Over the course of the twelve years,in an effort to piece together from few existing facts, the life stories of the early residents interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery, I am always surprised by little things that suddenly become clearer. An example of this; on the same day, December 6th, though 15 years apart, a brother and sister-in-law, died. The woman's mother, also died iin December and hers is the oldest, surviving recorded death and burial in 1793. These three individuals are connected to the Sawyer and Graves families. Two other individuals have connections to the Blake families who lived on farms adjacent to the area which encompasses the burial ground.
We have come to believe that the Presumpscot Cemetery dates back to the 1700's, and in all probability, was established by the Sawyer family, with the death of Issac Sawyer, Jr. who died in 1749. Over the more than 100 years, until the last burial in 1894, we believe there were at least 197 burials. Most records are gone, and there are only remnants of stones, where once, there were monuments. This blog is my effort to provide information I've been able to glean from available resources, and where possible, to write something about the forty-five people whose names survive in record, out of the 197 so that they will be remembered.
It was, and is, my hope, to continue to remember these individuals during the month that they died, and write a little bit, with the hope of inticing readers to look up the earlier posts to learn more about them.
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DECEMBER DEATHS
Jonas Johnson died on December 2, 1837, aet. 55 years. Jonas was the son of Amos (1750 -1825) and Betty Pollard Johnson (1763-1813), born in Pelham, Hillsborough, New Hampshire on February 3rd, 1783.
At the age of thirty-three, Jonas married Charlotte Blake (1795-1875), the daughter of Thomas (1765-1832) and Sarah Libby Blake (1771-1869), on November 30, 1816.
Jonas Johnson was a cordwainer by trade; a maker of fine shoes and boots.
Susannah Merrill Graves died on December 4th, 1793, aet. 48 years. Susannah was born on October 9, 1745 to Joseph (1700-1775) and Abigail Blake Merrill (1726 -1775) in Falmouth, now Portland. Her paternal grandparents were Nathaniel Merrill (1676-1742) and Hannah Kent Merrill (1679-1736). Her maternal grandparents were Jasper Blake and Susannah Brackett Blake.
Susannah married Lieut. Crispus Graves (1742-18180 on May 2, 1765. She was the mother of three children: Abigail Graves Sawyer (1766 -1848), Tabitha Graves Sawyer (1768- 1857), and Andrew (1774-1860).
John Sawyer, Jr. died on December 6th, 1842 aet. 82 years. John was one of twelve children born to Anthony Sawyer (1735-1804) and Susannah Marston Sawyer (1738-1819). He was born on November 13, 1760.
John Sawyer served in the militia during the Revolutionary War,(July 1, 1779) when he was 18 years old and continued to serve until the end of the war. He also served during the War of 1812.
The Rev. Caleb Bradley presided at the marriage of John to Abigail Graves (1765-1819), on April 22,1790. The couple had five children during their 29 years of marriage. Sadly, only one son survived into adulthood. Joel sawyer was born in 1805 and died at the age of 69 years in 1874.
Tabitha Graves Sawyer died on December 6th, 1857, aet. 88 years. She was the daughter of Lieut. Crispus Graves and Susannah Merrill Graves. On January 3rd, 1793, she married William Sawyer (1763-1825).
Unfortunately, like her sister, Abigail, and brother-in-law, John Sawyer, Tabiitha and her husband also lost two of their children at very young ages. Two sons would survive into adulthood: Joseph Merrill Sawyer (1795 -1876) and Crispus Sawyer(1804-1873).
Dorcas Whitten Sawyer, Daughter-in-law, of Tabitha Graves Sawyer and William Sawyer, died on December 15th, 1856, aet.55 years. Very little information is known about her heritage. She was born around 1801 and married Joseph Merrill Sawyer (1745 - 1875) sometime before 1832.)
Dorcas and Joseph had four children during their 24 years of marriage: Joseph Merrill Sawyer, Jr. (1832-1835), David Sawyer (1836-1862), Sarah J. Sawyer (1838-1904), and Mary Elizabeth Sawyer-Chick (1841-1888).
James Mosely died on December 10th, 1892, aet. 56 years,5 months in Deering of a cerebral hemorage. James was born, one of four children to Thomas and Ann Ambler Mosely in Manayunk, Pennsylvania in 1836. His parents came from England to Pennsylvania where his father Thomas was employed in manufactoring.
Sometime after his father's death, the family moved to Rhode Island. It was here, that James and his brothers enlisted, and served during the Civil War.
James and his mother and sister moved to Portland, Maine. Sarah Mosely married John H. Blake.
James was an iron worker until his death. James and his mother, Ann are buried at the Grand Trunk Cemetery.
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If you wish to know more about these men and women, follow the listings in this blog.
On a personal note: January 15th was National Hat Day. I knit and felt one of a kind hats for women and children.
This year, I held a Hat Party at our home in Portland and invited folks to stop by. I decided to donate half of the proceeds toward flowers to plant at the GTC in the late spring when we hold our annual Cleanup and Planting Party. Happily, one hundred dollars has been set aside for this purpose.
I may have asked this before, so please excuse me Marianne. I have never found any record of Ebenezer Hilton, of Old Falmouth, after the American Revolution. He was serving in local militia all the Revolution, and stayed in the Cape Elizabeth area. I believe the ship he owned and the wharf at which it was moored, both burned in the Mowatt fire. His wife, Ami Sawyer Hilton, claimed the most or almost the most money to be paid to her by the Boston courts. The report is in the back of Willis' History of Portland. She was also given a lot in New Portland. Thank you.
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