Rehoboth  Massachusetts

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Rehoboth Cemeteries and Cemetery Transcriptions

     Collecting information about the cemeteries of Rehoboth is an ongoing effort, and this page will be revised as needed.   If you have cemetery information or gravestone transcriptions that you would like to share please send me email.

     Where I have been able to determine it, the records repository for a cemetery is indicated.   When the location of a cemetery is known there are links to maps to help you find it, as well as a brief description of the location.   Below these paragraphs is a locator map of the town - place the mouse cursor over a sector to highlight it, and click to bring up a sector map showing the cemetery locations in that part of the town.   At the bottom of the page is a seperate section listing all published, manuscript and online gravestone transcriptions that I have found for these cemeteries.

     When a cemetery has had more than one name during its history the first name listed is the one by which it is usually known today, and alternative names are listed in square brackets.   In some cases a cemetery has been abandoned, its burials have been removed to another cemetery, or its location has been lost.   In those cases the name indicates that it is a cemetery site, meaning that no gravestones are to be found there.   The year in parenthesis next to a cemetery name is my best estimate of the year in which that cemetery was established.   In some cases the year is mentioned in town records, a town history or some other source.   In other cases it is the year of the oldest gravestone for which I have found a record.

     I would like to thank John Sterling and Cherry Bamberg for sharing the Bristol Cemetery Database of Bristol County gravestone records.   Most of the information in the notes for each cemetery has been drawn from that database.

 

Abel F. Pearce Family Cemetery (1821)
Lorson Ln., Rehoboth, MA
Abbreviated in the Bristol Cemetery Database as RE817
Transcriptions in Calef & Carter and Trim

Locator Map
Street Map
Topographic map from Microsoft TerraServer

Location:   West side of Lorson Ln. (an old part of Moulton St.), near Moulton St.

Notes:   In 1936 Calef and Carter recorded four stones here from 1821 to 1881. They gave the location as just south of Terrydiddle on the west side of the street. The little burial ground was then neglected. See also Trim, p. 186.

Location:   East side of Pleasant St., north of the Pleasant St. School.

Notes:   See Trim, p. 442.

Location:   Chestnut St. - exact location now seems lost.

Notes:   In 1936 Calef and Carter recorded 22 burials from 1748 to 1876, in what was then a well-kept cemetery on both sides of Chestnut St. The burial ground was then in the rear of a farm about a mile north of Horton Signal. Trim (p. 187) later noted that the lot could not be seen from the highway. The graves included two mid-18th century burials and the rest were from the 19th century. It appears that this cemetery no longer exists.

Location:   North side of Spring St., about 200 feet west of Cole Brook.

Notes:   In 1918 George Tilton (pp. 287-291) described this as the older part of a larger cemetery. Calef and Carter called it the Cole Brook Cemetery in 1936, while Susan Salisbury called it the Baker Cemetery in 1995. See also Trim, pp. 1-12. The 170 burials (130 gravestones, 40 field stones) from 1784 to 1960 include many veterans, and the cemetery is in good condition.

Location:   East side of Agricultural Ave., south of Bliss Brook.

Notes:   A 30' x 30' burying ground with a stone wall, and burials dating from 1835. In 1918 George Tilton (p. 301) described this as a "small, unkept lot," provided seven names and mentioned other graves for children. Calef and Carter found seven stones in 1936 (p. 34). They described the location as "on a knoll on the east side of the road between two small brooks." It was then overgrown and not easily seen from the road, especially since the road had been lowered in front of it by six to eight feet. Susan Salisbury, recording in the 1990s, found only four stones. See also Trim, p. 13.

Location:   East side of Hornbine Rd., about 1/2 mile north of the Hornbine Church and Baker St.

Notes:   In 1918 George Tilton described this lot as a small family burying ground with a neglected appearance, not a good match with the larger numbers found by later transcribers. Charles and Martha Benns recorded 38 stones in the 1930s, Calef and Carter recorded 42 in 1936, and Susan Salisbury found 50, not all identical, in 1995. The Benns believed this cemetery was in the Hortonville neighborhood in Swansea. Calef and Carter described the location as "on the east side of the road leading north from the Hornbine Church and less than 1/2 mile from it." They found part of the lot maintained, the rest "utterly neglected." The burials, dating from 1803 to 1899, include many veterans. See also Trim, p. 14.

