The Old Burying Ground Article No. 2
From the St John Daily Telegraph
October 27, 1874
Author Unknown
A ruinous monument in the form of a sarcophagus
marks the last resting place of Wm WANTON who died on 30th of May, 1816, aged
82 years, having as the tablet informs us, filled the Office of Collector of
Customs for the port of St. John for upwards of 30 years. He was a native of
Rhode Island and a loyalist. He settled in this Province after the Peace in
1783 and soon after became Collector of Customs. In 1801 he went to England
with his wife in the mast ship "Duke of Kent". She survived her
husband eight years, dying at Exeter, England in 1824.
In the southwestern section of the ground is a
stone with the following inscription:
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In memory of |
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Elizabeth SCOVIL |
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Wife of |
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William SCOVIL, Esq. |
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and daughter of |
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Reverend Mather BYLES,
D.D. |
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Born 9th May 1767 |
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Died 13 Nov. 1808 |
Dr. BYLES was the second Rector of St. John and son
of a very distinguished clergyman of the same name, who was a graduate of
Harvard and first pastor of the Hollis St. Church, Boston. Dr. BYLES, Jr. who
came to St. John was, like his father, a graduate of Harvard, where he took his
first degree in 1751, and became a Congregationalist minister in New London,
Connecticut. Leaving that body in 1768, he was, the same year, inducted rector
of Christ Church, Boston. He continued to discharge his ministerial duties
until 1775, when political troubles compelled him to abandon his flock. In 1776
he went to Halifax, where he became Garrison Chaplain and in 177_ he was
proscribed and banished which under the circumstances, was a rather superfluous
proceeding.
On the death of Rev. George BISSET in 1788, Dr.
BYLES became rector of St. John. He was the first clergyman that ever preached
in Trinity Church which was first used in 1791. He died in March 1814, in the
80th year of his age, having been Rector for 26 years. He was buried, we
believe, in the Old Burying Ground, but his monument, if any ever was erected,
has now vanished.
The Rev. George PIDGEON was the successor of Dr.
Byles and the third Rector of St. John. He also is interred in the Old Burying
Ground. His grave is on the east side of the ground, a short distance from the
centre path and to the south of it. The stone is a large flat one, on which the
lettering is very much wasted and difficult to decipher. The following is the
legend upon it:
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Under this stone are
placed the earthly |
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remains of |
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The Rev. George PIDGEON |
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formerly of Trinity
College, Dublin, late |
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Rector of this Parish and
Ecclesiastical |
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Commissary in this
Province twenty three |
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years. He died May 6th,
1818 aged 57 |
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years |
Mr. Pidgeon was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1761
and after graduating at Trinity College, Dublin, became an Ensign in the
Rifles, and served for some time in America during the war, after which he went
to Halifax and took orders in the Church. He became Rector of Fredericton and
Ecclesiastical Comissary in (1795?) and in 1814 on the death of Dr. BYLES was
chosen Rector of St. John. Much of the time during which he was Rector of St.
John, he was confined to his house by ill health.
The fourth Rector of St. John is not buried here.
He was Rev. Robert WILLIS, formerly Chaplain in the Royal Navy. After filling
the office of Rector here for seven years, he, in 1825, became Rector of St.
Paul's, Halifax, and afterwards Archdeacon of Nova Scotia, dying in 1865 at the
venerable age of 80 years. Even here, however, he is not without a memorial.
South of the centre path and not far from the east side of the ground is a flat
stone with the inscription:
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To the Memory of Ann
Maria WILLIS |
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wife of Rev. Robert
Willis, Rector of |
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this Parish and
Ecclesiastical Commissary of |
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this Province and eldest
daughter of Thomas HEAVISIDE |
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and Elizabeth HEAVISIDE
who departed this |
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life on Nov. 29?th, 1821,
aged 21 years. |
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Also to the Memory of her |
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father, Thomas HEAVISIDE
who died on |
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the 29th day of July,
1833, in the 64th year of |
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his age. |
The fifth and sixth rectors of St. John, Rev. B.G.
GRAY, D.D., and his son Rev. I.W.D. GRAY, D.D., both died after the Old
Baurying Ground ceased to be used, and consequently are buried elsewhere.
The body of the first Rector of St. John, however,
Rev. George BISSETT, A.M. who died in 1788, though not originally interred in
the Old Burying Ground, having been originally buried in the graveyard on
Germain Street, was subsequently removed to the former, and placed in the
Putnam tomb, where it still remains. Mr. BISSETT was an Englishman, and
assistant and afterwards Rector of Trinity Church, New York. He was a profound
scholar and a man of parts.
The Putnam tomb, which is in fact a vault, is
situated on the hill south of the centre path, and a few yards from the east
side of the ground. It is surrounded by a sarcophagus of marble, surrounded by
an iron railing. With one exception, it is the best preserved place of
interment on the ground. The following is inscribed upon it:
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Sacred to the memory of
the Honorable James PUTNAM, |
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who was appointed a
member of His Majesty's Council and |
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a Justice of the Supreme
Court, in the organization of |
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the Government of this
Province at its original foundation in 1784. |
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He had been for many
years before the war |
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which terminated in the
independence of the |
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United States of America
an eminent barrister-at-law, |
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and was the last Attorney
General under |
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His Majesty in the late
Province of Massachusetts Bay. |
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Died 23rd Oct, 1789, aged
64 years. |
The inscription goes on to state that his widow and
several members of his family are buried in the same vault. Mr. PUTNAM was a
graduate of Harvard and was related to the Whig General Israel PUTNAM. His son
James took up his residence in England, where he died in 1838. He had been a
member of the household of the Duke of Kent (Queen Victoria's father) and was
one of his executors.
From:
Daniel F Johnson: Volume 36 Number 266 Rank 182
Date : October 27, 1874
County : Saint John
Place : Saint John
Newspaper : The Daily Telegraph
PANB Newspaper Vital Stats
http://archives.gnb.ca/Archives/SearchPortal.aspx?L=EN&Key=29
To the Editor of the 'Telegraph'
Sir, In article No. 2 on this subject (Old Burying
Ground) it is rightly stated that neither Rev. Dr. GRAY Sr. nor Rev. Dr. GRAY
Jr., Rectors of Trinity Church, was interred in the Old Burying Ground, but the
writer has overlooked the fact that the wife of the senior (who was the mother
of the junior) or so much of her charred remains as could be discovered after
the fire, was buried in the Old Burying Ground, together with the remains of
the servant girl, who lost her life in a vain attempt to save her mistress in
the fearful fire of Sunday morn., the 13th of November 1833 which totally
consumed the residence of Rev. Dr. B.G. GRAY and all its contents, including
all the parish registers up to that date. The remains of both mistress and maid
were buried in the same grave, side by side, in coffins exactly alike made (I
think) by Alex. LAWRENCE father of Messrs, J.& G. LAWRENCE.
At that time I resided close to the scene of the
fire and when old Dr. GRAY narrowly escaped with his own life, with no other
clothing than his night dress, dressing gown and slippers, he took refuge in my
house, requesting me to take charge of the search for the bodies in the ruins;
and he had to borrow clothing from me till new clothes could be made for him.
Yours truly,
G. BLATCH,
Oct. 30th, 1874.
(For account of fire see Vital Statistics From New
Brunswick Newspapers Volume 4)
End