Johnson Cemetery, Westbrook, Maine

Johnson Cemetery isn’t hidden. It sits prominently along Route 22 in Westbrook, on the left side of the road if you’re headed toward Gorham. I can’t count the times I’ve taken this road on my way to work. I used to be employed by a farm in the area, and now do a bit of dog walking in Gorham. I take Route 22, also called County Road, multiple times a week. And I pride myself on being observant. But until recently I had no idea that Johnson Cemetery existed. It’s nestled amongst the industrial buildings that now dominate County Road and is, apparently, quite easy to miss. The cemetery lacks fanfare – it’s bordered by a plain white fence with a handmade wooden sign at the front. I don’t know what made me notice it during one of my most recent drives to walk my dog friend in Gorham, but I felt like it had been magically transported to that particular spot. How else had I missed it?

I drove out to Johnson Cemetery on a recent Monday afternoon. I had to drive past it, turn around in a dirt parking lot, and then saddle my Honda up to the side of the road. It doesn’t seem that many people frequent the area. There’s absolutely no pedestrian traffic on County Road, and most cars go buzzing by at 40-50 MPH. Just getting out of my car is a hazard, and when I do I’m immediately showered in dirt and dust from a passing vehicle.

The grounds of Johnson Cemetery aren’t particular vast, but it’s larger than many of the other family cemeteries I’ve been to. The sign tells me that it was active from 1817-1913. The brush has begun to overtake some of the headstones and the long grasses are dotted with small purple flowers. Unfortunately, there are pieces of rubbish throughout the cemetery. It seems that passersby have thought nothing of tossing out their fast food containers as they speed back to work from their lunch hours. The plastic cups and napkins I find there make it a particularly sad sight.

Many of the headstones at Johnson Cemetery bear the name, “Knight”. A popular surname in the Westbrook area, I know that a family of Knights own the popular Smiling Hill Farm just down the road from Johnson Cemetery, and I have to assume that some of their ancestors are located within the grounds.  Unfortunately, the man for whom the cemetery is named is unidentifiable.  His headstone is worn, and all that’s visible is his last name, “Johnson”.  A nearby stone is for Elizabeth Johnson, who is listed as being the wife of William.  I’m unable to locate any concrete information about William.

The first interment in Johnson Cemetery seems to have been for Ann Knight, who died in 1817.  But like with William Johnson, I am unable to locate any information about her.  There are dozens of Ann Knights to be found on Ancestry.com, and without more information about the woman’s life, it’s difficult to say which, if any of them, could conclusively be her.

There was an American flag by one of the headstones, which was for John Knight.  He must’ve served in the armed forces in some capacity, but again, internet searches are inconclusive because of his common name.  There was a John Knight stationed at Fort Preble in the early 19th century, but I have no way of knowing whether or not that was the John Knight buried at Johnson Cemetery.

I find it similarly difficult to discern the types of employment the people at Johnson Cemetery may have been employed in.  Some were probably farmers, as most of the now-industrial surroundings were once farmlands.  Perhaps, like those who lived in the Duck Pond area of Westbrook, these individuals would have combined agriculture with other types of revenue-generating activities.  However, by the 19th century, when most of the folks at Johnson Cemetery lived, Westbrook was already developing paper mills and various forms of industry.  It seems likely that these individuals would have been engaged in the burgeoning factories of the thriving city.

It’s difficult to pin down any exact information about Johnson Cemetery or the people within it.  My internet searches have been futile, and I think that over the summer I’ll have to pay a visit to the Westbrook Historical Society and inquire about the lives of these individuals.  I do know that I’ll be taking some time to visit and clean up some of the trash that litters the grounds – just because Johnson Cemetery is on a busy through-way doesn’t mean it should be ignored or mistreated.

Gowan Cemetery, Westbrook, Maine

There are few things that break my heart more than an unkempt cemetery. I doubt that anyone expects their final resting place will eventually turn to ruin, but unfortunately, that’s what’s happened to Gowan Cemetery. I set out on a recent sunny weekday to explore the many burial grounds on Duck Pond Road in Westbrook. I initially drove right past Gowan Cemetery – it’s an easy place to miss. Set far back from the road and partially obscured by a split level home, the grounds of Gowan Cemetery are overgrown to an extreme degree. My partner spotted one of the headstones on our second trip down the road, and we stopped at the home in front to inquire about the property. As no one was home, we decided to take our chances and traverse the yard up a hill to where we could see the headstones. Directly in front (or, perhaps, in back?) of Gowan Cemetery lie an old trailer and a downed basketball hoop. Tromping through the long grasses, we finally made it to the site. But the investigation got no easier from there. Not only have long grasses and shrubs begun to overpower the headstones, but tree roots have begun to disrupt the markers. We traipsed through the brush, our pant legs getting torn and tangled by countless thorns. I couldn’t imagine how Gowan Cemetery fell into such disrepair.

