Just inside the fence are buried Elijah and Dorothy’s daughter Jane Oldham (Hall), 1813-1898 (85 years), and her husband William Sidelinger, 1809-1898 (88 years). William’s family lived in the East Neck Road – Center Street area of town.
Their daughter Philena, 1840-1858, died at age 18. As she was the first of this family buried, her intricately decorated headstone is located at the outer edge of the family row, to the right of her parents’ headstone.
Son Zoradus C., 1848-1889 (41 years), and his wife Sarah (Genthner), 1851-1927 (76 years), share the headstone to the left of William and Jane’s. Their daughter Maude, 1874-1935 (61 years), is buried at the inside edge of the row. William and Jane’s other children, as well as Zoradus and Sarah’s other daughter, are buried elsewhere.
About halfway along the right side is the row of headstones for the Seth Hall family. Seth 2nd, 1800-1870 (69 years), was the third child of Elijah and Dorothy. He worked as a joiner, a carpenter who cuts and fits joints in wood without the use of nails, screws, or other metal fasteners.
He married Jerusha (Rollins), 1803-1825 (22 years), in 1824. After her early death, he married her sister Lydia, 1801-1888 (87 years). Seth and Lydia share a headstone along the center path of the cemetery. There is not a headstone in the space to the right, but perhaps this is where Jerusha was buried. Seth and Jerusha had one son, Seth Jr., who is buried in GR-96, Vannah/Achorn Cemetery.
Three of Seth and Lydia’s four children are buried in GR-13. Their two daughters both died young. Lydia Jane, 1838-1848, lived only nine years and her sister Jerusha R., 1834-1852, was 17 when she died.
Son Edward K., 1832-1906 (74 years), worked as an overseer on the railroad. He also ran a general store (at the present intersection of Morgan Hill Road, East Neck Road, and Center Street) with his cousin George L. Hall. The 1857 town map shows the location of the “E.K. & G.L. Hall Store.” Edward also served as postmaster while his cousin served in the Civil War.
Edward first married Jane “Jennie” (Merrill), 1835-1858 (23 years), and, after her early death, married Lauretta (Rollins), 1845-1887 (41 years). Jennie is buried in GR-65, her family’s cemetery. Edward and Lauretta share a headstone at the end of his family’s row in GR-13.
In the row behind the Seth Hall family are ground plaques for Elijah and Dorothy’s oldest daughter, Damaris, 1798-1883 (85 years), and her second husband, Stacy Rollins. Several burials in the cemetery were once unmarked, including these two, but now have ground plaques.
The last full row of burials on the right side of the old section in this cemetery is that of the Elbridge Gerry Hall family. Another son of Elijah and Dorothy, Elbridge Gerry Hall, 1810-1883 (73 years), worked as a ship’s carpenter. His first wife Mary (Vannah), 1810-1852 (42 years), is buried to the right of her husband. Two of their seven children are buried in this cemetery. To the right of Mary’s headstone is that of son Ozias, 1836-1847 (10 years). His name is also recorded as Orris.
At the far end of the family row is the headstone of son Elbridge Dexter, 1838-1885 (47 years). He married Flora (Frye), 1851-1925 (74 years), of New Hampshire, who is buried in the Dunbar Cemetery, GR-32. Elbridge Dexter served in the Civil War.
Elbridge Gerry’s second wife, Charlotte (Varney), 1825-1889 (63 years), is buried to his left. The couple had three children. Son Orlando (spelled ‘Olando’ on the headstone), died on July 4, 1860 at age 5, and is buried between half-brothers Ozias and Elbridge Dexter.
“Vital Records” lists a son, Charles W., who died on July 4, 1860 at age 4. Presumably Charles would also be buried here, perhaps sharing a burial spot with his brother. The footstones for this row are not all in their proper positions, making identification more difficult.
Much of 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).
