.
"To mark the site of Fort Andross, 1688 - 1694, and Fort George,
1715 - 1737.
Also, the earliest burial place, where are buried Benjamin Larrabee, agent
of the Pejepscot Proprietors and commander of Fort George, also Robert and
Andrew Dunning, killed by the Indians.
Erected by Daughters
of the American Revolution 1930."
I’ve passed
the boulder bearing this plaque outside Fort Andross many times this
summer. Each time I’ve wondered if
there are still descendents of Benjamin Larrabee and the Dunnings in
Brunswick. And if there are, do they
know their people are buried not far from the green bridge? What about those who have moved away? Are they perhaps looking for these
ancestors?
I copied
down the words on the DAR plaque and submitted them to Brunswick’s GenWeb page
(www.faerunmud.org/~bbouch/BrunswickME/), which is part of The WorldGenWeb Project, a worldwide
Internet genealogical undertaking that includes cemetery transcriptions and was
started in 1996. In less than a week,
I got my first e-mail response, from a New York college professor thanking me
for helping connect her with her Dunning ancestors.
Under Maine
law it is illegal to tamper with a gravesite, making cemeteries a unique kind
of open space. Where are Brunswick’s cemeteries and who is buried there?
Brunswick does not have one all-inclusive record of its cemeteries, their
locations, owners, physical characteristics, history, and burial record. An
opportunity exists today to change that. The Town of Brunswick Open Space and
Recreation Task Force plans to pull as much cemetery information together as
possible, including the records available through the Pejepscot Historical
Society, Curtis Memorial Library, family histories and photos, and the
Internet.
We are
inviting interested citizens to adopt a cemetery to survey, tell us the
location of a forgotten gravesite, or share family lore or photos pertaining to
Brunswick’s cemeteries. We hope to complete
the onsite surveys before the snow flies and spend this winter compiling the
information. The results will become
part of Brunswick’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan. Copies will be made available at Town Hall,
the Curtis Memorial Library, and the Pejepscot Historical Society. We hope to have the information on the
Internet as well.
If you
would like to participate in any way, please call. Together we will create a record that will reflect on Brunswick’s
rich history and that will be in use for generations to come.
Barbara A. Desmarais
Member, Cemetery Committee
Open Space & Recreation Task Force
Town of Brunswick
725-4827