According to my visual examination of the site, it wasn’t too long ago when the last individual was buried there. As recently as the 1930s, Gowan Cemetery was active – so how did it fall into its current state? Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to answer that question. I left a note in the mailbox of the home in front of the cemetery grounds, giving the residents my phone number and e-mail address. I explained my project and that I would love to know more about the place – but I’ve yet to hear from them.

It’s likely that Gowan Cemetery served as a small family burial ground. Perhaps the former residents of Duck Pond Road banded together to develop the space as a neighborhood cemetery. The area was once all agricultural land, now divided up and converted to housing. But it seems plausible that the farmers who once inhabited the area would have been close to one another. There are a few dozen headstones, but only a handful of family names are represented. Members of the Gowan, Pride, Staples, Leighton, Knight, Gordon, and Barbour families are to be found in the cemetery. Most of those interred in Gowan Cemetery lived in the early to mid 19^th century.

When I begin my research, I learn that the two oldest interments are unmarked graves(1). One belongs to Stephen Gowan, son of James and Edna, who was a mere 12 days old when he was buried in 1794. The other is that of Mary Gowan, another child of James and Edna, who passed away in 1780 at the age of one. When I search for the children in the Ancestry.com database, I find that their mother, Edna, was a Knight by birth(2). This helps explain the connection between the Gowans and Knights buried in the cemetery.

James Gowan was born in Kittery, lived briefly in Falmouth, then married Edna (3). He purchased land, “…near the Duck Pond on Duck Pond Road”(4) and became a farmer, lumberman, and tavern owner. But the same record on Ancestry.com tells me that in 1776 he had become a Quaker (5) – so was he really both a tavern owner and a member of the Quaker faith? According to the current Portland Friends Meeting website, Quakers do imbibe if they so choose (6). Thus, James’ life seems to greatly resemble that of his neighbor, George Hale. Both would have been sustaining their families in a variety of methods, including farming and tavern ownership.

When we left Gowan Cemetery, we drove past a well-kept home about a half mile down the road.  From one of the trees in its front yard hangs a sign reading, “Gowan Homestead: Est. 1815”.  Could this have been the home of one of the individuals interred in Gowan Cemetery?  Quite possibly.  I knocked on the door but, unfortunately, no one was home.

I wonder why the Gowan Cemetery is in such a state of disrepair.  Was it merely a matter of location?  The area around the grounds is densely wooded and overgrown – was it always this way, or has its upkeep been neglected by modern generations?  My friend and I discussed going to clear some of the brush and perhaps clean some of the stones, but we’d have to get permission from the property owners first.  Hopefully we can spend a few days this summer clearing the area and giving the families at Gowan Cemetery the respect they’re due.

Notes:

1. Gowan Cemetery, Westbrook Historical Society.

2. Family Tree, Ancestry.com.

3. Family Tree, Ancestry.com.

4. Family Tree, Ancestry.com.

5. Family Tree, Ancestry.com.

6. What Do Quakers Believe?, Portland Friends Meeting.

Hale Cemetery, Westbrook, Maine

My latest cemetery adventure took me to Duck Pond Road in Westbrook. I had seen on Google Maps that there were at least a couple of burial grounds in that area, so on an overcast Friday afternoon I hit the road and headed out Route 302. I took a slight right when I saw the Prides Corner Flea Market, and not long after spotted a small graveyard in the back of a field. To the right of the field was a modern-looking home, and I decided to ask permission from the owner before traipsing about their property. An older woman answered the door a few moments after I rang the bell. She granted her permission, but I was unable to inquire about details of the cemetery because she was busy with a telephone call. Regardless, I headed off to explore as the homeowner took another brief pause in her conversation to warn me, “Be careful – it gets real wet in the field!”

