The Rochester Historical Society has taken a lot of time this year to explore the town’s history through its cemeteries. In the most recent installment of From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society, Connie Eshbach of the Rochester Historical Society shares some of the history of those cemeteries and the importance of their preservation. She is hoping to gather volunteers to help preserve these local gems. 

The Historical Society this year has been frequently focused on cemeteries. I suppose that's not completely surprising since we preserve and investigate the history of a town that will be celebrating its 350th anniversary inside of a decade. Previously, I have written about both the private cemetery in the center of town as well as the seven town- owned cemeteries.

In addition to these, there are other "burial" grounds scattered around Rochester. None of these are active or accessible to the public. They do, however, offer insight into the past and into the genesis of some of today's cemeteries. Studying Plymouth in school, we learned that the first Pilgrims to arrive buried their dead in unmarked graves so as not to alert the Native Americans of their dwindling numbers. This tradition continued into colonial times, even as the fear of attack faded.

Early Rochester residents tended to live on land that extended beyond today's suburban yards, and it was not unusual for families to bury their dead on their own property. Over the years it has not been uncommon throughout New England, for small family plots or unmarked graves to upset the plans of developers. The Rochester Historical survey mentions some of these burial sites.

In Rochester's early days, the Ellis family had a small plot with two stones for the husband and wife. It's believed the couple's children are in the Ellis Cemetery off Wolf Island Rd. in what is today's Matttapoisett. The other family plots mentioned in the survey are those of the Perry family where about 20 family members are interred. The Pierce family also had a small plot where three family members were buried, probably prior to the creation of a larger cemetery. Joseph and Polly Pierce are interred here along with a stone for their son, Caleb, who was lost at sea while on his passage from Charleston to New York in 1812.

In the years since the survey was done, these small plots have disappeared into larger cemeteries or the onslaught of time and Mother Nature. As anyone knows who has walked a cemetery that dates back centuries, the passage of time causes the deterioration and even disappearance of older grave markers. We, here, at the Historical Society feel a connection to the Woodside Cemetery which shares the site of our museum. While it is a town owned cemetery, we can see that it needs some extra attention. We are thinking of gathering a group of people who would like to do some sprucing up of the cemetery. That could mean anything from picking up litter and fallen branches, to cleaning stones or cutting back encroaching nature. If interested you can get in touch by emailing mbp43mack@gmail.com, eshbach2@aol.com or sash48@comcast.net.