The 'Lulu' Carver of Richmond, MA

by Michael D. Bathrick


In Richmond, MA exists a series of late eighteenth century gravestones which bear more resembelence to twentieth century cartoon tradition than to eighteenth century gravestone tradition. The 'Lulu' carvings, a tradition brought by settlers from south-central Connecticut, are mostly found in the Connecticut settled town of Richmond, and do not stray much beyond its borders.

The settlement of areas along the New York/Connecticut border has a very complex history. West Stockbridge, MA, according to a very sketchy first look, seems to have been settled primarily by Massachusetts settlers, Richmond, MA and Canaan, NY by Connecticut settlers. Alford, Sheffield and Mount Washington, MA was initially settled by the Dutch/Germans and later by New Englanders (their cultural hearth not yet determined). There is a lot of research in this area yet to be done.

Population Survey

Using the 1790 Census of the United States, I identified the prior residences of as many enumerated residents as possible. The sources for the identification of prior residence of the Richmond families are two county histories and one town history, Rev. Edwin W. Dwight's, 'A History of the Town of Richmond' in A History of the County of Berkshire, Massachusetts (Pittsfield, MA: 1829), pages 324-325, Rev A. B. Whipple's, 'Town of Richmond' in History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts Vol. 2 (New York: J. B. Beers, 1885) pages 488-495 and Katharine Huntington Annin's, Richmond, Massachusetts: The Story of a Berkshire Town and Its People 1765 - 1965 (np: Richmond Civic Association, 1964), pages 9-15. Their sources were probably local tradition and therefore not necessarily accurate. However, short of doing a genealogical study on the town I do not see a reasonable way of getting more reliable information.

Richmond's population showed itself to be dramatically Connecticut in origin. The towns where residents are identified as coming from are the following:

Thirty percent of the total population were identified with a particular state or community, Of these 79% were from Connecticut, 17% were from Long Island and about four percent were from Massachusetts. Given that this may not have been a statistically valid random sample, there still was better than twenty percent known to have come from Connecticut.

I then cross referenced the families which used the Lulu carver and the place of origin of those families. I was able to cross reference twelve of them. Nine of the families came from Connecticut and three came from Long Island. The towns which the Connecticut families came from are:

The three from Long Island were from the Hamptons - near the fork in the tail of the island.

The surprise in this study is that, even though Connecticut natives were in the majority of the population and that the style of the carving originated in the Connecticut River valley - only 75% of the purchasing families originated in Connecticut and only 33% originated near the valley itself. This nearly matches the ratios of population origin for the population as a whole as detailed above. Of course, eastern Long Island is more closely related culturally to Connecticut than to any other cultural hearth in the area.

Stone Distribution

Richmond seems to have the largest number of markers created by the 'Lulu' carver. There are nineteen in Center Cemetery, ten in Northeast Cemetery and six in Cone Hill Cemetery for a total of thirty-five. Lenox is in second place with nine and Stockbridge has one. The following is a breakdown of marker vs. cemetery:

Postdated Stones

All stones dated prior to 1785 were probably carved after 1785. The double stone for Theophilus and David Rossiter dated 1766/1770 in the Center Cemetery in Richmond, MA is the earliest stone I have for the Lulu carver, but evidence suggests that this stone is post-dated. David Rossiter, the father of the two children, is listed as General David Rossiter. According to Beers' History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, (NY: Beers & Co, 1885), Vol. 1, page 323, Rossiter did not achieve this rank until after the Battle of Bennington where he was a Lt. Colonel and before 1784 where he was a General. Rossiter was from North Guilford, CT.

Epitaphs

Twenty-two of the forty-one stones I have found have epitaphs, about fifty-four percent of the total. The most common epitaph is doggerel verse, either composed by the carver or taken from a printed source. The least common form of epitaph is a personal description of the deceased.

The 'Lulu' carver's favorite epitaph was:

Nor sex, nor age can death defy
Think mortal what it is to die

This epitaph occurs on no less than six (those of Jerusha Peirson (1776), Hannah Collens (1787), Daniel Hosford (1794), Isabel Clark (1794) all in Richmond Center Cemetery, Pricilla Bacon (1790) in Northeast Cemetery in Richmond and Adolphus Hyde (1790) in Church on the Hill Cemetery in Lenox) of the twenty-two stones with epitaphs I've recorded in Center, Northeast and Cone Hill Cemeteries in Richmond, Church on the Hill Cemetery in Lenox and the Stockbridge Cemetery.