Location:   Southeast side of Brook St. across from the entrance to the Hix Family Cemetery.

Notes:   Contains only field stones.

Location:   South side of Martin St. east of Plain St. - exact location yet to be determined.

Notes:   In 1936 the lot had a stone wall and six stones dated from 1838 to 1893. Trim (p. 77a) thought it may have been moved from Swansea. In 1936 Calef and Carter thought the opposite: "This is on the place now owned by J. H. Buffinton and is his old family burial place. The early ones have been removed to a lot in Swansea, leaving only the ones nearest related to him." They gave the following directions: "Go east from Burial Place Hill to end, north and east again almost to the four corners. The house is in the woods of the SE corner and about 900' from it. The yard is in the rear of the house..." They copied inscriptions for John and Ann Buffington and their four sons.

Location:   Northeast corner of the intersection of Peckham and Providence Sts.

Notes:   This cemetery is owned by the Town of Rehoboth, and is in excellent condition. Its frontage is about 200 feet, and the 313 burials are dated from 1716 to 1897. In 1918 George Tilton described this site (pp. 284-287). Frank Calef and Marion Pearce Carter did a very large transcription in the mid-1930s. Seven names were transcribed in the 1930s by Charles and Martha Benns, p. 77. Susan Salisbury recorded this cemetery in 1995. See also Trim, p. 78.

   See the "Providence Journal-Bulletin" of 03-Jul-1977 for an article by Larry Brunell entitled "Old Stonecutter had a way with words." Brunell described the stone of Lt. Gov. Simeon Martin, d. 1819, which has a 405 word epitaph, the longest in America according to Ripley's "Believe It or Not." Trim prepared a Form E for the Massachusetts Historical Commission with a photo of the stone and a note that this cemetery was started about 1700 by the "baptist element" of Rehoboth. Some members of the First Baptist Church, begun in 1665, are buried here.

Location:   West side of Moulton St. south of Emmaus Rd.

Notes:   Contains two burials from 1800 and 1811. See Trim, p. 445.

Location:   Off of Providence St. - exact location yet to be determined.

Notes:   Seven burials from 1834 to 1855 contain no Carruthers, but hold mainly mid-19th century relatives of the Elias West family. One description says that it is equidistant from Wood St., and one says that it is about 300 feet from Providence St. Calef and Carter transcribed this lot in 1936, describing it as then neglected. Their directions: "located on Providence St., east of Burial Place Hill, about 1/2 mile is a lane turning south at right angles. The lot is in the rear of the house opposite the end of the lane...about 400' north ... in the open level lot." See also Trim, p. 118.

Location:   North side of Baker St. near Purchase St.

Notes:   Trim, p.119, described it as "somewhat off highway, may be hidden by foliage in warm months." Calef and Carter are more specific: "Turn east from Hornbine Church until the road bears southeast, then east (turns not crossroads). This lot is in the edge of the wood about 800' north of this second turn." In 1936 they copied seven Case family stones.

Location:   At the end of a lane on the east side of Chestnut St. about one mile north of Brook St.

Location:   North side of Cedar St. about 1/4 mile east of Gorham St.

Notes:   Contains two gravestones and two field stones. High on a rocky hill with a metal fence. See Trim, p. 152.

Location:   East side of Anawan St. between Peck St. and Billings Rd.

Notes:   This lot of about 100 by 100 feet, with a stone wall, has three burials dated from 1848 to 1866. In 1918 George Tilton called this a small family graveyard with a tomb built by Eneas Round in 1848, shortly before his death. His widow Mary and daughter Olive were buried beside him in 1866. Calef and Carter recorded three names in 1936, but Trim found only two in 1967. They were still there when Susan Salisbury recorded it in 1995. Calef and Carter described the location as "on the east side of Anawan St. about 1/2 mile south of the Stevens Corner cemetery." See also Trim, p. 211.

