St. James United Church Cemetery Stone #7 Nathaniel Symonds Dimensions: 45” x 35.5” x 4”, double ogee with rosette. Orientation: East Carver: Not identified Inscription: Front: Memento [Glory?]/ In memory of M. Elizabeth/ Symonds wife of Nathaniel/ Symonds Esqr who departed/ This life Septr 25^th, 1808, in the/ 38^th year of her age/ Behold and see as you pass by/ As you are now so once was I/ As I am now so must you be/ Prepare for death and follow me/ Back: In memory of Nathanial Symonds/ died July 15, 1822,/ Æ. 58 yrs./ Also his 2^nd wife/ Mary Irish, died Dec. 15, 1867,/ Æ. 94 yrs/ Line 1(front) is embellished with large gothic style lettering and fine engraving around the text. The back is engraved in an entirely different font and style, most likely by another carver. Material: Grey sandstone Condition: Nathaniel Symonds’ headstone is entirely legible and in good physical condition. Both the inscription and the carvings on the stone – a six point rosette, as well as a moulding that runs around the outside of the stone – have withstood weathering well. Nathaniel Symonds was born October 12, 1763 in Middleton, MA to Deacon Joseph, himself the son of a deacon, and Lucy (Kimball) Symonds. Nathaniel married for the first time on December 29, 1791 to Elizabeth Blanchard in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Elizabeth was born in 1770 to Col. Jotham and Elizabeth (Treadwell Blanchard). Elizabeth died at an early age of 38 years on September 25, 1808, as specified on the headstone. This makes hers the earliest burial in the Presbyterian cemetery in Antigonish. Symonds married again only four months after her death on January 10, 1809 to Mary E. Irish, who was born daughter to Levi and Hannah (Church) Irish. He predeceased her on July 15, 1822. Following his father-in-law Jotham’s lead in moving to Truro in 1785, Symonds moved from Massachusetts to Antigonish, arriving June 27, 1804. Symonds opened the first general store in Antigonish and instigated a trading relationship between the town and St. John’s, NL for farm produce. Initially, he lived in a log house but would eventually build a large frame house on the south side of Main Street, east of Church Street. The Kirk Family acquired the property after his passing. Statistics from 1817 show that Symonds had a large household as well as a noteworthy home. Among the 13 people who made up his household were: himself, 5 people aged 16 to 49, 4 children (1 boy and 3 girls) and 3 women. His youngest child Charles would appear on school records in Antigonish, implying Symonds relative wealth and understanding of the importance of the education of his children. The disparity between the inscriptions on this stone can likely be attributed to a few factors. The front side of the stone, memorializing Symonds’s first marriage, was carved according to his directions, and at a time when the family was doing well on account of his successful business. The reverse side, however, carved nearly 60 years later, would have been executed in accordance with the wishes of Mary, his second wife, or the children who were left with what was likely not a massive estate after her 45 years of widowhood. Janley Grant (edited by Christopher Greencorn) [ Back ]