The Story In The Stones: History Recovered, The Abiah Alden Stone

Jeff Stevens, Contributing Writer 

Published Feb 6, 2021 

The Middleborough Cemetery Friends recently started an experiment on several stones in the Titicut Parish Cemetery in North Middleboro.

One of the stones selected was an older slate stone that was completely covered with lichens and other plant forms that made the stone unreadable. There was no way to tell who was buried there or any information about the person or family.

The experiment involved spraying the stone with a substance called D2 Biological Solution that is supposed to clear stones of all forms of growths that are common in our burial grounds without damaging the stones or the plant life near the stones. About a month ago, the solution was sprayed on. After about two weeks, much of the lichen growth was dying away. Just brushing the stone with your bare hand helped flake off loose material but details and lettering were still unreadable. No addition D2 was applied at that time.

After another two weeks, more of the covering lichens could be brushed off by hand, and the stone was becoming readable. It is the headstone of Abiah Alden, wife of Samuel Alden. Like so many of our Middleboro early settlers, that Alden name rings a bell and, yes, our North Middleboro Aldens go back through a Bridgewater connection to Priscilla and, “Why don’t you speak for yourself, John ?”, the Alden of Pilgrim fame. Abiah was born in Bridgewater as Abiah Edson in 1706 and died in Middleboro in 1749. Samuel is listed as a Captain in the Revolutionary War and is John’s great grandson. The stone is near a large monument marked Alden and near other Alden stones, so the family was a significant part of early North Middleboro.

A second application of D2 Biological solution was applied, and progress on this stone will be reported in future Stories in the Stones. Already we have “found” a stone that was lost to us and reconnected this person to her famous family. Removing the lichens should also stop the continuing attack on this stone by the acids that lichens produce. Overall, a good start to the experiment to protect the historic stones in our Middleborough burial grounds.

The Friends of Middleboro Cemeteries is planning on returning to our cemeteries this coming summer to clean & repair headstones.  If you would like to volunteer, contact us at Clerk@FriendsofMiddleboroughCemeteries.org.