Time Is Hungry

Sacred to the Memory of ᴹʳˢ Betty Lane Who Died June 22ⁿᵈ 1791 In the 34ᵗʰ year of her Age & alſo her Twins, one ſtill-born the others age 3 days

Our fleſh ſhall ſlumber in the ground, Till the laſt trumpet’s joyfull ſound Then burſt the chains with ſweet ſurprize, And in our Saviour’s image riſe

Photographed at Rockingham Meeting House Cemetery in Rockingham, Vermont, in June 2026. The sun was bright on the stones and the sound of insects was loud.

Cyrias Libby

Photographed at Black Point Cemetery in Scarborough, Maine, in golden hour, January 2026. There seems to be another marker for Cyrias Libby nearby, with more text and likely placed much later. Perhaps the one pictured here was a foot stone, but if so, it seems odd to put a face on it.

Photographed at Salisbury Colonial Burying Ground, in Salisbury, Massachusetts, on a mostly sunny afternoon in May 2026. This stone appears to depict a coffin lying on its side and an hourglass. If there is a name or text of any sort, I wasn’t able to make it out through the erosion and the lichen. 

RESURRECTION to Immortality in ſpotleſs Beauty with all other  Bodily Perfection’s, after the faſhion of Christ's  Glorious Body, is expected for the  ſub adjacent duſt of Lucy Moodey, who was born, & died, July the, 6 1705. Thus Birth, Spouſals to Christ, Death, Coronation All in One day, may have their Celebration.

Photographed at Old York Cemetery, in York, Maine, on a somewhat cloudy afternoon in January 2026.

This ſtone is erected to the memory of Abraham N Middlebrook who departed this life Auguſt 4th 1794: aged 27 years & 5 months

Here [let?] me] ſleep, forgotten in the [clay?] Death having ſhuttheſe weary [aching?] ᵉʸᵉˢ Reſting in hope of an eternal day When the long night ſhall ceaſe and the [...] ariſe.

Photographed at East Line Union Cemetery in Malta, New York, near sunset in May 2026. Dense patches of white wildflowers caught the light in a way that made this place especially lovely and eerie. 

Pauſe Mortal! and Contemplate the remains of Miſs Rebecca Cunnable. the amiable Daughter of Mr. Samuel Cunnable late of Barnardſton & Mrs. Rebecca his Wife who died Auguſt yᵉ 17ᵗʰ 1800 aged 13. If Sprightly youth or human tears [Or?] early piety could ſave Death had not thus cut ſhort her [years?] But [she?] will Triumph O’er the [Grave]

Photographed at North Vernon Cemetery in North Vernon, Vermont, in May 2026. It was the sort of somewhat-cloudy afternoon that’s ideal for driving through Vermont, and when you see thin old gravestones at the side of the road, you are obligated to stop and investigate.

Here lyes Buried the Body of Mʳˢ Eʟɪᴢᴀʙᴇᴛʜ Wᴀɪᴛᴇ widow of Mʳ Rɪᴄʜᴀʀᴅ Wᴀɪᴛᴇ who departed this Life march 25ᵗʰ 1771 In yᵉ 79ᵗʰ Year of her Age.

Photographed at Salem Street Burying Ground in Medford, Massachusetts, on a sunny morning in December 2025. 

MEMENTO MORI

Mr. Andrew Libby died Jan. 5th 1773 in the 71ſt year of his age.

Mrs. Eſther his wife die[d] Oct. 1ſt 1756 in the [...]

Photographed at Black Point Cemetery in Scarborough, Maine, in golden hour, January 2026.

There are three faces carved into this stone, but only two names visible. It’s like that there’s at least one more line of the inscription than what’s visible above the ground.

Here lies Interr’d the Body  of CHOW MANDERIEN a Native of China,  Aged 19 years; whoſe death  was occasioned on the 11ᵗʰ of Sepᵗ  1798. by a fall from the Maſt head  of the Ship Mac of Boſton.  This Stone is erected to his Memory  by his affectionate Maſter  JOHN BOIT Junʳ

Photographed at Central Burying Ground in Boston in the middle of a sunny day in January 2026.

