Some 2022 Facts and Figures

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• To date, volunteers have cleaned 1,118 gravestones and gathered data on more than 1,385 individuals.

• Marble grave markers (46%), dominant during most of the 19th century, now outnumber the older slate headstones (40%) in the inventory of cleaned stones. Granite markers currently account for 13% of total cleaned stones, a reflection of the more recent 20th century burials inventoried in section A. 

• Thirty-one inventoried stones include the title "Capt."

• Thirty-one stones mention men who were lost at sea.

• Over the years, David and Pauline Schafer have identified 50 men buried in Ancient Cemetery who were Revolutionary War patriots. The Schafers have cleaned more than 140 headstones memorializing these men and their family members and contributed corresponding research relevant to each patriot’s war-related service. Bravo! 

• The old section of Ancient Cemetery has burials from at least 7 different wars: French/Indian, Revolutionary, Civil, World War I, World War II, Korean, and Vietnam War.

• Our data still show that October is the month with the highest number of deaths and January the month with the lowest number of deaths.

• For infants and young children, the warmest summer months remain the deadliest, while those over age of 80 mostly died in the coldest months.

• More than 204 people in our current inventory (about 15%) lived beyond the age of 80, while 110 infants (8%) died before they reached 2 years of age. 

• There are 296 stones for a wife, widow, relict, or consort, and 1 stone for a husband or widower.

• The most common family names remain much the same but have changed positions in this year's tally: Matthews (115), Taylor (105), Hallet (98), Eldridge (92), and Thacher (79), with Bray and Hamblin following.

• The most common female names are Mary (68), Sarah/Sally (52), Elizabeth/Betsey (45), and Hannah (31), with Thankful and Lucy following.

• For males, common given names are John (46), James (27), Thomas (27), Joseph (24), and William (24), with Isaac, Charles, and Samuel following.

• By far the greatest number of newly inventoried stones display little or no decoration. The winged skulls and faces, suns, swags, urns, and weeping trees disappeared as people turned to the purity of white marble, paired with a more modern 'tasteful' simplicity. 

• The earlier, mostly slate, headstones with winged skulls, faces, or setting/rising suns account for 13% of the stones. Urns, weeping willows, and swags add up to 33%. The most prevalent ‘nondescript' or no-design stones make up the majority, with 44%. Florals, geometrics, religious and "other" account for the remaining 10%.