A few years ago, I dragged my husband along on a trip to Massachusetts, specifically to find out more about my family history. He’s a good-natured guy.
While there, we visited a few tourist spots, but also places of interest to me because of familial ties, places like Breed’s Hill (better known as Bunker Hill) and the Old North Church. We also spent time in the Lynn Museum and at the Pine Grove Cemetery in Lynn.
As I wrote in this post, it was heartbreaking to see the number of childrens’ graves here.
- George Arthur Thompson, 10 months, 18 days
- Minot Tirrill Keene, 1 year, 5 months, 22 days
- Edith B. Keene, 2 years, 4 months
- Carrie Browne, 2 months, 19 days
- Arthur S. Keene, 5 months
- W. Frank, days
- Child Keene, days
- George A. Keene, 11 month
These eight little ones were all gone too soon, so I thought for today’s prompt, I would write a bit about each of them. While Lucy Keene (26) and Berthelma Keene (18) were not children, they too were both very young by today’s standards.
Below is the record of this family plot from the records office. It lists each person buried there, their age, burial date, and location. Sadly, most of the headstones were either missing or damaged, making it hard to determine where each person was laid to rest. A few were legible, and Doug and I worked out what we could at the bottom of the page.
The plot was owned by Lydia Thompson Keene, my great-grandmother. She is buried there (88) with her husband, George Augustus Keene (87). Also buried there is George Augustus’ first wife, Ellen Piper Keene (40).
From the records that I could find, all of George and (first wife) Ellen’s three daughters lived to adulthood. Sadly, his wife Ellen passed away at only 40 in 1875. By 1876 his daughters were grown, and eldest daughter, Ellen, was married to William Edwin Thompson. George (42) fell for his son-in-law’s sister, Lydia Thompson (25), and they were married a year and half after Ellen’s death. Which while legal, I just find a little… complicated? … problematic?
George and (second wife) Lydia’s first child, Annie Louise, lived to adulthood. Their next two children, both sons, died in infancy. George Augustus Keene, Jr. was born on November 18, 1879, and died aged 11 months on October 16, 1880, from pneumonia. Second son, Minott Tirrill, was born July 7, 1881, and passed away December 29, 1882, from gangrene.
George and Lydia’s next child was my grandfather, Charles Keene, Sr., born 1883. Then in 1887, little Edith Blake was born on September 21. She died of meningitis at two years four months, on January 21, 1890.
Of George and Lydia’s five children, only two, Annie Louise and Charles Lawrence, lived to adulthood. Their little ones, George, Minot, and Edith, are all buried in the family plot.
George’s daughter, Ellen, from his first marriage, married William Edwin Thompson on December 25, 1874. They had a son, George Arthur Thompson on Mar 8, 1876. He died of pneumonia less than a year later on January 26, 1877. Little George is also buried in the family plot.
Another little one in the family plot is Arthur S. Keene, who was buried July 15, 1872. Arthur was the little son of George Augustus’ younger brother, Edmund and his wife, Mary C. Homan. He was only five months and died of cholera.
Looking at the timeline for Edmund’s life gave me the information I needed for the child named “W., Frank,” who died in 1865. Edmund had a son named Frank Wallace, who was born on August 9, 1865 and only lived for a few days. I could not find his death record, and it is possible that it was never recorded.
The unnamed “Child Keene” who died in 1867 is identifiable. Both this little one and its mother, Lucy Keene, were buried on the same day, May 29, 1867. These two are the first wife and first child of George’s youngest brother, Washington Keen, Jr. Lucy’s death record only records “fever.” Knowing now what we do about medical hygiene, the most likely reason for her death is infection passed to her during childbirth. There was no record of the baby’s death on the page where Lucy’s is recorded.
I have written extensively in prior posts about Berthelma (Thelma), my grandfather’s first wife. She died of typhoid fever at the young age of 18.
Also buried here is little Carrie Brown, who was born and died in 1897, aged two months and 19 days. Her death record lists her name as Carrie E. Brown, daughter of George E. Brown and Mary A. Keene, of Lynn. She died of whooping cough on December 12, 1897.
Remember Great-grandfather George’s brother, Edmund, above? His two infant sons are buried in this plot. Edmund and his wife, Mary, also had a daughter named Mary, born in 1864. I believe that she is the mother of little Carrie.
All these little infants and the two young women buried in this family plot were all gone too soon and would have most likely lived had they had been born 100 years later. While maternal deaths are still all too common in today’s United States, I don’t know of a single person who has died of typhoid fever, gangrene, or whooping cough.
And, for that, I am extremely grateful.
‘Til next time.
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