Last month I posted about interesting names that can be found at King’s Chapel Burying Ground, one of the two cemeteries on Boston’s Freedom Trail.
Today let’s check out interesting names that can be found at the other cemetery on the Trail, Granary Burying Ground (est. 1660).
Here’s what I spotted (using a book of inscriptions):
- A: Azor, Appoline, Adelbart, Adino, Adna, Affia, Albion, Alfrena, Alithere (female), Alletta, Angalesa, Anjennette, Areton, Aroline, Atsey, Avid
- B: Barachiah, Bethulia, Buttolph
- C: Cassander, Clarenia, Collford, Cornwall, Crispus (Crispus Attucks), Cushing
- D: Danforth, Dering, Duty (male)
- E: Egatha, Electa, Eudoxa, Euphaime, Eustis
- F: Fessenden, Fitzwilliam, Fear, Fidealia
- G: Gad, Geradine, Grisell
- J: Jacquith, Jenevie, Jennet, Jocastia
- K: Knight
- L: Laban, Lately, Lisley, Llewellyn, Lodusky (female), Loungo
- M: Mahala, Malvina, Maranda, Melatiah (female), Metcalf, Moody
- N: Nahum
- O: Olimpia, Olander, Onesiphorus, Orinda, Ozias
- P: Patterick, Peace (male), Pearly, Peletiah, Pepperell, Peregrin, Person, Philobeth (male), Phineas, Pilgrim, Plummer, Prosillo (female)
- R: Rasilla, Reconcile, Roxana (“from Roxbury”)
- S: Samartha, Seath, Seferanna, Sophronia, Stoddard, Stanhope, Sylvender
- T: Tamer, Theophilus, Thusia, Trueman
- W: Waitstill, Welthea, Wilhelmina, Winthrop
- Z: Zera, Ziba (male)
All of the above were listed just once. Notable names that appeared more than once in the book include Almira/Elmira, Bathsheba, Dewitt, Doritha, Elbridge, Epes (relatives of Epes Sargent), Gamaliel, Gershom, Gillam, Increase, Jotham, Keziah, Louisiana, Mehitable/Mehetable, Nabby, Pamelia/Permelia, Persis, Rozamond/Rozamund, Silence, Sylvanus and Tamzen.
Source: Gravestone inscriptions and records of tomb burials in the Granary Burying Ground, Boston, Mass. (1918) by Ogden Codman
My trained eye is intrigued by the name forms Alfrena and Alithere. Maybe they can help sedding some light on the mysterious Alafare, see also
http://www.behindthename.com/name/alafare/submitted
Ooh Buttolph – a very Bostonian name!
@elbowin – Interesting! If it helps, their full names were Alfrena Morse (died as a child in the 1840s) and Alithere Brackett (died as an adult in the 1730s).
@Anna – That’s true!