Memorial Day 2025 at the GTC

    Monday, May 26th, is Memorial Day.  It has become our tradition since the recovery of the ancient Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery, to place wreaths and flags to honor the dead; the Veterans and the early residents of this East Deering area of Portland.  

    Although these are but a few of the nearly two hundred souls interred here from c. 1740 to 1894, it is important to preserve their memory in some small way.  Here are some photos for readers to enjoy:

    Wishing each of you a Happy Memorial Day 2025.

ANNUAL FAll CLEANUP and FOUNDER'S DAY at the GRAND TRUNK CEMETERY

     Sunday, October 27th, 2024 marked 14 years when Portland Girl Scouts, their families, friends and East Deering neighbors gathered to spend an afternoon at the Presumpscot, Grand Trunk Cemetery.  I believe that their working together to rake, fill bags with leaves, broken branches, tons of acorns, and planting Spring bulbs, honors the dead who resided in this area of Portland about 200 years ago, and are interred in this small burial site behind the Presumpscot School.

    In October of 2014, the cemetery was re-dedicated to the memory of the 197 souls buried here and,  Portland Girl Scouts, continuing the legacy of Samantha Allshouse and Kayla Theriault whose recover and attention to the cemetery in 2010/2011 made it possible through their Girl Scout Gold Award Project: 'Unearthing the Roots of the Back Cove and East Deering Community.'

    In 2015, the volunteer leadership of Girl Scouts of Maine Machigonne Service Unit adopted the Grand Trunk Cemetery for an annual service project by holding fall and spring cemetery cleanups and planting parties.  They have also expanded their involvement by offering other activities to honor their founder, Juliette Gordan Low at the cemetery.  In past years, therre have been games, scavenger hunts, bridging ceremonies and even a visit with 'Juliette'. 

    On this windy and blustery Sunday afternoon, about 35 Girl Scouts, family members, friends and neighbors participated.  It's exciting and gratifying to know that the attention paid to this small, but historically significant burial site continues.  A very special thanks to all those who were there at the Grand Trunk Cemetery this Sunday afternoon.

    I hope followers of the Remnant will enjoy the pictures.

 The Grand Trunk Cemetery Veterans Memorial

     

Preparing for Memorial Day 2024/Remembering May Deaths

     Despite the drizzle and dampness, Girl Scout volunteer leaders and family members gathered at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery for a mini ceremony to place flags and flowers for our 12 Veterans.

    Many thanks to the Portland Cemeteries crew who did such a fantastic job cleaning up the leaves and broken tree branches, and removing the damaged cherry tree, that there was no need for us to take out the rakes and bags. Thank you to all who participated on this rainy Sunday!

PATRIOTS DAY 2024 / April Deaths and Burials at the Grand Trunk Cemetery

      On this April 15th, 2024, Patriots Day is celebrated in recognition of the actions that propelled colonists into a great war for independence; the Revolutionary War.  In honor of their service, five Veterans who are interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery, had flags placed near their grave markers.

    Over the last several years, I have come to realize that Joseph Merrill, who we initially recognized for his participation in the War of 1812, at nearly sixty years of age, also served in the Revolutionary War as a young man.

 

   

    

    The stories of these Patriots lives can be found in the pages of this blog and I invite readers to search for them if you are so inclined.  The gesture of placing flags is a small one but I hope it serves to remind readers of the significance of the devotion to service of these Veterans.

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    There were five deaths of men and women who lived in the East Deering village and are interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery.  Among them, is also our Patriot Joseph Merrill who died in the month of April.

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Daffodils planted in the Fall are beginning to blossom and bloom!

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE

SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024

1 PM - 3 PM

    Our Annual Spring Cleanup at the GTC will take place and all are invited to spend an afternoon beautifying this small, sacred burial ground.  It is shortly  before Memorial Day, so we will hold a mini ceremony to honor all our Veterans by reading their names and placing flags at their markers. 

