ROCHESTER — Rochester Historical Society member Connie Eshbach said she likes “gravestones that tell a story.”

Eshbach and Historical Society member Susan LaFleur led a group through Center Cemetery in Rochester to uncover the history of notable town-folk on Sunday, June 11. 

Eshbach pointed out headstones including those of the Leonard and Haskell families, who have contributed to the development of Rochester.

Many of the gravestones are made of slate and have been weathered over time. Some even have an abundance of yellow lichen. Eshbach and LaFleur noted that these conditions can make it difficult to read the stones. 

According to LaFleur, John Haskell lived on New Bedford Road with his wife Dorothy before his death in 1875. 

“He was considered the village doctor,” said LaFleur, who noted that his role was of “great importance” being that he was one of the only highly educated people in the town.

Further into the cemetery LaFleur told the story behind George Ellis’s family gravesite. According to LaFleur, Ellis died in 1850 while taking part in the California Gold Rush.

“A lot of them thought that they would go out there and make some money but a lot of them didn’t even come home,” said LaFleur. 

LaFleur also told of the mystery surrounding the death of Ellis’s son, George Robinson Ellis, who was “lost at sea” at the age of 17 in 1845.

“It is a good guess that he might have been on a whale ship,” said LaFleur. “Many of the young men back then signed out to whale ships to get out of town and see the world and make some money.”

Those on the tour also learned more about the cemetery’s crypt located near the front of the property. According to Eshbach, the crypt was used to store bodies in the winter months. 

“All cemeteries had [crypts] back then because they could not dig a grave when it was cold out,” said Eshbach, who explained that the frozen ground makes it impossible to dig graves.

LaFleur also noted that Rochester’s original joint meeting house and church was located in the back of the cemetery. 

“I found that in the early days it wasn’t just a cemetery,” said LaFleur. “It was also used for grazing, I found one note from 1804 where a man was allowed permission to graze his sheep here for a year.”

According to LaFleur, Center Cemetery is 325 years old and is still in use today. 

“That is a long time to remain in use,” said LaFleur. “Most of the old cemeteries in the area only went so far.”