There’s an Atlas Obscura entry about this one: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chow-manderien-grave-boston

And the Wikipedia article on John Boit brings together some contradictory accounts of how teenage Zhou Libei ended up in Boston, the first known person of Chinese descent in the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boit#Relationship_with_Chow_Manderien

The voyage that John Boit was preparing the Mac for was a secret and illegal voyage to transport enslaved captives from Africa to Cuba. “There is an official record of the Mac’s arrival in Cuba in May 1799 after a harrowing voyage—only 206 of 244 enslaved captives survived the Atlantic crossing and almost one third of the survivors were children.” The Mac was seized and sold at auction in Bath, Maine, in 1799. https://www.masshist.org/object-of-the-month/objects/september-2023  

ʜᴇʀᴇ ʟyᴇs ᴇɴᴛʀ ᵉᴅ yᵉ ʙᴏᴅy ᴏꜰ ᴄᴀᴘᵀ ᴇᴅᴡᴀʀᴅ sᴘʀᴀɢᴜᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴅᴇᴄᴇsᴛ yᵉ 14 ᴏꜰ ᴀᴘʀɪʟ 1715 ᴀɢᴇᴅ 32 yᴇᴀʀs

Excited to see a stone with a winged skull _and_ a winged hourglass. 

The letter t in “ᴄᴀᴘᵀ” looks like an ↑ upward-facing arrow.

Photographed at Bell Rock Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts, on a cold, windy afternoon in December 2025.

The remains  of Sᴛᴇᴘʜᴇɴ Cʀᴏsʙʏ A.M. A Gentleman of virtuus morals, And highly eſteemed, Who died On board yᵉ letter of mark brig Vᴇɴᴜs, Near port, July 19ᵗʰ. 1780. Aged 28 Years. Are here deposited till the reſtituſion of all things.

“Thy way is in the Sea, thy footsteps are not known”

Photographed at Old York Cemetery, in York, Maine, on a somewhat cloudy afternoon in January 2026.

I enjoy that the italic text paraphrases Psalm 77 in a way that makes it feel even more ominous. 

The full verse from the KJV version: “Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.”

In memory of Mʳ Luther Perry, Son of Capt. Amos, & Mʳˢ Patience Perry. who died Febʳ 22ᵈ 1785 in yᵉ 21ˢᵗ year of his age.

Behold & ſee as you paſs by, As you are now ſo once was I: As I am now you ſoon ſhall be, Prepare for Death and follow me.

In Memory of  Miſs Rᴜᴛʜᴇ Lʏᴍᴀɴ who was poſseſsed of many  amiable qualities, the joy of  her Parents the delight of  her connexions, and  beloved of all: if youth  if Virtue deſerve a Tear,  reader, drop it here:  when the engraving of this Stone  inform you when ſhe left  her weeping friends in the  23ᵈ year of her Age June 22ᵈ 1785.

Photographed at Old York Cemetery, in York, Maine, on a somewhat cloudy afternoon in January 2026.

HEAR Lieth The Body of  Annah Gilbert the Wife of  Ensign Thomas Gilbert Aged 71 years Died  May yᵉ 9ᵗʰ in the  Year 1722

Photographed at Neck O Land Cemetery in Taunton, Massachusetts, on a bitterly cold afternoon on the way to the annual Moby-Dick Marathon in January 2026. The stones in this graveyard definitely face east and should be visited earlier in the day.

In Memory of, Mʳ Henry Hilt, Son of Mʳ Henry & Mʳˢ Mary Hilt, who died Octr 2ᵈ 1796; Aged 33 Years

Photographed at Central Burying Ground in Boston in the middle of a sunny day in January 2026. 

an urn In Memory of Mr Joſeph Hovey late of  Manſfield in Connecti cut, died Auguſt 11th AD 800 Æt 32 Who esteemed the living [now?] laments the dead [???] tribute to the [???]

Photographed at Hendee Cemetery in Woodstock, Vermont, on a cloudy day in September 2025. 

Nearby, Isaac Cobb’s grave has the same grumpy, anthropomorphic sun. He died about two weeks earlier.

ʜᴇʀᴇ ʟyᴇs yᵉ ʙᴏᴅy ᴏꜰ ɪsᴀᴀᴄ ʟᴇᴡᴇs ᴀɢᴇᴅ 34 yᴇᴀʀs ᴡʜᴏ ᴅᴇᴘᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴀᴘʀɪʟ yᵉ 6ᵗʰ 1 6 9 1

I visited Bell Rock Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts, on a bitterly cold — but sunny! — afternoon in December 2025. This was hard to photograph, between intrusive shadows and my stiff, frozen hands.