The Stones Cry Out: Early New England Epitaphs in Context

Epitaphs provided a means for bereaved survivors to summarize their lived experience of dying and death. They focused on themes that characterized the Congregational worldview, including death’s constant presence in their lives; the imperative to sanctify the event for one’s spiritual benefit; the ritual of deathbed confession, repentance, and reconciliation; the importance of resigning oneself to God’s sovereign will; and the consoling belief that death was a welcome release from the troubles and infirmities of this world. Using illustrations of gravestones and transcriptions of the epitaphs, John Hanson explores the ways these monuments provide evidence of the gradual shift in early Congregationalists’ attitudes towards salvation from pious doubt, to reasonable hope and comfortable assurance. You can find the New England's Hidden Histories project online at https://congregationallibrary.org/nehh You can purchase John Hanson's book, "Reading the Gravestones of Old New England" at https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/reading-the-gravestones-of-old-new-england/ ------------------- CHAPTERS: 0:00 Welcome and Introductions 2:58 Program Overview 4:50 The Context Surrounding Death and Dying in Early New England 10:08 Religious Preparation for Death 13:41 Ministers' Deathbed Visits and Righteous Hope 22:52 Survivors' Process of Coping with Death 23:42 Instances of Sudden Death 24:59 Death as a Welcome Relief 28:34 Death as a Public Event 30:48 Q: How might we look at gravestones as an archive? 34:10 Q: Do we know if the deceased or his/her family chose these epitaphs? 35:34 Q: Who in early New England had gravestones? 37:52 Q: What trends/patterns can we see in artwork on early New England gravestones? 40:10 Q: Can you say more about the quotations of Wheatley's work you've found? 42:04 Q: What about epitaphs from the first generation of New Englanders? 43:21 Q: What texts did you expect to find on gravestones but haven't seen? 45:33 Q: How did quotations from Watts hymns create a unique visual/aural impact on gravestones? 47:37 Q: Do gravestones show evidence of the First and/or Second Great Awakening? 50:16 Q: How do epitaphs show changes in English language/pronunciation? 53:43 Q: How have epitaphs/memorialization changed over the centuries? 59:04 Q: What's your process for finding these stones and analyzing geographical differences among them? 1:01:45 Final Thoughts and Thanks ------------------- Connect with the Congregational Library & Archives online: • Website: https://www.congregationallibrary.org • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CongregationalLibrary • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/congregationallibrary • Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/congrelib.bsky.social • X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/CongreLib • Threads: https://www.threads.net/@congregationallibrary • Linktree: https://linktr.ee/CongregationalLibrary ---------------- Special thanks to the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The New England's Hidden Histories project has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.