Location:   East side of Hornbine Rd. between Baker and Spring Sts.

Notes:   Contains 18 stones dated from 1770 to 1878 with a stone fence. In 1918 George Tilton described this lot as the "ancient burying-ground" on the Alfred C. Case farm, near the Hornbine Church (p. 296). He called it the Esek Pierce Cemetery. In 1936 Calef and Carter called this the Capt. Mial Pierce Lot and described it as halfway between the Hornbine Church and the next corner south of it, perhaps 800' from the road. It was then neglected. See also Trim, p. 195.

Location:   South side of Bay State Rd., west of Moulton St. and opposite the first Town House.

Notes:   In 1918 George Tilton called this "an old, neglected yard," and provided some names (pp. 302-303). See also Trim, p. 120.

Location:   West side of Plain St. south of Brook St.

Notes:   Begun about 1860, this cemetery is still in use, and has some older stones moved from other cemeteries. In 1918 George Tilton noted it (pp. 298-299). In 1936 Calef and Carter recorded it, describing it as well-kept with recent graves. Next to it was the meeting house of of the Oak Swamp Baptist Society, or First Christian Church. See also Trim, p. 161.

Location:   Northwest side of Brook St. east of Pleasant St.

Notes:   This lot has a stone fence and burials dating from 1799 to 1915. In 1918 George Tilton described this cemetery as being on land once belonging to the the Hix homsestead, later the Samuel Baker farm, and provided a number of inscriptions (pp. 301-302). In 1936 Calef and Carter found it well maintained. They provided 48 inscriptions. They describe the location as "on the north side of the road leading west from Oak Swamp and abt. 1/3 mile from it. The lot is back from the road where the brook crosses. It is about 900 ft. from the highway." See also Trim, p. 134.

Location:   Pierces Ln. - location yet to be determined.

Location:   South side of Spring St. across from the Baker [Cole Brook] Cemetery.

Notes:   Contains nine stones dated from 1825 to 1923. In 1918 George Tilton called this a small yard opposite the Baker [Cole Brook] Cemetery and gave five names. Charles and Martha Benns included two stones from the Joshua Pierce Family Cemetery in their 1930s transcription (p. 82). In 1936 two of the stones were recorded by Calef and Carter as outside of the Joshua Pierce Family Cemetery. See also Trim, p. 148.

Location:   Purchase St. - location yet to be determined.

Location:   South side of Pierce Ln., near Pleasant St.

Location:   Northwest corner of the intersection of Broad and Salisbury Sts.

Notes:   This steep, hilly site originally had seven burials from 1775 to 1777. In 1918 George Tilton described this lot as a small, rough enclosure for seven members of the Hunt family, including three children of Isaiah and Mary (Blake) Hunt, who died in 1777. In 1936 Calef and Carpenter copied three inscriptions, noting many mounds but only these three stones. It was then neglected and overgrown. In 1995 Susan Salisbury found only one uninscribed stone. See also Trim, p. 151.

Location:   West side of Hornbine Rd. about 1/2 mile north of Baker St. - exact location yet to be determined.

Notes:   See Trim supplement.

Location:   East side of Pleasant St. south of Chestnut St.

Notes:   Contains seven burials dated from 1849 to 1917. In 1918 George Tilton (p. 299) described a plot with fine marble slabs set apart by James Horton on his land. It was recorded by Calef and Carter in 1936 and Susan Salisbury in 1995. Shown on modern road maps. See also Trim, p. 149.

Location:   East side of Pleasant St. between Davis St. and Pierce La. - exact location yet to be determined.

Notes:   See Trim, p. 150.

Location:   East side of Wheeler St. south of Summer St.

Notes:   In 1918 George Tilton described this lot as a mile or more north of the Orleans Factory on Wheeler St., in good condition (p. 300). See also Trim, p. 446.

Location:   North side of Kelton St. west of Moulton St.

Notes:   Trim, p. 198, noted that this lot was first begun "well up on the south side of Mt. Terrydiddle" before 1840, and later moved here. The 23 burials in this yard from 1802 to 1980 include members of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th generations of the family of Capt. Michael Pierce who served in King Philip's War. Calef & Carter recorded it about 1936, and Susan Salisbury about 1995. Great differences between their transcriptions indicate perhaps a great decline in legibility in the intervening years.

