The Epitaph
Winter 2024 Newsletter
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Photo Credit: Michael Lally |
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AN ACTIVE BURIAL PLACE RICH IN HISTORY |
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Greetings!
Welcome to the winter 2024 edition of The Epitaph, Lowell Cemetery's seasonal newsletter.
Established in 1841, Lowell Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 18,000 souls. In life, a number of these people were well-known in the city (and elsewhere, too) for notable achievements including, but not limited to, business, a profession, public or military service. There are many interesting stories to share and this winter edition of The Epitaph will touch on several.
February, Black History Month, will be here shortly. With that in mind, the Epitaph will introduce you to Dr. Samuel Till Birmingham, a prominent member in the pre-Civil War Abolitionist movement, who lived on Tanner Street. In addition, we provide a link to the Lowell Historical Society's article on Artemas Brooks, whose house on Fletcher Street was part of the Underground Railroad, used to hide runaway slaves from capture. Both the Birmingham and Brooks families are buried in Lowell Cemetery.
March (Women's History Month) is not too far down the calendar, and we present the sad tale of Rebecca Caverly and her daughter, Amy.
Have a healthy and happy 2024.
F. Alex Wilson, President
Lowell Cemetery
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Artemas L. Brooks
(1803-1878)
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The Lowell Cemetery is the site of many illustrious Abolitionist and Free Soiler burials. One of the foremost participants in the Underground Railroad was Artemas Lucius Brooks, who is profiled in the current Lowell Historical Society newsletter:
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Photo credit: Brad MacGowen |
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Lost at Sea: The Caverly Family Monument |
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A cenotaph is a monument dedicated to someone buried elsewhere. The English word “cenotaph” is from the Greek compound word kenotaphian: kenos “empty” and taphos “tomb.” These monuments honor individuals or the memory of a group of people. Cenotaphs were often erected when bodies were lost at sea and can be found either in family lots or near the spot where tragedy struck.
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The Isles of Scilly, an archipelago on the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England, is the site of the shipwreck of the S.S. Schiller on May 7, 1875. The German ferry left New York City carrying 254 passengers, 118 crew, and valuable cargo of sewing machines and gold coins. On the way to Hamburg, Germany, via Southampton, England, the ship encountered fog and ended up hitting the Retarrier Ledges near the Island of St. Agnes. The 337 souls on board were lost in the wreck, including two members of the Caverly Family of Lowell. |
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Rebecca Crosby Caverly was born in Salisbury, MA, in 1831 to Nathan and Rebecca Crosby. Judge Nathan Crosby served in the Lowell Police Court for more than 40 years. Rebecca married Zachariah Caverly, a Lowell lawyer, in 1856. He then traveled to South America to serve the U.S. Government. Rebecca accompanied him and their daughter Amy was born there in 1858. A son, Cecil, was born in Lowell a year later. Zachariah retired due to his health, and later died in South Carolina in 1862. He is buried in the Lowell Cemetery in the Crosby family lot on Clematis Path. |
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Rebecca and her daughter Amy were traveling to Europe on the S.S. Schiller when it wrecked in 1875. Most of the bodies recovered were buried in mass graves in St. Mary’s Churchyard on the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall, England. There are two cenotaphs for Rebecca and Amy Caverly; one in England and the other erected on the Crosby family lot in Lowell Cemetery.
The word CENOTAPH is carved into the face of the Lowell Cemetery’s Caverly monument. A rustic wooden cross carved from marble with a flower garland tops a pile of rocks. A carved scroll reads, “Mother and Daughter, Lost at Sea.” This monument was most likely erected by Judge Nathan Crosby to honor his daughter and granddaughter. Interestingly, the judge was buried in this family lot in 1885 but has a cenotaph in the Dartmouth College Cemetery in NH where his father is buried.
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Photo Credits:
Family Portraits: via family member tree https://www.ancestry.com
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The answer to whether a war memorial is considered a cenotaph depends on a few factors. The memorial must not only look like a tomb or a mausoleum, but it must also specifically honor the fallen soldiers, not a war or battle.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery is an example of a cenotaph. It honors all soldiers whose remains have not been found or identified.
