This message is being forwarded to this moderated list by the listowner. You may reply to the list at Gordon-L@rootsweb.com or to the original sender at GordonsOfMaine@aol.com. >From the Sinkler/Sinclair web site: <A HREF="http://kingcrest.com/sinclair/sinkler_history.html-ssi">SINCLAIR HISTORY AND GENEALOGY: Sinkler Family Lineage</A> "TOWN CEMETERY IN EXETER, New Hampshire On Perkins Hill (formally called Gordon Hill) This cemetery is on the south side of the road to Kingston beyond Perkins (Gordon) Hill, perhaps 500 feet in front the road, and about opposite the road to Pickpocket and is on Rte. 3. This is a rather large burying ground, and burials here probably as early as 1710. Its origin is apparent from the following extract from the will of Nathaniel Gordon (son of Alexander). The will is dated December 2, 1757. Thomas Gordon was born in 1678 and died in 1761. "I give and bequeath to my two sons, viz. Benjamin and Nathaniel Gordon, their heirs and assigns forever, all my Homestead, my Dwelling House and Barn and other buildings thereon excepting half an acre of land to be reserved for a Burying place as convenient as may be where my last wife was buried and several of my children and grand children, and a convenient way to and from it to the Country road leading from Exeter to Kingston." This has been a town cemetery for many years, and the town has several times spent money for its maintenance. The lot is rectangular, about 225 feet wide and 180 feet deep, and contains nearly an acre. It is enclosed by a stone post fence with rails of timber about four or five inches square in cross section. The fence of expensive construction, but now in very poor repair, is quite similar to that on Front Street by the main Academy building. The fact that the plot is twice the size specified in Thomas Gordon's will is interesting in bearing on the point that it is a town cemetery. The cemetery is over-grown with bushes, black cherry, pine and oak trees, two of the latter are very large and several of the pine trees are of good size. The cherry trees have been cut from time to time and now several good sized sprouts have come up from every stump. Some of the stones are lying flat, some covered with leaves and earth. Most of the stones are gray slate, and nicely carved, the others are of white marble. Many of the oldest graves are marked by unlettered field stones, and some with crude initials, and in some cases the age is given, but no year. In 1989 the town historian stated that she suspected that some of the Sinklers are buried here without markers. (Not a single Sinclair stone was located in any cemetery in Exeter). It is also suspected that this or another cemetery where Sinclairs were buried was valuable land for past factories making brick (due to the combination of clay and skeletal dust remains). Therefore, the Sinclairs may be literally spread about all of Exeter, New Hampshire." ************************************************************ The Sinkler/Sinclairs have an excellent website, well worth visiting! Now... Has anyone here been to this cemetery recently? Has there been a gravestone transcription done? Are the above directions accurate? "Rte 3"? Isn't the Kingston Road Rte 111? "The road to Pickpocket"? I know where Pickpocket Road is, but I didn't know that "Pickpocket" was a placename. I'm just an hour or so from Exeter so I'm planning a road trip very soon, who wants to come? <g> John Wesley Gordon Descendant of Alexander Gordon and Mary Lysson Researching Gordon and Maddox in York Co. Maine and So. NH <A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/gordonsofmaine/myhomepage/heritage.html">Gordons Of Maine</A>