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The history of John, Elizabeth and Yet Mercy's Headstones
History of John Howland’s First Headstone on Burial Hill, Plymouth MA.
The president of the Rhode Island Historical Society, John Howland placed the first headstone marking the grave of the Pilgrim John Howland on Burial Hill. In his book The Life and Recollections of John Howland he recalls his journey from Providence to Plymouth “to search for and identify the grave of John Howland.”1 He felt it was his filial duty to see that a stone marker be placed on John Howland’s final resting place.
John was making his 4th trip to Plymouth with his daughter, Janetta, and nephew, John Andrews Howland. The day after their arrival, John invited his cousin, and fellow Revolutionary War Veteran, Dr. James Thacher, to join him in honoring the burial site. “They then repaired to the registry office, to examine the early records; and from thence went to the burial ground, where the sought for grave had been identified.” After making arrangement with Dr. Thacher for the erection the head-stone Dr. Thacher said: “ I am now over 90 years old and will not be here when you come again.” The date for carving the stone is estimated to be about 1844 or after based on remarks made by Dr. Thacher as he died in Plymouth 23 May 1844 at age 90.
John Howland, 1757 -1854 son of Joseph and Sarah Howland
James Thatcher, MD 1754 – 1844 son of Joseph and Sus.annah Thacher
Janetta Howland, 1801 – 1865 daughter of John and Mary Howland
John Andrew Howland, 1809 – 1889 son of Benjamin and Susanna Howland
1 The Life and Recollections of John Howland Pg. 132-133.
John Howland’s Second Headstone
Jane Austin, Plymouth resident and author of a number of books concerning the Pilgrims, in her 1890 book Dr. Le Baron and His daughters referred to John’s stone as the “mendacious monument”. As it was next to her grandfather’s grave site, she had many opportunities to see the stone she described as a “majestic though mistaken monument to the memory of John Howland”.2 The stone mistakenly refers to Elizabeth (Tilley) as Elizabeth Carver wife of John Howland.
This error was first published in Dr. James Thacher’s 1825 book History of Plymouth in which he included the Howland Family genealogy as written by a John Howland of Providence.4 In 1814 Mr. Howland left a copy of his ancestry with the Town Clerk of Providence which included this error.5 Since Elizabeth was a member of the Carver household, he mistakenly thought she was John Carver’s daughter.
In the autumn of 1895 Eliza Woolsey Howland of Newport visiting Plymouth and the grave of her ancestor decided to replace the mislabeled stone.4
She contacted members of the John Howland family from Providence seeking permission to replace the stone in error with a new stone. The family gave their permission with the request that the old stone be preserved.
The next step was to seek out a stone cutter. She chose Phillip Stevens an experienced stone cutter probably of the John Stevens Shop at 29 Thames Street, Newport. The family had been in the stone carving business since 1705.
Nicholas Benson, current owner of the shop said “the stone selected was Vermont purple slate with a slight green variegation”. Nicholas said while the company records do not go that far back, the quality of the carving matches their work.
To complete the final design, Elisa turned to her sister-in-law Catherine Hunt, the wife of distinguished architect Richard M. Hunt. Her husband had designed the pedestals for the statue of liberty, the pilgrim statue in Central Park as well as the Breakers Mansion in Newport. Catherine suggested images of the Mayflower, with the Pilgrim shells and staffs as ornamental details on the borders, to connect the marker to the Pilgrim spirit.
The finished marker replaced the old stone in the Spring of 1897 with the old stone buried below the new marker as requested by the Providence Howland family. Their letters of appreciation were published in the 1912 issue of TheHowland Homestead. (The original name of the Howland Quarterly)
Jane Goodwin Austin, 1831 - 1894
Eliza Newton Woolsey, AKA Mrs. Joseph Howland 1835 – 1917
Mary Louisa Howland, 1836 – 1897 Dau. of George and Sarah Howland
Catherine C. Howland, AKA Mrs. Richard Hunt Dau. of Samuel S. and Joanna Howland
Mary Howland Everett, AKA Mrs. Knowles Dau. of Amherst and Penelope Everett
Nicholas Benson, Current owner of The John Stevens Shop 29 Thames Street ,Newport, RI 02840 Founded in 1705.
2 Dr. LeBaron and His daughters
3 History of the Town of Plymouth Pg. 129
4 The Howland Homestead April 1912 Vol 1 No 3 Pgs. 2-4 Website:
Elizabeth Tilley Howland Headstone
Elizabeth’s grave site was discovered in 1944 in the Ancient Little Neck Cemetery, East Providence, Rhode Island. At the PJHS annual meeting that year, General Charles R. Howland proposed that a stone be designed and placed at the site. General Howland died in 1946 at which time Sidney T. Strickland continued the project to its completion.
Sidney ordered the stone from the Vermont Marble Company’s Boston office in 1949.6 It was a copy of John’s stone with the quotation from her will to her children added.
“It is my will and charge to all my Children that they walk in
the fear of the Lord and in Love and Peace toward each other.”
The stone was dedicated August 27, 1949 by the PJHS. The location of the Ancient Little Neck Cemetery was at one time part of Elizabeth’s daughter Lydia and John Brown’s farm in what was part of the town of Swansea. Elizabeth is the only Pilgrim of the Mayflower buried in Rhode Island.
General Charles R. Howland, President (1871 – 1946)
Sidney T. Strickland Curator, 1949 (1880 – 1954)
6 Howland Archives
Yet Mercy Headstone
Members of the Howland Society Board, noting that Yet Mercy’s 1737 headstone was deteriorating, solicited a proposal from The John Stevens Shop of Newport, RI for the carving and installation of a new green slate headstone to replace the old marker in the East Burial Ground, at Bristol, RI. The proposal was received on November 4, 1959.8
Notice was received on June 9, 1960 from Mrs. John Howard Benson of the John Stevens Shop that the stone was finish and would be installed as soon as the base was ready to accept it. Nicholas Benson, Mrs. Benson grandson stated most likely the stone was carved by Jim Casey one of his grandfather’s main carvers at that time.
Charles R. Strickland, PJHS Curator agreed to transport the original stone to Plymouth for preservation. The original stone can be seen at the Jabez Howland House in Plymouth.
Also, in the Old East Burial Ground Bristol, RI, just a short distance from Yet Mercy’s stone is the stone marker of Bethiah (Thacher) Howland wife of Jabez Howland who died in 1725.
Mrs. John Howard Benson Grandmother of Nicholas Benson present owner of J. S. Shop
Charles R. Strickland PJHS Curator 1960 (1907 – 1991)
8 Howland Archives An envelope post marked Newport RI Nov 1959 includes a sketch of the Yetmercy Stone from the original on display at the Howland House in Plymouth.
