old in these centennial times. Here at
the mouth Of the Georges and on the outer island,
the settlements were among the first in America.
As long ago as 1908 Monte gan was known. Let
the pride of our fathers who gave us this land md
a counterpart in our ambition to preserve these
tokens as memorials of the past and taiismen foi
the future.
And thus must close our centennial on the
Georges. When our Historical Society (sen'con-
stituted) conyenes again, and sends representa-
ves to hunt up old and forgotten lore, tlowerl We
will remember the journal W.