Chelmsford Historical Society

Touring the Forefathers Burying Ground

Take a stroll through one of New England's oldest colonial cemeteries – the Forefathers Burying Ground in Chelmsford, Massachusetts – and meet some of this town's founding families. The first settlers of the town included families of the name: Abbott, Adams, Blodgett, Blood, Butricke, Butterfield, Byam, Chamberlin, Fletcher, Hall, Hildreth, Learned, Parker, Parkhurst, Perham, Pierce, Proctor, Reed, Spalding, and Underwood. Here you will visit the final resting places of our earliest inhabitants. The Forefathers Burying Ground is located in Chelmsford center, behind the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church originally known as the Church of Christ in Chelmsford. It contains many early stones by the Lamson, Park, Wooster stonecarvers. Work by other carvers includes Dwight, Ball, Colburn, Day, Nichols.

Courtesy of Fred Merriam

Here lies the Body
of Mrs: Betty Blood
late wife of Mr: Ephraim
Blood who depart
ed this Life Decr:
28:th 1771 Aged 58
years 7 months
& 12 days
                          dren
She was the mother of 7 Chil
which all ly at her feet.

Here lyes buried

ye body of Cornet

Nathaniel Hill

aged 64 years

died May ye 14^th

1706

Blessed are the mercifull

Willard Blood died 1747

BY the Church
of Christ In Chelmsford

In Testimony of their Esteem and Veneration
This sepulchral Stone was erected, to stand as a
Sacred Memorial of their late worthy Pastor
the Reverend Ebenezer Bridge
who after having officiated among them
in the Service of the Sanctuary
for more than a year above half a Century
the Strength of Nature being exhausted
sunk under the Burden of Age
and joined the Congregation of the Dead,
Oct. 1, 1792, Ætat 78

Willow Gate

In memory of
REV. WILKES
ALLEN
For 29 years
Pastor of the First
Church and Society
in Chelmsford
Born in Shrewsbury
July 10, 1775
Grad. Harv. Univ. 1801
Ordained Nov. 16, 1803
Retired Nov. 16, 1832
Died in Andover
Dec. 2, 1845

Elizabeth Scripture died
April ye 15th 1781, Aged 98
Courtesy of Fred Merriam

Rev. Wilson Waters, circa 1894

As the fourth rector of the church and the town historian, Rev. Waters compiled and published the History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Henry Perham started this project in 1904 at the town's request; however, he died in 1906, leaving the work incomplete.

Early inhabitants of Chelmsford

Here Lyes ye Body
of Mr. John
Perham who
Decd Janury. ye
21st 1721
Aged 88 years

Courtesy of Fred Merriam

Mrs. Lydia Perham wife of Mr. John
Perham Who deceased June 26, 1710

Courtesy of Fred Merriam

Notice the unusual thistles in the two
arches of this stone

Jonathan Barrett
Courtesy of Bradford Rigby

Lydia Barrett
Courtesy of Bradford Rigby

Here Lyes ye Body
of Mrs. Anna
Chamberlin Wife
of Mr. Samuel
Chamberlin Who
Decd April 1, 1721

Courtesy of Fred Merriam

Sybil Procter was buried far from the community of the dead, until about 100 years later when her body was re-interred from this garden. Only her stone remains...and well cared for.

RICHARD HILDRETH
AGED 88 YEARS

DIED FEBRUARY
23   1693

Benjamin Howard with eyes closed, appears to be holding his breath, not ready to leave
this place...

Here Lyes ye Body of
Mrs Elizabeth Bowers
Wife of Capt. Jerathmell
Bowers Who Decd
March 4, 1721 in ye 76th
Year of Her Age
Courtesy of Fred Merriam

Notice the crown at the top of the stone. The Barretts were of Scottish decent.
Ebenezer Barrett

Box Tomb - Souls unknown

Ministers

Rev. Thomas Clarke

Rev. Ebenezer Bridge

Rev. John Fiske

Rev. Wilson Waters

Rev. Wilkes Allen

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