Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tombstone Tuesday ~ William Button, 1693, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Point of Graves Burial Ground, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.


HERE LYETH BURIED YE BODY
OF WILLIAM BUTTON OF
JERSEY AGED 37 YEARS
DIED YE 19 DAY OF OTOBER
1693
BURIED BY CLEMENT 
LEMPRIERE EN THO. BUTTON


From the book Historic Burial Grounds of the New Hampshire Seacoast by Glenn A. Knoblock, "William Button, 1693, Point of Graves, Portsmouth.  This elaborate stone was carved by a man known only as "J. N.", and has been restored in recent years.  Button was an English merchant with a large business on the Piscataqua River.  He met his death by drowing, probably after falling overboard from his ship Lyon.  The inscription includes the names of the two men who buried him, Clement Lempriere, a sea captain of the Island of Jersey, and Thomas Button, William's brother.  At his death, Button left an estate valued at 1490 pounds, a very large sum in those days.  The details on this stone are striking.  Note the funeral urn in the center topped with a small-winged skull, flanked by cherubs.  The intricately carved side borders depict pomegranates and gourds amidst an abundance of leaves.  Button's gravestone leaves no doubt to his wealth and standing in the community."

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ William Button, 1693, Portsmouth, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 31, 2014, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/tombstone-tuesday-william-button-1693.html: accessed [access date]).  

1 comment:

  1. I so love stumbling around the internet and finding things like this blog. And from 2014. I took a picture of the stone and was looking up lempriere en tho Button thinking it might be a phrase. My old timey translating skills failed me but, because of it, I found myself at your page. Thank you,

    PEACE,
    Bud

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