Has anyone heard of a funeral being held from a packet warf? Why would that be done? On Genealogy Bank, I found the following obituary notice of my ancestor Ansel Franklin ELLIS (husband of Sarah Covel) who lived at Wellfleet and Charlestown or Boston. The obituary notice was in the Feb. 12, 1813 edition of the New England Palladium, published in Boston. The death occurred in Boston and the packet wharf and Town Dock were in Boston. I don't know where he is buried. One source in TAG said he was buried at Christ Church (the Old North Church) in Boston, but the church office can't confirm that. The Wellfleet town clerk's office has no record of his having been buried at Wellfleet. His widow is buried alone at Swampscott, Mass. where she died in 1848. She had moved there with her children and their spouses after Ansel's death. In census reports, Ansel F. ELLIS is listed as a mariner. I suppose that the packet wharf in Boston is where people from Wellfleet went to get the packet back to Wellfleet. But why would they hold a funeral service at a wharf? Susan DIED On Wednesday, Mr. Ansel Ellis, of Wellfleet, aged 50. Funeral this afternoon, at 3 o'clock, from Packet-wharf, near Town Dock. Friends and relations are requested to attend.

It sounds as if he wanted to be buried at sea. Mourners couldn't very well all go aboard the boat that would carry him out to where he wished to be laid to rest. >From: John Lovell <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Subject: [Barnstable Co MA] Ansel ELLIS, of Wellfleet,funeral from packet >warf, Feb. 12, 1813 >Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:55:45 -0500 > >Has anyone heard of a funeral being held from a packet warf? Why >would that be done? > >On Genealogy Bank, I found the following obituary notice of my >ancestor Ansel Franklin ELLIS (husband of Sarah Covel) who lived at >Wellfleet and Charlestown or Boston. The obituary notice was in the >Feb. 12, 1813 edition of the New England Palladium, published in >Boston. The death occurred in Boston and the packet wharf and Town >Dock were in Boston. I don't know where he is buried. One source in >TAG said he was buried at Christ Church (the Old North Church) in >Boston, but the church office can't confirm that. The Wellfleet town >clerk's office has no record of his having been buried at Wellfleet. >His widow is buried alone at Swampscott, Mass. where she died in >1848. She had moved there with her children and their spouses after >Ansel's death. In census reports, Ansel F. ELLIS is listed as a >mariner. I suppose that the packet wharf in Boston is where people >from Wellfleet went to get the packet back to Wellfleet. But why >would they hold a funeral service at a wharf? >Susan > > DIED > On Wednesday, Mr. Ansel Ellis, of Wellfleet, aged 50. Funeral this >afternoon, at 3 o'clock, from Packet-wharf, near Town Dock. Friends >and relations are requested to attend. > > > >------------------------------- >PLEASE NOTE: >Contact the List Admin at [email protected] or to search the list >archives, or find other useful information to help you use the list more >effectively, please click on the following link: >http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/MA/barnstable.html >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >[email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >quotes in the subject and the body of the message _________________________________________________________________ Turn searches into helpful donations. Make your search count. http://click4thecause.live.com/search/charity/default.aspx?source=hmemtagline_donation&FORM=WLMTAG