Location:   South side of Spring St., next to the Horton Family Cemetery, and across from the Baker Cemetery.

Notes:   Gravestones are dated from 1804 to 1920. In 1918 George Tilton described this lot as a family ground of Revolutionary War veteran Joshua Pierce, "just across the way from the Cole Brook Cemetery." In the 1930s the Benns recorded the stones for Joshua and his wife as being in the Horton Family Cemetery. In 1936 Calef and Carter (p. 3) recorded 17 names. Also transcribed by Susan Salisbury in the 1990s. See also Trim, p. 202.

Location:   East side of Wood St., midway between Providence and Brook Sts., exact location not known.

Notes:   Trim (p. 442) noted that the only stone found was a footstone for Hannah Haile, d. 1786, in a pile of junk covering the cellar hole of the old Haile homestead. The stone was then [1950-1962] in the possession of Annawan Historical Society. In 1936 Calef and Carter saw this stone closer to its original position. They wrote: "There is nothing left of this yard to show its location. I was told that it was directly back of the house down the bank, the cellar only remaining. Go east from Burial Place Hill to the next turn to the left. The road is almost impassible now [1936]. The cellar is about 1/2 way through on the east side of the road at the top of a steep bank. The only stone is removed and broken and is now lying near the cellar."

Location:   Kelton St. - exact location not known.

Notes:   Burials have been removed to the Greenwood Cemetery [Oak Swamp Church Yard].

Location:   Lake St. near the Palmer River Cemetery - exact location unknown.

Notes:   Burials (1843 to 1877) have been removed to the Village Cemetery. In 1918 George Tilton mentioned two stones in this lot. Neither was found by Carter and Calef in 1936 when they transcribed four stones of the Richard Lake family. They noted that the lot was believed to be the site of the church yard of the Second Church of Rehoboth.

Location:   South side of Elm St. east of Moulton St.

Notes:   In 1918 George Tilton estimated the size of this cemetery at an eighth of an acre, much of it covered with lilacs and lily of the valley; he mentioned a few names (p. 304). Some graves were moved from here to the Village Cemetery. In 1936 Calef and Carter described it as on Elm St. south of the Town Hall, east of the second four corners. It was on a knoll over the stone, at that time "utterly neglected." Susan Salisbury recorded some inscriptions from this lot about 1995. See also Trim, p. 125.

Location:   East side of Pine St. south of Homestead Ave.

Notes:   In 1918 George Tilton called this "a very small yard with few graves" north of Rocky Hill, near the Willis school. Calef and Carter copied two stones in 1936 (one of them a veteran), at which time it was just north of the Medbury house. Susan Salisbury also transcribed it about 1995. See also Trim, p. 156.

Location:   South side of Plain St. about 1/2 mile west of Cedar St.

Notes:   This cemetery once contained as many as 12 gravestones and 12 field stones. Nine stones were recorded by Calef and Carter in 1936 (MPC), and six by Susan Salisbury in 1995. Calef and Carter describd the location as near the road on the southeast side, about 1/2 mile northeast from the Oak Swamp Church. On a hill, it was then overgrown with brush and trees. See also Trim, p. 157.

Location:   Mason St. near Providence St. - exact location not known.

Notes:   Burials removed to the Thomas Cemetery in Swansea. No known records exist for this cemetery, but a number of Monroes / Munroes are buried at Thomas Cemetery.

Location:   West side of Purchase St. south of Hornbine Rd.

Notes:   Hidden from road, has a stone fence. See Trim, p. 204.

Location:   East side of Moulton St. north of Brook St.

Notes:   Contains 40 burials from 1798 to 1968. In 1918 George Tilton described this one-third acre lot as being set off from the Nichols and Moulton farms, half a mile south of Mt. Terrydiddle (p. 297). The two families seem to have used separate parts of the cemetery, one Israel Nichols and his wife Rhoda even being buried across the street. Calef and Carter recorded the inscriptions about 1936. Susan Salisbury recorded this cemetery in the mid-1990s. See also Trim, p. 158..