        

Hale Cemetery consists of a mere ten headstones – four of which no longer have legible inscriptions. The field was, in fact, quite wet (given the recent spring rains), and I had to step carefully to avoid sinking into the mud. Behind the ten plots stands an ancient, curving tree that I assume must look beautiful in summertime. Just beyond the tree is a small row of burgeoning tulips. The area is quite tidy, and even in the photo of it I find online, the grass is kept trim and neat. Whether it be by the homeowner that I spoke with or someone else, Hale Cemetery has been well taken care of.

Of the headstones I’m able to read, I see that the earliest interment was in 1850 and the last in 1898. The graves are all of Hale family members – there’s George, Martha, Alpheus, George R., Leon, and Leon’s wife Josephine. I’ve been scouring Ancestry.com in search of answers about the Hale family. With four unreadable stones, piecing together information is a bit tricky, but I think I’ve begun to make sense of their family tree. The 1850 census contains information about a Hale family living in Westbrook, Maine (1). The record lists nine family members: George, Martha, Alpheus, Nathanial, George R., Josiah, Sabra, Martha (the second), and Phoebe. A quick search and I find from the 1860 census that George R. married a woman named Lucy and had two sons, Jason and Leon (2). Between the two documents I can account for each of the headstones I’m able to read. I assume the others are buried elsewhere – perhaps with spouses – or are those whose headstones I’m unable to read.

Clearly, the patriarch of the family was George Hale Sr. Born about 1793, George was listed as a farmer on the 1850 census. He gave an estimated property value of $1,000. He and wife Martha were both able to read and write. The younger Martha and Phoebe had both attended school within the year, meaning they were relatively well-educated young women of 16 and 12-years old, respectively. George R., at age 27, was listed as a farmer, while his brother, Alpheus, 32, was a stone layer.

I was able to find an interesting piece of documentation concerning George Hale Sr and wife Martha. It’s a record for a pension George and Martha received after George’s involvement in the War of 1812. The document lists file numbers, as well of dates of death for both George and Martha. It also contains George’s length of service – he entered the war on September 8, 1814 and was discharged just under two weeks later, on September 21, 1814 (3). The War of 1812 didn’t conclude until 1815, so what was the cause for George’s short term of duty? It seems likely to me that he was injured, which would have made life even more difficult for a farmer.

But George Sr. wasn’t the only Hale with a sad story. While looking into Leon Hale, I discovered that his father, George R. Hale, died in 1882, leaving wife Lucy alone with two young boys – Jason and Leon, who were 7 and 8-years of age when their father passed. A later census, taken in 1880, informed me that Leon had moved out of his family’s home, while Jason, at age 24, was working as a “Pin Man” but out of work because he was suffering from rheumatism (4). Brother Leon Hale had married Josephine Mallard – the woman interred in Hale Cemetery – in 1877. But Josephine passed in 1883, and Leon remarried in 1894 at the age of 39 (5).

I stumbled across some fascinating information about the families of the Duck Pond Road area through the Westbrook Historical Society website. Apparently, George Hale was one of the neighborhood’s earliest settlers, building his home there in 1775 (6). The site confirms George’s occupation as a self-sustaining farmer, but that wasn’t the Hale family’s sole means of income. Apparently, the Hale home also served as a tavern for some time and, “…the Hales kept a special supply of rum on hand…” for the travelers looking to relax with a drink (7).

The Hale family story is an exemplary depiction of Maine farm life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They were making a decent living from their agricultural pursuits, but bolstering their income with alternative efforts. I’m glad that their family cemetery is not only still standing, but extremely well cared for.

Notes:
1. 1850 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com.
2. 1860 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com. 
3. War of 1812 Pension Application, Ancestry.com.
4. 1880 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com. 
5. Maine Marriage Records, Ancestry.com.
6. Highland Lake (Duck Pond), Westbrook Historical Society.
7. Highland Lake (Duck Pond), Westbrook Historical Society. 

Woodbury Cemetery, Westbrook, Maine.

Woodbury Cemetery is another easy place to miss.  Tucked back behind a church, most of the folks flying down Route 302 have probably never taken notice of Woodbury.  It sits beside the Highland Lake Congregational Church, right where the speed limit turns 45.  I nearly missed it myself, but happened to glance over on my way home from the cemeteries of Chute Road.  I park at the variety store several meters from the church and cemetery and walk over.  I pass an enormous, ramshackle home that sits on the corner of Route 302 and Duck Pond Road.  Just beyond this house, between it and the church, lies a crumbling building with the remnants of a neon sign that once read, “Millbrook Dancing”.  I continue on to the cemetery.

