GAGE-JONES relatives buried in Vernon Grove Cemetery, Milford, Worcester Co., MA

GAGE-JONES FAMILY PLOT
Vernon Grove Cemetery, 100 Depot St., Milford, Worcester Co., Massachusetts

The original settlers of Milford were buried in a different graveyard; when that one filled up, they were reinterred in Vernon Grove Cemetery, thus visitors today see the old stones surrounded by monuments from recent years. The row of old stones in the far back of this photograph belong to the Gage and Jones families.

The Gage and Jones families are buried together in the southernmost row of the old section at Vernon Grove. The closest stones in this picture belong to Moses Gage and Sarah Nelson.

Headstones of Moses Gage (1705-1774) and his wife Sarah Nelson (1706/1707-1791), grandparents of Richard Gage who moved to Quebec.

Molly Gage (1737-1819), wife of Phineas Davis, is buried directly behind her parents. She was the aunt of Richard Gage, and she lived in the Milford and Mendon area all her life.

Abraham Jones was born in 1708 in nearby Mendon and, according to his epitaph, died of an "epileptic fit" at age 84 in 1792. He is buried in the same row as Moses Gage. Abraham was an uncle of Priscilla (Jones) Gage who was wife of Daniel Gage and mother of Moses Gage.

Next to Abraham Jones is interred his wife Kezia, who also apparently died of an "epileptic fit" one year prior to her husband. Her epitaph tells that she and Abraham were married for over 60 years.

Two spaces west of Moses Gage's grave lies that of his daughter-in-law, Mary Boynton (1738-1819), wife of Moses Gage Jr. The Gage and Boynton families of Milford intermarried frequently—this particular Mary (Boynton) Gage was an aunt of Sarah "Sally" Boynton who married Richard Gage of Quebec.

The name at the top of this stone is that of Ebenezer Boynton (1688-1761)—he was the great-grandfather of Sarah "Sally" Boynton who married Richard Gage. The stone marks the grave of several people from the same family and is very difficult to read due to weathering of the inscription.

Here lies Gershom Nelson (1729-1813), who was named after his grandfather. Gershom's aunt was Sarah Nelson who married Moses Gage.

Self-portrait at Gage family plot.