This stolen tombstone for two year old Abigail Chase has been returned to Newbury, Massachusetts, settled in 1635. An astute auctioneer in Bucks County Pennsylvania is responsible for the recovery of this looted hand-carved folk art grave marker. This article speaks to the diphtheria epidemic that raged through colonial New England for five years between 1735 and 1740 taking out 22 of every 1000 people, mostly children. At the same time, scarlet fever advanced from the south, the two plagues eventually meeting in Essex County in the autumn of 1735. The Museum of Old Newbury is planning a ceremony later this summer when the recovered stone is unveiled at the Old Bridge Street Cemetery to celebrate long-lost Abigail’s memory.
Read the entire article in the link below.
