A Brief History of the Old Burial Ground

Southborough Historical Society

Southborough, MA

A Brief History of the Old Burial Ground

The First Town Meeting held Aug 28, 1727 was held in the house of Timothy Brigham, which stood on the Southeast Corner of the junction of Rte 85 & Rte. 30. The 7^th article on the warrant was “ Then, proposed and voted that the place or piece of land next of the way west of Timothy Brigham’s house, formerly ruled and deeded in order for a burying place should be the burying place for our town in case it can be obtained”. This piece was “three acres granted and set apart for accommodation for a Meeting House, for a burying place and for a training field forever.” The survey of the parcel of land was accepted December 20, 1727.

Tuesday March 1, 1757 at 12 of the clock at noon, Town Meeting “voted to build a stone wall Round the burying place in said town and to begin said work on the first Tuesday of April next.”

Monday March 3, 1760 at 12 of the clock at noon a town meeting was held at the Publick meeting house in Southborough. One of the items to be voted on was; “For the town to determine what shall be done further toward fencing and subduing the brush in the burying yard.

The town meeting reconvened on Wednesday March 19, 1760 at 1 o’clock in the afternoon at which time it was voted that Nathan Bridges “improve the burying yard for feeding for the space of three years next following he paying unto the town Six Shillings a year and keep down the brush.”

The Burial Ground was used until 1842 when it was declared full and the newer Rural Cemetery on Rte. 85 a short distance south of the old Burial Ground was put into use. Some burial plots had been set aside for wives and children in the Old Burial Ground and the latest stone marker for burial in the OBG is marked 1895, grave #8 in Survey. Grave #35 dated 1730 is the earliest stone. Possible earliest burial is Margaret Newton, Nov. 7, 1728.

There 319 stones in the OBG accounting for 365 persons. There are many blank spaces and probably many more graves are there having no markers. In the 1938 Hurricane many fine trees were uprooted, shattering stones as they fell. A search of the town records shows there were a total of 819 definite burials in the OBG and 307 more possible burials for a total of 1126.

A list of individuals who died in Southborough between 1727 and 1794 and are probably buried in Southborough but for which there is no known site nor marker can be seen at this link. Many of these were likely buried in the OBG located in the un-marked gravesites.

This article, to which I have added a few short paragraphs, was first written by Lois McCarthy, Chairman SHC. Russell Horne