MOCA Code: OxBrf24
Location: 43.91804, -70.86592
From its intersection with 113, drive south on Portland Lane (old 113) 0.3 miles and turn right (west) onto Brookside Acres Road at the site of a gravel pit. Drive southwest 0.1 miles until the end of the gravel pit (left) and a speed limit sign (right). The cemetery, consisting of a single gravestone/footstone and other grave depressions is up the hill (southwest) from the speed limit sign. There are no walls enclosing the graves.
Historical Information:
From Ruth Peckham’s notes from Eli Bean’s diaries: “As you cross over rail tracks at Moody’s Crossing, go a long distance where road has sharp turn, over in woods at right, way over on a high hill where trees and shrubs have grown, is where old Tibbetts house used to be. There was a cemetery there known as Tibbetts Cemetery. All graves were taken up except one–a young girl–and that grave and stone still stands. (Ruth P. note: Tom Day told me the stone was tipped over and partly covered by grass.) Bodies were taken to Brownfield or Hiram. This young girl was a Tibbetts and married Sam Norton. Tibbetts was known as Dr. Tibbetts, an animal doctor. The old Tibbetts house was over by knoll and fell down. Their Mr. Tibbetts came from there and built house out by road on turn just below Moody’s Crossing. This house was pretty and stood for years, idle, windows broken, etc. Then Len Bradbury bought it and Howard Moulton lived in it at depot. This Dr. Tibbets was grandfather to Preston McLucas.“
The remaining gravestone is for Ruth C. Norton, wife of Samuel G. Norton and daughter of Dr. Elijah Tibbetts and Mary (Lane) Tibbetts. She was born 12/10/1832 in Brownfield and died 4/25/1868 in Brownfield. She married Samuel G. Norton on 11/26/1858 in Hiram, Maine. Samuel was the son of Orin and Susan (Gilford) Norton who lived, died and were buried in Porter, Maine.
In the 1860 census, Samuel, Ruth and Julia L. (aged 2) were living in Brownfield. Samuel’s occupation was listed as a currer and tanner.
According to Ancestry.com family trees, Samuel and Ruth had the following children: Georgie (b.1857), Carrie D. (b.9/9/1863) and Sunia (b. 1867). We know from the 1860 census that Georgie had died prior to 1860 and that they also had a daughter, Julia L., who was born about 1858. It is likely that Julia also died young because she does not appear on the 1870 census (thought either does Sunia and she later married Abner Stacy). The only child found on the 1870 census is Carrie D., age 6. She was living in Porter with the Ezra Davis family “attending school.” Samuel cannot be found. In 1879 (at age 16) Carrie married Daniel Clay and moved to Buxton, Maine where she remained the rest of her life. In the 1880 census Samuel was in New Gloucester, Maine working as a tanner. Samuel’s death record from 1900 indicates that he had only been in Brownfield for a few months before he died from hanging. It is unknown where he is buried.
A family tree on Ancestry.com lists Elijah and Mary (Lane) Tibbetts as being buried in Pine Grove Cemetery but that their headstones are missing. Elijah Tibbetts did buy Lot #87 in Pine Grove but there are no marked graves. Eli Bean did indicate in 1894 that they were buried in the old yard on the site of the driveway, south of the Fogg monument. Also buried there is Mary (Tibbetts) Bacon, wife of Fred Bacon and daughter of Francis Tibbetts.
Another burial in this cemetery could be Stephen Tibbetts, who (according to historian Eli Bean) was living with his son Elijah when he died in 1840 at the age of 97. His grave is not listed anywhere else.
Augusta (Austin) Tibbetts (1839-1874) was also probably buried in this cemetery. Her husband Francis was the son of Elijah and Mary Tibbetts. Augusta’s name appears on a stone with Francis’ in the Hiram Village Cemetery, though it does not appear that Francis lived in that community until after 1880. Her grave may have been one that was moved to Hiram, as indicated in the original quote.
Condition (5/13/18):
The one tablet stone is standing, but the woods have grown in on this cemetery. It would be almost impossible to find without these directions and/or GPS.