   I hope those of you who are local, willing and able will come.  I will keep you posted with more details soon.

MARCH DEATHS/BURIALS AT THE GRAND TRUNK CEMETERY REMEMBERED

    During the month of March there were seven recorded deaths and burials at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery. The oldest recorded death, 214 years ago is that of Simon Davis, born in Paxton, Massachusetts on September 2, 1765, and died at the age of 44 years, in East Deering Village on March 17, 1810.  Simon Davis was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and the grandfather of a Massachusetts Governor.

    Over the course of this project to retain the memory of men, women and children who lived and died in this area of Portland, only 47 names survive in record of the nearly 200 burials  that took place.

   

    Today we raise up these individuals to be remembered for adding, by their lives, to the history of a place and long ago time.  

    Two hundred years ago, two young people died this month.   Warren Small, born April 21, 1804, died at the age of 19 years, shortly before his 20th birthday on March 1, 1824.  On March 25, 1824, 23 years old Nancy Merrill died.  Unfortunately, very little is known about how or why this young man and woman died, at what some would regard, as the prime of their lives.

    Two hundred and six years ago. Lieut. Crispus Graves, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, who was born c, 1742,  died at the age of 76 on March 14, 1818.  Two other members of his family also died in the month of March.  

    Abigail Graves Sawyer, Lieut. Graves oldest daughter was born on August 13, 1765, and died at the age of 88 years on March 10, 1848.  His namesake, and grandson, Crispus Graves was born c. 1816 and died at the age of 63 years old on March 15, 1879.

       Finally, one hundred and thirty-four years ago, Elizabeth Ann Sawyer Frank died on March 14, 1890 at the age of 70 years old.

    It is my hope that readers will search through the posted pages of this blog to read more about these individuals.  The post from March 2023 contains additional information about these seven men and women.

FEBRUARY DEATHS REMEMBERED OF THOSE INTERRED AT THE PRESUMPSCOT/GRAND TRUNK CEMETERY

 Author's Note: I want to begin this post with a happy acknowledgement

of a donation made to the Maine Old Cemetery Association by Michael and Doreen Chapman on behalf of the restoration work done on behalf of the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery. The project begun some 14 years ago by two highschool Senior Girl Scouts, Samantha Allshouse and Kayla Theriault, continues through the support of Portland Girl Scout Troops, and members of the Friends of the Grand Trunk Cemetery to this day.

The donation will contribute to the MOCA Memorial Fund and further the Association's goals in preserving Maine's old cemeteries.

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    We acknowledge and remember four deaths and burials in the month of February:

    SUSANNA BARTON SAWYER, born in 1765, and died aet. 40 years 

on February 6, 1805.

    SAMUEL BLAKE, born August 3, 1793, and died aet. 52 years on

February 14, 1846.

    ANN AMBLER MOSELEY,born c. 1799 in England, and died aet. 57 years

on February 24, 1856.

    ISAAC SAWYER, SR.,born February 14, 1684 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and died one day before his 88th birthday, on 

February 13, 1772.  Isaac Sawyer, referred to as Father Sawyer in the journal of the Rev. Dean who attended his funeral and burial on February 15, 1772.

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    Followers of this blog will find a post about Isaac Sawyer dated February 13, 2019, and which contains information about the Sawyer brothers who settled in what is now Portland and South Portland, having migrated up the coast from Gloucester between 1719 and 1725.

    Please find and read previous posts published about the other deceased mentioned if you wish to know more about each of them.  My hope is that this is a way of keeping their memory alive.

January Deaths Remembered

  am re-posting this piece in remembrance of Eva Ella Boothby, age 27 months old and Irish School Master, Timothy Galvin who died in this month of January, and are interred at the Presumpscot/ Grand Trunk Cemetery. Readers may wish to follow up with articles published in The Remnnant.

REMNANTGTC.BLOGSPOT.COM

January Deaths: In Memorium: Eva Ella Boothby and Timothy Galvin