Location:   Northeast corner of Park and Tremont Sts.

Notes:   This large stone-fenced cemetery straddles the Rehoboth-Attleboro line, and is owned by the Briggs Cemetery Association. Many of the people buried here lived in Attleboro. The old part was begun in the 1700s, and the new part begun in 1875. In 1918 George Tilton gave a description and partial transcription (pp. 293-295). Transcribed by Carter about 1928 and Susan Salisbury in the 1990s. See also Trim, p. 20.

Location:   South side of County St. - location yet to be determined.

Notes:   See Trim supplement.

Location:   South side of Pleasant St. south of Davis St. - exact location yet to be determined.

Notes:   Burials dated from 1828 to 1864. Calef and Carter found five gravestones here in 1936. They gave the location as "at the extreme end of town from the end of Pierce Lane to the town line." Just after the road turns southeast the lot is to be seen between the road and a house to the south about 400 feet from the highway. Trim, p. 444, also described it as very close to the Swansea line.

Location:   South side of Providence St. east of Rocky Run.

Notes:   Contains 18 burials from 1810 to 1933, with a stone fence. In 1918 George Tilton called this a small, walled yard in the Martin neighborhood of south Rehoboth. In addition to Trim (p. 154) we have the mid-1930s transcription of Charles and Martha Benns (p. 73), as well as Calef and Carter, which gives the following directions: "Go east on Providence St. to the end, then north and very shortly east again. The cemetery is on a knoll on the right, east of the brook and abt. 1/2 mile east of the corner."

Location:   West side of Lake St. south of Winter St.

Notes:   Owned by the Town of Rehoboth, contains about 100 burials, and is in good condition. Trim (p. 170) numbered this lot #24. In 1918 George Tilton described it and provided numerous inscriptions (pp. 278-283). Calef and Carter found it completely overgrown in 1936, about half a mile north of the east end of Shad Factory Pond near Winter St. They recorded 56 inscriptions. Photo and Form E by Steven M. Horvath, Jr. on 20 May 1975 are at Mass. Historical Commission, Mass. Archives, Boston. Horvath noted cemetery in use 1717-1773 as burial ground for Congregational Church on this site, later town & paupers' graveyard. See "Ye Meeting House at Palmers River 1759-1775: Historical Archaelogy at a Public Place," by Leslie C. Abernathy and Stephen M. Horvath, 1977, pp. 20-22.

Location:   On the west bank of the Palmer River near Summer St., perhaps on the grounds of the Sun Valley Golf Course - exact location yet to be determined.

Notes:   Contains 37 burials dated from 1736 to 1875. Noted by George Tilton, pp. 283-284. This lot was begun by family of Joseph Peck, 17th century settler. Calef and Carter transcribed it about 1936. They gave the location then as "Thomas Reynolds Farm, Lake St." The gravestone for Capt. Samuel Peck, d. 1736, was carved & signed by George Allen. This remarkable stone is described in AGS Guide #1: Narragansett Bay Area Graveyards, p. 13; a rubbing by Kelly & Williams appears in "Markers II," p. 8. Vincenti Luti, speaking before the Little Compton, RI Historical Society in the summer of 1998, noted that the fine footstone had shattered, not from vandalism but from natural causes. See also Trim, p. 190.

Location:   North side at the end of Pierce Ln.

Notes:   This cemetery with a stone fence has 44 stones. Carter described it as an "old, neglected lot" on a knoll 400 ft. northeast of a big, old house at the west end of Pierce Lane. In 1936 it was being rapidly overgrown. She gave the location as "east of Burial Place Hill to end of road, then south about 1/2 mile then west 1/2 mile." Trim estimated the size as about 2 acres (p. 205.)

Location:   East side of Plain St. a few hundred feet north of the Swansea line - exact location yet to be determined.

Notes:   Burials are dated from 1791 to 1827. Calef and Carter give the following description: "East of the highway, directly east of the group of buildings. The burial place is beyond the clear field over the wall on a narrow strip of land bordering a ravine." They found about 40 graves marked with fieldstones and many mounds, in addition to the three inscribed stones. Trim, p. 112, found only two readable gravestones, and many unmarked field stones.

