The 1813 Nobleboro town map shows that Samuel Hussey Sr., 1760-1854 (94 yrs.), owned two lots of land in this area, one of 188 acres and the other, 68 acres. His property extended from Tobias Pond on the Nobleboro-Waldoboro town line to Damariscotta Lake. Samuel Sr.’s brother Joseph had inherited the Hussey Tavern in the center of town and is buried in GR-73.
Samuel Jr. inherited the family farm. His father and mother, Anna (Perkins), 1761-1846 (85 yrs.), moved to Freedom where they both died. Ownership then passed to Samuel Jr.’s son David whose name appears on the 1857 town map. It remained in the family until 1933, when it was sold to Herbert Spear.
Samuel Jr., 1792-1864 (72 yrs.), married Sarah (Waggner) (Dow), 1789-1856 (67 yrs.), in 1814. Four of their children are buried in this cemetery. Two daughters, both married, are buried elsewhere. Samuel Jr. and Sarah are buried next to each other near the entrance to the cemetery.
Samuel’s stone bears the inscription “In labour and in love allied, / In death they sleep side by side / Resting in peace the aged twain / Till Christ shall raise them up again.”
The inscription on Sarah’s headstone reads “My friends and kindred, near and dear, / As you pass by come lend an ear, / Here lies the dust of her you lov’d, / My spirit rests in realms above.”
Composed by Rev. S. Chisam. Sarah’s headstone also bears the name of the Glidden monument company of Waldoboro.
Buried next to Samuel and Sarah are two children who died young. Daughter Sarah A., 1819-1838, was only 19 years old when she died. Son Newell died in 1849 at age 22. Sarah’s headstone has fallen and lies in place. These four burials composed the original front row of the cemetery.
Behind Samuel and Sarah are buried son David, 1817-1894 (77 yrs.) and his wife Louisa F. (Sproul), 1828-1878 (50 yrs.). David’s occupation was listed as a farmer. They had a large family, 12 children: six boys and six girls.
Newell L., b. ca. 1850, was also a farmer. He lived in the Bunker Hill section of Jefferson with his wife Hannah (Benner). Sarah A., 1853-1926 (73 yrs.), married George Seiders, 1842-1933, and they are both buried in the Hillside Cemetery, Damariscotta.
Daughter Alice, 1863-1933 (70 yrs.), is buried in the Moody Cemetery, GR-74, on East Pond Road with her husband Willard Moody, 1863-1945.
Daughter Mary E., 1851-1932 (80 yrs.), is buried with her husband Deacon Edwin Benner, 1842-1922, in GR-67, the Jefferson Cemetery, also on East Pond Road.
Son Frank (Francis Eugene), 1856-1934 (77 yrs.), lived in California with wife Rachel McNamara.
Burial information was not found for daughters Hattie L., b. 1862, and Elizabeth Eliza “Lizzie,” 1861-1930 (68 yrs.), who married a Howe and died in Whitefield.
David and Louisa’s remaining five children are buried in the family cemetery. Daughter Nettie L., 1859-1871 (11 yrs.), is buried next to her parents. Beside her are brothers Alton H., 1867-1888 (21 yrs.), and Horace C., 1865-1898 (32 yrs.).
Behind this row of headstones is a monument for the Henry P. Hussey family with individual markers for Henry, 1854-1930 (76 yrs.); wife Nellie Jae (Eugley), 1861-1947 (85 yrs.); and son Alton W., 1892-1923 (31 yrs.). Alton served briefly during WWI, Battery B 303 H.F.A. He was discharged for ill health and returned to Nobleboro, only to pass away six years later.
At the back of the cemetery is a tall monument for members of the John W. Hussey family. The front face of the monument lists John, 1848-1904 (56 yrs.), and his wife Lizzie J. (Waltz), 1846-1933 (87 yrs.). One side lists Nancy A. Waltz, wife of Michael, d. 1903 (87 yrs.). Nancy was Lizzie’s mother.
The back of the monument lists “Flores C. Wellman, 1893-; Marion J. Wellman, his wife, 1896-1916; and, at the bottom, Lillian H., dau. of N.H. and N.A. Genthner, died June 27, 1898, Æ 10 mo.” Marion and Lillian were the daughters of Newell H. and Nettie A. (Hussey) Genthner. Nettie was the daughter of John and Lizzie.
On one side of the monument is a marker for Marion. Flores Wellman, 1893-1973 (80 yrs.), remarried after his young wife died and is buried in Waldoboro. Three markers on the other side are for Nancy (“Mother”), Lizzie (“Wife”), and John (“Husband”).
Near the entrance to the cemetery is a monument for Samuel Jr. and Sarah’s son Thomas B., 1826-1909 (83 yrs.), and his wife Margaret (Gross) (Creamer), 1844-1913 (69 yrs.). Thomas served during the Civil War as a member of Co. H, 14 Conn. Volunteers.
This family cemetery is surrounded by a stone wall. In 1995 it underwent extensive repair, cleaning, and clearing, but in the years since it has again become overgrown and stones have been damaged. It would benefit well from some extra attention (i.e., raking, trimming) in preparation for the repair and cleaning work scheduled for many Nobleboro cemeteries during the next few years. If you are interested in helping, please contact Laurie McBurnie, lauriemmcb@gmail.com, 563-5347.
The information in this column was researched by the late George F. Dow, Nobleboro Town Historian, and recorded in his cemetery notebook, which is kept on file at the Nobleboro Historical Society building, and compiled by Laurie McBurnie, a member of the Nobleboro Cemetery Committee.
Members of the Cemetery Committee have updated Dow’s original descriptions and directions. Additional information has also been taken from “Old Bristol and Nobleboro, Maine Vital Records” (also one of Dow’s sources) as well as Dow’s two Nobleboro history books.
As the vast majority of Nobleboro’s 85 cemeteries are located on private property, specific directions will not be included in this column out of respect to the landowners. If an individual would like information as to the location of a cemetery, for family or historical purposes, please contact either the Nobleboro Cemetery Committee (L. McBurnie, lauriemmcb@gmail.com, 563-5347) or the Nobleboro Historical Society (Mary Sheldon, 563-5376).
