VILLAGE BURYING GROUND (CEMETERY) OF WOODS HOLE,
1750-late 1900ís

Location: part of the Church of the Messiah Cemetery, Church Street, Woods Hole. This old burying ground is now located within The Church of the Messiah Graveyard, in Woods Hole, Falmouth, MA.
 

Earlier transcriptions of inscriptions:

1873 by Madison Edwards, who listed 118 names. We have not discovered this information as of September 2010. If you have any information about this transcription please contact the Web Master Donna E. Walcovy
 

September 1966 by Col. Oliver B. Brown. A copy of this un-published work is at the Falmouth Historical Society
 

Brief History of The Village Burying Ground

  The origin of this cemetery is not known, since no old records remain to indicate who gave the land and at what date. A deed of 1802 from Hannah Parker, executrix of the will of her late husband Joseph Parker (who died in 1800) to Jabez Davis mentions the cemetery: ìthe reserve of the Beauring (sic)Yard as the wall now stands with a way to pass to it.î Col. Oliver Brown, member of the Town Cemetery Committee in 1968, interpreted the Parker deed as meaning that the cemetery was part of the land of Joseph Parker and was intended for the use of village residents. Many Woods Hole residents, however, continued to be buried in the Old Burying Ground in Falmouth. 

  The oldest known burial is that of Fanny Parker, daughter of Joseph [probably donor of the land] and Hannah (Stone) Parker, who died January 20, 1788, aged three years and nine months.  Members of families buried here include the earliest settlers of Wood Hole: Weeks, Pitts, Jones, Hatch, Davis, and Chadwick. The oldest stones are of slate with traditional motifs, while later stones often include sentimental verses. No burial records were kept for this cemetery. 

  In February 1903, concern about the poor condition of the cemetery resulted in state legislation that turned the care of the cemetery over to the Church of the Messiah.

  During the Summer of 2008, members of the Church of the Messiah began the long process of cleaning the gravestones in The Village Burying Ground, which is located within The Church of the Messiah Cemetery. They continue cleaning every other Friday during the summer months. Please contact Jennifer Gaines if you would like to help.