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Lydia and Abraham Hart gravestones
Banker, Abraham Hart, was one of the last people to see Andrew Borden alive on the morning of August 4th 1892 when Andrew stopped by the bank near City Hall. Mr. Hart would later tell police that Mr. Borden looked weak and feeble that morning. The Bordens had been suffering from an unknown illness since Tuesday evening after supper. Abraham Hart would also be one of the Borden pallbearers on the morning of Saturday, August 6th at the short service at #92 Second Street and procession to Oak Grove Cemetery.
Dr. Michael Kelly, the Borden’s next door neighbor to the south was away on August 4th but Dr. Kelly’s wife, Mary Caroline Cantwell Kelly was the last (but one) to see Andrew Borden alive as he entered his front door moments before his murder. Mrs. Kelly was expecting a baby at the time and was on her way to the dentist. Mrs. Kelly’s second child, Mary Philomena married the grandson of Abraham Hart, Bertrand K. Hart. Both are buried in the Gifford/Hart plot at Oak Grove, directly across the path from the Rev. Augustus Buck, Lizzie’s minister and champion throughout her ordeal. All are together for eternity in a fascinating entertwining of personalities who had Lizzie Borden in common.
Bertrand and Philomena Kelly Hart
The Rev. Augustus Buck of the Central Congregational Church
Elaine Kessell
(edit)
I am finally in the process of doing my family tree. My great grandfather’s name was Nicholas Kessell and I have always known he was a stonecutter in Fall River Mass in the mid to late 1800′s as he past on in 1904 of “stone consumption”. I came across a book “The Fall River Directory of 1882 and notice an ad in there for Kessell and Lawson, a stonecutting company. I can only guess that my great grandfather was in that partnership. My question is, if there is anyway you could find out if he was all involved in the cutting of the Borden tombstone in 1892? I have been intrigued all my life, but now am very curious.
Thank you,
Elaine Kessell
There is never any information about stonecutters.
Thanks for your email. Sorry to say, the Borden stone was ordered from a Westerly, R.I. carver. Westerly was a hub for this sort of work and still today has a few remaining carving studios. Buzzi’s is still in business (Ruth Buzzi of Laugh-In fame is in that family) The Borden stone was installed in January of 1894 and is made of Westerly blue granite. Fall River also had some great carvers and a rosy-colored granite.
Thank you to those of you who have renewed your membership for 2010. If you have not yet done so, please consider supporting us and the projects we continue to work on. You can find a membership application on the City of Fall River’s website:
We have a couple of projects planned for 2010 that we are very excited about and we expect to announce these within the next month or so. Stay tuned! The following is a brief update on what has transpired within the last few months: Memorial Tree Planting – On April 14th, FOG planted 6 trees with the assistance of FOG members, the Fall River Street Tree Planting Program and the Durfee High School Green Team. We were pleased to have 24 students from DHS participate in the event. Our next planting of 7 trees is scheduled for June 5th . Please consider participating this day as your assistance is welcome. Upon the completion of the June 5th planting, we will have reached a total of 42 new trees in Oak Grove! Pathmarkers – Diman has recently reported that the 10 new pathmarkers have been completed and will be off to the auto shop for painting. More news to follow. Facebook – FOG is now on Facebook. If you are already a member, please head on over to our page and consider becoming a “fan”. You will notice some photos have been posted of several FOG events. Facebook is a social networking site and a powerful tool which has helped to promote our group. If you know of someone who is on Facebook, please encourage them to become a fan as well. We currently have 80 fans and counting. Thank you all for your continued support!
These high quality, full-color calendars are spiral bound and printed on heavy cardstock
Our calendars feature photographic contributions by Mary Beth Rigby and William Moniz as well as historic images donated from private collections
Layout by Ann Keane
Additionally, the birth dates of notable historical figures are observed throughout
Limited quantities of our calendars are available for $15 and make a wonderful holiday gift
Shipping is an additional $1 per calendar. Those in the Fall River area may arrange for pickup. Please call or email to reserve your copy or to arrange for pickup
Payment may be mailed to:
The friends of oak grove cemetery
96 colfax street
Fall river, MA 02720
Ph: 508-642-9636
This summer, the city of Fall River is running a series of 45 minute trolley tours scheduled to highlight significant points of interest within the city. Among the destinations along the tour is Oak Grove Cemetery. Tour guides will provide visitors with a narrative of the cemetery’s historical importance and will recognize the impact FOG’s work is having on the cemetery. Tours are free and open to the public and we encourage you to attend. Although FOG played a small role in assisting the city in preparing the grant used to fund this project, there was considerable effort spent by the city and other volunteers in applying for this competitive grant. You can find more details at the following link:
In the mailbox today we received a query about Maidens’ Garlands- a custom which seems to have originated, or else was extremely popular in 19th century Great Britain. When a maiden lady passed away, especially a very young, unmarried girl, it was a custom for young 
ladies of the parish to construct garlands which were solemnly carried before the casket by two maidens on the way to the cemetery. These garlands were constructed of white paper, and after the cemetery service were hung in the church. Also crowns of white living flowers were made which would be borne to the grave by maidens in flowing white dresses, generally processing in pairs. Statuary in Oak Grove frequently makes use of the symbolism of a crown of rosebuds, lilies, and garland swags for the grave markers of maidens.
A Maiden’s Garland still hanging in a church in England
Arborist David Brodeur speaks while FOG members and tree stewards plant an October Glory Red Maple
A big “THANK-YOU” to all Friends of Oak Grove who came out to assist us with our latest planting of 10 new trees on May 9th. A special thank-you to Dave Jennings, Matt Keane, Mike LePage and Steve Medeiros for helping to move a number of trees to the cemetery. Here are are some photos taken during our recent planting. Hope you enjoy!Stay tuned for updates on several other ongoing projects including our path markers which are nearing completion.
Paul and Rhoda Lindo work on the installation of a new Pink Horse chestnut
Kwanzaan Cherry in bloom
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