Thank You! Thank You! Thank you for finding my great-great-grandfather's and mother's tombstone. My name is Donald Warren Barnes, Jr. and I was born in Uxbridge My father was Donald Warren, born in Uxbridge and died in Macon, Georgia His mother was Harriette Fletcher Albee (1879-1909) born in Mendon (Horse Corners). She was teaching school at Horse Corners when my Grandfather, Frank Warren Barnes married her. Frank operated a jewelry store in Uxbridge and was UxbridgeTown Treasurer for many years. Harriet's father was Charles Henry Albee (1845-1906) who married Eliza Ann Robinson (1847-1927) from Paris, Maine. Charles Albee was the son of Enos Taft Albee(1814-1887) who married Deborah Nichols (1818-1875) Enos Taft Albee and Deborah Nichols are buried in the Albee cemetery in Horse Corners. It is only their tombstone that has moved. Their Granddaughter Harriette had a younger daughter, Bertha Albee, who outlived her sister by many years. About 1946, Bertha Albee, my great-aunt, took me to Horse Corners and we went into the cemetery there. It was terrible condition but it had a broken down metal fence. She cried when she saw that the undergrowth and trees had almost hidden her grandparents stone (s). She tried scrubbing the face of the stones but we had nothing to work with so we had to leave alone. I live in North Carolina and probably will probably never be able to visit Uxbridge and Mendon again in this lifetime. However, sometime during the 1990's, I was passing was in Uxbridge and I tried to fine the Albee Cemetery. It's location is shown on government maps and so I thought it would be easy to locate. I had come up from Blackstone on some back road and did find Horse Corners. A neighbor told me there was an old overgrown cemetery a few hundred yards away from the corner. I could find only a few broken tombstones and none with the Albee name. I don't know where the old stone has been all these years but obviously was not protected in the old cemetery. What to do with the old stone? As far as I know, I am the only surviving relative of Enos and Deborah. My vote is to put it in the Mendon Cemetery where it will be more difficult for it to roam. Then take a token shovel full of earth from the old resting place and spread in at the new.

Hi Don - This is just great! I'm so glad you can claim the headstone. According to the article in the paper, the police have no idea how the headstone even got to their station. My guess is that someone took it from the cemetery and someone else found it in Milford, and turned it in - like a found wallet or something. Either that, or the people who took it got a guilty conscience and turned it in.... Were you able to read the article in the newspaper? You should probably contact the Milford Police or that reporter the business phone number for the Milford Police Department is 508-473-1113 There is another number labelled information/access line 508-634-2362 The reporter was Sara Withee who can be reached at 508-634-7546 or [email protected] The detective was named Dustin Testa What's really interesting is that Alison Rawson found a record stating that Enos was buried in the Taft-Lamothe cemetery in Mendon, but there was no mention of Deborah. I wonder how that information came to be recorded in the records she looked at. We've actually been discussing this more on the Mendon list, and I'm sure you won't mind if I forward your message over there. I'll leave off your email address, but let me know if it's OK to send it, and I will do it later. Alice Palladini is the president of the Mendon Historical Society. She has been checking on who owns the Taft-Lamothe cemetery where Enos was thought to be buried so she will be glad to know where he was really buried. She probably has some contacts in Uxbridge who can help you with the cemetery. My guess is that it was in the Albee family and someone was supposed to be responsible for it, but as time went on that information was probably lost and not passed on to the next generation until no one remembered it any more. As for what to do with the headstone - you should contact Alice if you want to put it in Mendon Alice Palladini - [email protected] She can probably help put you in touch with the proper people if you really want to install the stone in Mendon rather than back in Uxbridge. As for the Taft-Lamothe Cemetery - are you related to any of these people? I went over there today and took some pictures. there is one main tall stone in the middle - Arnold Taft-d. April 16, 1871, aged 77 years on the front, then on other 3 sides - Stephen Taft, died July 14, 1861, age 66 years, on the left side as you are looking at the Arnold Taft inscription. Children and Grandchildren of Arnold Taft on the back side Martha Williard, wife of Arnold Taft, died Jan 16, 1888, aged 90 years on the right side as you are looking at the Arnold Taft inscription then some very small stones across the front left side as you look at the cem from the street that say Taft on the face, and across the tops - Charles, Stephen, George, Mother- Wife of Adin Taft on the face, Father- Adin B. Taft on the face There could be other graves there, but there are no other stones. When you are looking at the cem from the front, there is also what must be an underground crypt at the right side of the cem. There is a metal door at the entry. In the rear right back corner is an urn and a small angel statue. Let us know how it all works out. I'm so happy you found my message. Lisa ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Barnes" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 7:14 PM Subject: [MAWORCES] RE: Albee-Nichols headstone mystery > Thank You! Thank You! > > Thank you for finding my great-great-grandfather's and mother's tombstone. > > My name is Donald Warren Barnes, Jr. and I was born in Uxbridge > > My father was Donald Warren, born in Uxbridge and died in Macon, Georgia > > His mother was Harriette Fletcher Albee (1879-1909) born in Mendon > (Horse Corners). She was teaching school at Horse Corners when my > Grandfather, Frank Warren Barnes married her. Frank operated a > jewelry store in Uxbridge and was UxbridgeTown Treasurer for many > years. > > Harriet's father was Charles Henry Albee (1845-1906) who married > Eliza Ann Robinson (1847-1927) from Paris, Maine. > > Charles Albee was the son of Enos Taft Albee(1814-1887) who married > Deborah Nichols (1818-1875) > > Enos Taft Albee and Deborah Nichols are buried in the Albee cemetery > in Horse Corners. It is only their tombstone that has moved. > > Their Granddaughter Harriette had a younger daughter, Bertha Albee, > who outlived her sister by many years. > > About 1946, Bertha Albee, my great-aunt, took me to Horse Corners and > we went into the cemetery there. It was terrible condition but it had > a broken down metal fence. She cried when she saw that the > undergrowth and trees had almost hidden her grandparents stone (s). > She tried scrubbing the face of the stones but we had nothing to work > with so we had to leave alone. > > I live in North Carolina and probably will probably never be able to > visit Uxbridge and Mendon again in this lifetime. However, sometime > during the 1990's, I was passing was in Uxbridge and I tried to fine > the Albee Cemetery. It's location is shown on government maps and so > I thought it would be easy to locate. > > I had come up from Blackstone on some back road and did find Horse > Corners. A neighbor told me there was an old overgrown cemetery a > few hundred yards away from the corner. I could find only a few > broken tombstones and none with the Albee name. > > I don't know where the old stone has been all these years but > obviously was not protected in the old cemetery. > > What to do with the old stone? As far as I know, I am the only > surviving relative of Enos and Deborah. My vote is to put it in the > Mendon Cemetery where it will be more difficult for it to roam. Then > take a token shovel full of earth from the old resting place and > spread in at the new. >