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Walnut Street Cemetery including the Old Burying Ground, est. 1717 |
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Brookline Town Records 1838-1857, pp 75-77, 83.
(Brookline Public Library: [Brookline Room] 974.45 B81)
Meeting, March 6, 1843.
The report of the Cemetery Committee was read and accepted by vote as follows:--
CEMETERY COMMITTEE REPORT.
The cemetery committee for the town of Brookline, since presenting the last annual Report, have effected the further sales of five lots for family interments in the new burial ground, and two small lots in old gound, where interments had been previously made; The proceeds of which have furnished the means for completing the broad avenue through the gravel ridge, and preparing for sale twelve new lots bordering on the broad avenue on the easterly side of the grounds; Also for turfing the bank on the east and south sides of the high ridge, for procuring and planting an additional number of 160 ornamental trees and making many other improvements.
The centre ridge has been dug over, covered with loom and sowed with grass seed; a new survey & plan of the grounds have been made by E. F. Woodward, embracing all the improvements and delineating all the lots and avenues which have been laid out.
The whole number of lots laid out, delineated and numbered on the plan is 49. Thirteen of which have been sold, besides the two small lots in the old ground before named.
Applications having occasionally been made for the interment of nonresidents, your committee have judged it expedient to institute an order requiring the payment of five dollars each, for all such interments, where no special claim of previlege existed. In consequence of offensive exhalations which are occasionally emitted from Tombs built in Banks with the front wall open to the atmosphere, your committee have found it necessary to establish an order, requiring all Tombs hereafter built, to be sunk below the surface level of the ground.
Your committee have also found it necessary to restrict the erection of all grave-stones and monuments on the public grounds to their own supervision and direction.
The Rev'd Dr. Pierce having applied for a gratuitious deed of a small lot of ground adjoining his Tomb on the eastern side, your committee considering themselves unauthorised to make such grant, would respectfully recommend the passing of a vote by the Town authorising such grant to be made.
| The receipts of money since our last report have been as follows: | ||
| From sales of 5 lots the past year and one lot the preceeding year, @ $25 each | $150 | |
| From sales of two small lots in old ground | 17 50 | |
| Balance in treasury as per last report | 37 95 | |
| Making a total of | $205 45 | |
| The disbursements have been as follows: | ||
| Paid for ornamental trees | $53 50 | |
| Paid sundry bills of Labour | 78 38 | |
| " for cedar posts, grass seed, blank deeds and book for records | 8 50 | |
| " for 1 1/2 cords of Loom | 6 00 | |
| " for turfing bank, including turf | 35 00 | |
| " for Woodward's bill for survey & plan | 3 00 | |
| " for frame & glass to enclose the plan | 2 50 | $186 88 |
| Leaving a balance unexpended of | $18 57 |
From the returns made by the Sexton it appears there have been Ten deaths In the Town & nine interments in our burial grounds the past year, of the following descriptions:
| Names. | Age. | Time of Death. 1842. | Time of Burial. | Disease. | Where Intered. |
| Caroline Dolbein | 1 year. | March 22. | March 23. | Scofula. | Brookline. |
| Maria A. Williams | 27 years. | March 28. | " 30. | Dropsy. | do. |
| Lydia Griggs | 65 years. | April 21. at Cambridge. | April 23. | Eysipelas | do. |
| Nathan P. Hooper | 10 weeks. | June 24. | June 26. | Dropsy. | do. |
| Wm. H. Woodward | 15 months. | July 14. | July 16. | Scofula. | do. |
| Lucy Ann Withington | 11 months. | July 22. | " 23. | Consumption. | do. |
| Elisabeth Aspinwall | 64 years. | Augt. 11. | Augt. 12. | Consumption. | do. |
| Susan J. Wellington | 5 years. | Oct. 31. | Burn. | do. | |
| Lucy Newhall | 28 years. | Nov. 1. | Nov. 4. | Consumption. | Lynn. |
| Epriam Whiting of New Boston N.H | 37 years | Nov. | Nov. 7. | Drowned. | Lexington. |
| Caroline F. Robinson | 7 years. | Dec. 31. | Jan. 3. | Dropsy. | Brookline. |
All which is submitted.
BROOKLINE, Feb. 7, 1843.
By order of the committee,
S. PHILBRICK, Chairman.
Voted, That the Selectmen be authorized to furnish the Rev'd Dr. Pierce with a gratuitous deed of such a lot of land adjoining his Tomb in the public burial ground as shall be mutually agreed upon by him and the Cemetery Committee, agreeably to a recommendation in the Report of said committee.
Voted, That the Selectmen be authorised to furnish the Congregational and Baptist Societies in the Town each, with a gratuitous deed of a burial Lot among those lots now laid out in the public burial ground; for the use of the families of the present Pastors of said Societies, and their successors, or their friends, provided the said Societies will enclose said lots and ornament them with trees, turf, or shrubbery in a manner satisfactory to the Cemetery Committee.