Location:   West side of Pleasant St., south of Chestnut St. and across from the James Horton Family Cemetery.

Notes:   In 1918 George Tilton described this cemetery as "situated on a beautiful knoll of oaks on the opposite side of the road from the James Horton lot" on land originally belonging to the Wheeler farm (pp. 299-301). The beauty of the setting was also mentioned by Calef and Carter in 1936. They described the location as the west side of Chestnut St., about 1/2 mile south of Horton Signal. Inscriptions were also recorded by Susan Salisbury in 1995. See also Trim, p. 449.

Location:   East side of Chestnut St. about 1/2 mile north of Brook St.

Notes:   George Tilton described this walled, one-acre cemetery at "Horton's Signal" as "one of the best private burial-places" in Rehoboth (p. 295). Most of the stones were granite, and the lot was then under perpetual care. Calef and Carter recorded 41 inscriptions from 1849 to 1919 (for 33 individuals) here about 1936. The discrepancy between the number of inscriptions and the number of people arises from a family monument which lists members of the Daniel Horton family in addition to their personal gravestones. Calef and Carter described it as half a mile north of Horton Signal, about 400 feet east of the road. It was then still in good condition. See also Trim, p. 450.

Location:   Simmons St. about 1/4 mile south of Cedar St. - exact location yet to be determined.

Location:   East side of Anawan St., south of Tremont St.

Note:   All burials are believed to have been removed to the Village Cemetery.

Location:   South corner of the intersection of Bay State Rd. and Pond St.

The Bristol Cemetery Database currently contains some 27,000 Bristol County gravestone inscriptions collected by volunteers using the Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS) Gravestone Database Standard Program. Records are first entered from published sources and manuscripts. Those records are then verified and corrected by trained volunteers during field visits, and additional information about those gravestones and their cemeteries is added. This project is still in its earliest stages. I am currently working with Ray Sears, Massachusetts State Manager for the USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project, to put this database online. Volunteers are needed to enter records found in books, libraries, and historical and genealogical societies. Additional volunteers are needed who will receive training in AGS methods and standards for transcriptions, and who will then correct and update the database during cemetery visits. This project is being undertaken in accordance with AGS standards in order to create a complete and accurate record of Bristol County gravestone inscriptions for future researchers and historians. If you would like to volunteer for this project please send me email.

Marion Pearce Carter, Cemetery Records, Attleboro-Rehoboth, Mass.: Burial Hill and Conant Burying Ground, alias Briggs Corner Cemetery, alias Oak Knoll Cemetery (Attleboro MA: By the Author, 1928).

Susan F. Salisbury, Southern Massachusetts Cemetery Collection — Volume 2 (Bowie MD: Heritage Books, 1996).

George H. Tilton, A History of Rehoboth Massachusetts: Its History for 275 Years 1643-1918 (Boston: By the Author, 1918), contains some gravestone information, but is most useful for its historic information on, and descriptions of, the Rehoboth cemeteries.

Charles and Martha Benns, Rhode Island Gravestones, undated 1930s manuscript in the East Greenwich Free Library, East Greenwich, RI.

Frank Calef and Marion Pearce Carter, Rehoboth Mass. Cemetery Records, manuscript, 45 pp. (1936) at the Attleboro Public Library (974.48 R34C). Calef's ca. 1932 transcriptions can be found at the Rhode Island Historical Society and at the Elmwood Branch of the Knight Memorial Library, both in Providence, but Carter's checked and typed version of 1936 is found only at Attleboro.

Robert Sheldon Trim, Rehoboth Gravestone Records, 1950-1962, manuscript in the Trim Room at the Blanding Public Library in Rehoboth. Copies are at the office of the Rehoboth Town Clerk, NEHGS, the Rhode Island Historical Society in Providence, and the library of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in Plymouth. Note that Cherry Bamberg, a principal researcher in the compilation of the Bristol Cemetery Database, found omissions and discrepancies that gave her concern about the general quality of Trip's work.