Three epitaphs vie for second place with two occurrences each:

We mourn but not as wretches do
Where vicious lives all hope deny
A falling tear is natures due
While faith looks up to joys on high

which is found on the stones of Anna and Eunice Cogswell (1785/1787), Center Cemetery, Richmond and Lois Dunbar (1787), Church on the Hill Cemetery, Lenox.

Dust animated by a soul
Appeard in beauteous form
Just lept on this terrestrial ball
Alas how soon called home

found on the stones of Betsey Love (1790), Church on the Hill Cemetery, Lenox andTheophilus and David Rossiter (1766/1770), Center Cemetery, Richmond.

Boast of thy conquest death over human things
The pomp of empires and the pride of kings
But know the saints shall burst their chains and rise
To thrones celestial in their kindred skies

found on the stones of Moses Ashley (1791), Stockbridge Cemetery and Thankfull Willard (1789), Church on the Hill Cemetery, Lenox.

Six other poetic epitaphs were used, one each, and four others tell us about the deceased's bravery such as In the field of action his martial bravery was a rallying point for his fellow citizens on the stone of Aaron Rowley (1799), Cone Hill Cemetery, Richmond or last illness such as Through a sea of infirmities she waded to her rest on the stone of Anna Rowley (1799), Cone Hill Cemetery, Richmond.

Actually two 'Lulu' Carvers!

There are actually two carvers using the style of the 'Lulu' carver. A second carver has shown up in Richmond. I have discovered four of his stones, so far. He has no stones in the Center Cemetery or the Cone Hill Cemetery, but has several in the Northeast Cemetery.

So Who Carved These Stones Anyway?

The Johnson family of carvers

Among the possible carvers of the 'Lulu' stones is Lemuel Johnson. I believe this based on the footnote found in an unpublished article by John Brooke of Stockbridge referring to the carver Thomas Johnson which was originally uncovered by Ernest Caulfield:
Sometime during the 1770s Thomas Johnson, Jr "bought the rights to the northern half of his father's (Thomas Johnson Sr., the carver (mdb)) estate (in Chatham, Conn (jlb)) from his brothers who had moved to other towns - William to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Amos and Lemuel to Hillsdale, New York and Samuel to Lancaster, New Hampshire"
He got this information from Ernest Caulfield's, Connecticut Gravestones, Part V in the Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin Vol. 21, Number 1 (Jan, 1956) page 14. One item which Brooke failed to notice is that Caulfield has a slight inconsistency in his tale. On page 12 of Part V Caulfield states that Thomas Johnson's son Lemuel died in 1761 (aged 16) and on page 14 states that Lemuel had moved to Hillsdale, NY by 1772. This confuses matters greatly. Brooke further informs us that there were several Johnsons which may be related in the 1790 census: The two Lemuels in the Berkshire Hills at the same time beg further research. Brooke also mentions that stones of the 'Johnson derived' type are found in Williamstown and South Williamstown. The Thomas Johnson stones show more of a relationship with stones in Hillsdale than with those in Richmond. They show an elongated face instead of the round face the 'Lulu' carver makes. However, the photographs I have of his work show the 'batman' or 'upswept' wings of the 'Lulu' carver instead of the William Holland style wings.

One of the Lemuels may be the 'Lulu' carver. He's in the right place at the right time, and John Johnson is obviously the source of the carvings in Richmond. I just have no direct connection with John and Thomas, or between John and Lemuel.

The Williams family?

Another possibility has come to light, though I have no clear evidence that he was even related to the carver tradition, is David Williams. Williams and his brother John migrated to Richmond from the area of East Haddam, Connecticut according to Rev. Edwin W. Dwight's, 'A History of the Town of Richmond' in A History of the County of Berkshire, Massachusetts (Pittsfield, MA: 1829), page 325, the same area where John Johnson was active. Williams moved to Berkshire, NY in 1800 according to Katharine Huntington Annin's Richmond, Massachusetts: The Story of a Berkshire Town and Its People 1765 - 1965 (np: Richmond Civic Association, 1964), page 45, about the same time the 'Lulu' carver ceased operations. He married Jerusha Pierson, according to Annin a daughter of Zecheriah Pierson but shared the name of the wife of Nathan. Nathan's wife's stone was carved by our 'Lulu' carver. Is this a connection? I think it's pure guesswork to say right now that either they were or weren't.

Until I can clearly associate David Williams or Lemuel Johnson of Richmond (or someone else) with the stones I am studying, I will continue to call the carver by the code name the 'Lulu' carver. I call him this because of the cartoon-like facial features he gives his cherubs. This name was given him prior to any association with the Johnson family, and helps to keep my notes and thoughts straight.

Comments on this are avidly saught after. The author may be reached at bathrick@berkshire.net

Contents of this page are © 1994, Michael D. Bathrick