This photo was taken by an Army Soldier assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” maintains the vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Feb. 2, 2021.
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gabriel Silva
.Taken on 2 February 2021, 11:44
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Dr. Samuel Till Birmingham
(1800-1896)
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Save the Date!
“Sad, Curious Death of Mary Ann Birmingham” by Joe Orfant,
Sunday, April 7, 2 p.m. Talbot Chapel, Lowell Cemetery.
Sponsored by the Lowell Historical Society and Lowell Cemetery. Limited seating, Reservation info will be posted on https://www.lowellcemetery.com/
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Join us to hear about the true story of “death by poisoning” of 26-year-old Mary Ann Birmingham in 1861. Joe Orfant will lead us through a tale of betrayal, deceit and scandals. The story involves fugitive slaves, the Underground Railroad, fringe medical practices, and the Lowell Cemetery. One of the major characters in the story is Mary Anne’s father, Dr. Samuel Till Birmingham. |
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Dr. Birmingham was a physician of both African and Wampanoag heritage who lived with his family on Tanner St., Lowell. He married his wife, Elizabeth Bailey in 1825, in Philadelphia. They had three children, Elizabeth, John, and Mary Ann. Elizabeth died in 1843 and was buried in the African American Bethel Cemetery in Philadelphia. Dr. Birmingham married Annie Graham in 1848 and they had nine children. |
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By 1854, the Birmingham family was living in Lowell, and Dr. Birmingham had a thriving practice. According to research done by Andrew Patch of the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Assoc., Dr. Birmingham appears as a tenant lease holder in 1862. According to Patch, he purchased a cottage at 3 Forest Circle, Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, in 1865 making it likely the first black-owned cottage in Oak Bluffs. |
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Dr. Birmingham was well-connected in Boston society. Among the collections in the Boston Athenaeum is a photo album he gave to Harriet Hayden (1816-1893), an antislavery activist who lived on Beacon Hill in Boston. Her home was a place of refuge on the Underground Railroad protecting those being hunted by the Fugitive Slave Act. |
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Included in Harriet’s photo album are portraits of Annie Birmingham and two of the Birmingham children taken by Gilchrest of 92 Merrimack St., c. 1860. Annie is identified as “Mrs. Dr. Birmingham” and is shown in a full-length portrait, with her left hand resting on a newel post. She is wearing a full-length dress featuring pagoda sleeves, a white collar, and a dark bow at her neck. The children are seated, facing the camera, and they are all dressed up. A little girl on the left wears a knee-length polka dot dress with a white ruffled collar and cuffs. A child on the right is in a knee-length tunic with decorative trimming. The images speak to the power and politics of portraiture and make the high status of the Birmingham family in Lowell, and in Greater Boston area, very clear. |
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Dr. Birmingham bought a large burial lot in the Lowell Cemetery in 1854. He chose an area on Oberlin Ave., very near the Ayer Lion. Join us on April 7th to hear more about Dr. Birmingham and the circumstances of his daughter Mary Ann Birmingham’s very suspicious death. |
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Photo credits:
Portrait of Dr. Birmingham, www.findagrave.com
Portaits of Annie Birmingham and children, https://cdm.bostonathenaeum.org/digital/collection/p16057coll52
Photo of 3 Forest Circle, Oak Bluffs, www.zillow.com
For more information on the Birmingham Oak Bluffs cottage: https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2022/02/21/community-rediscovered-black-history-oak-bluffs-campground
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Private Tours of Lowell Cemetery
Private tours for school groups, garden clubs, historical societies, and social organizations can be arranged by contacting the Cemetery office at: [email protected]
or by calling the Cemetery office at:
978-454-5191
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Photo credits: Michael Lally |
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The Lowell Cemetery is a private, non-municipal, non-denominational, garden-style cemetery located in Lowell, Massachusetts.
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Address:
77 Knapp Avenue
Lowell, MA 01852
Phone:
978-454-5191
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