Access to Woodbury Cemetery is not through its front gate, but through a path that winds up the side of the grounds.  It’s bordered by a stone wall which appears to have been kept up better than the fences at Brown or Chute Cemeteries, although the lettering on its gate is quite faded.  There a mere handful of graves – 15 in total.  The families comprising Woodbury Cemetery are the Havens, Prides, Woodburys, and one member of the Small family.

A section of the headstones is cordoned off with a metal chain on granite posts.   This fenced area contains a large monument for the Haven family.  The monument has a beautiful bird engraving that I don’t think I’ve encountered previously.  Altogether, the cemetery is very well taken care of – especially in comparison to my visit at Chute Cemetery.  I assume that its proximity to the Highland Lake Congregational Church has ensured a certain level of upkeep for the cemetery.

Just beyond the stone wall at the back of the cemetery grounds sits an aged, rusting, flat-bed truck.  It’s clear that the truck hasn’t been driven for many years, although it’s tires look brand new.  I make a point to explore it – a Loadstar 1800 – and wonder how it ended up behind Woodbury Cemetery.

The Westbrook Historical Society has compiled some of the most thorough cemetery research I’ve encountered.  Their website has links for every cemetery, listing each individual interred in the city’s various burial grounds (1).  Because some of the smaller words on the headstones are erroded and difficult to read, I’m thankful for the work done by the Westbrook Historical Society – I can access their website and read full transcriptions of every headstone.

The names I see in Woodbury Cemetery are familliar.  I wonder if the Pride family interred in Woodbury is the one that Pride’s Corner in Westbrook was named for.  Perhaps the Haven’s there are related to the modern, local chocolatier of the same name.

The Woodbury family apparently lived quite closeby.  A geneology website puts Captain Ebenezer Woodbury and his wife Anna as living in an area named Duck Pond Village (2), and I assume this is in the vicinity of the modern day Duck Pond Road (which is just around the corner from Woodbury Cemetery).  According to his headstone, Captain Woodbury passed in 1855 at the age of 77, meaning he – clearly a maritime man of some sort – could very well have served in the War of 1812.  But there are no American Legion flags here denoting anything of the sort.

All of those interred at Woodbury Cemetery would have lived not only to see Westbrook achieve status as a town in 1814 (3), but statehood for Maine in 1820 as well.  I know that Westbrook has historically served as a mill town (even today), and it seems likely that early factories and mills would have developed here.  The individuals in Woodbury would have lived during the boom times for Maine’s natural resource economy, and perhaps benefited from it.

I learned from a source in the Maine Memory Network that a new Grist Mill was opening in Westbrook in 1830 (4), confirming my suspicions that mill activity in Westbrook has been a longstanding source of employment.  Would the individuals in Woodbury Cemetery have worked in one of the local mills, or even managed or owned one?

Aside from researching the cemetery, I attempt to uncover a little information about the dance hall a few meters away.  Local weekly paper, The Bollard, wrote an article concerning the site in 2011 (5).  Apparently, it was a happening venue for entertainment and fun in the mid-20th century.  The folks in Woodbury Cemetery will never know that for a period of 20 years their resting place was neighbored by a community hot spot.  It’s strange, looking at Millbrook Dancing – with it’s caved-in roof and broken sign – t0 think that it was ever new.  I wonder how Woodbury Cemetery fared during the active years of Millbrook Dance Hall.  Would any of their ancestors have danced the night away at Millbrook while their relatives rested nearby?

One of the most fascinating things about history is how it compounds over time.  They are so many layers to history – even in Westbrook, which wasn’t yet a town at the turn of the 19th century.  In a city just over 200-years old, there are a multitude of overlapping histories, and the corner of Route 302 and Duck Pond Road – with both the Woodbury Cemetery and Millbrook Dance Hall – is an example of such.

Notes:

1) “Woodbury Cemetery,” Westbrook Historical Society, http://www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org/Cemeteries/Woodbury%20Cemetery.pdf.

2) “Pejepscot, Cumberland County, Maine 1790 Census Returns,” Roots Web, Ancestry.com, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~meandrhs/pej90.html.

3) “Fact Sheet,” Westbrook Historical Society, http://www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org/facts.html.

4) “The new grist mill broadside,” Maine Memory Network, http://www.mainememory.net/artifact/20132.

5) “That’s My Dump,” The Bollard, http://thebollard.com/2011/12/15/thats-my-dump-41/.