Killam/Curtis Cemetery, Boxford, Massachusetts

In Memory of
Mr. John Killam
who died
Oct. 11, 1818
Mark the perfect man
And behold the upright;
For the end of that man is peace.

Partial Inventory of KILHAM-CURTIS CEMETERY
Boxford, Massachusetts

(Ensign) John Killam - In memory of John Killam
who died Oct. 11, 1818
Age 89

Born in Boxford, MA, 1 May 1729, married Priscilla Bradstreet, daughter of John Bradstreet and Elizabeth Fisk of Topsfield, MA, 12 June 1764. She was also a descendent of Massachusetts Colonial Governor Bradstreet. Ensign in not on gravestone but a title used John had and serves useful in distinguishing the numerous John's from one another.

Priscilla Bradstreet -
In Memory of
Mrs. Priscilla wife of
Mr. John Killam
who died April 20, 1807
Æ 61
Lo where this silent Willow weeps
A friend, a wife, a mother sleeps.
A heart within whose Sacred cell
The peaceful virtues lov'd to dwell.

She was born 12 June 1764 in Topsfield, MA.

Samuel Killam
Born
April 2, 1779
Died
May 28, 1839.

Born in Boxford 2 April 1779. Married Lois Holt of Reading, MA.

Lois H. Killam - B. March 13, 1787
D. Feb. 27, 1874

Mary K. Killam - B. Feb. 4, 1818
D. Mar. 26, 1850

Samuel Killam
Died
Jan. 19, 1892
Aged 80 years 1 mo.
22 days

He was born in Boxford, 26 November 1811, and died there 19 January 1892. He married 1st Mary K. Towne 2 September 184, she died 26 March 1850. Married 2nd Rebecca (Spofford) Frances 26 November 1851. Between the two wives he had 13 issue. Photo taken by Al Sawyer.

Frances R. Spofford - Wife of Samuel Killam
died Nov. 26, 1911
aged 87 years 9 mos 22 days

Samuel H. Killam
Lost at sea
Feb. 1871
Aged 26 years

William H. Killam
Lost at sea Feb. 1871
Aged 23 yrs.

Cabbie B. Killam
Died Feb. 24, 1857
Aged 4 yrs.

Photo taken by Al Sawyer

George B. Killam - B. July 12, 1821 D. April 21, 1910

Elizabeth D. Killam - B. Mar. 17, 1837
D. Mar. 21, 1905

Solon S. son of George & Elizabeth Killam
died Jan. 17, 1890 aged 26 yrs 4 mo 14 days

John Killam - B. 1868 D. 1875
son of George B. & Elizabeth D. Killam

Apparently there are also buried in this cemetery, next to and to the left of Ensign John and his wife Priscilla, Francis and Molly Curtis who died respectfully in 1829 and 1817. Also buried here is a 12 month old infant son named Dana. (Information taken from "The Essex Genealogist", Volume 19, Number 3, August 1999, page 168.)

In the rear left hand side of the cemetery are two graves where "two negroes", as list in records, are buried.

Below are notes from my (Rick Kilham, rkilham@cox.net) book on the American progenitor of the Kilham family regarding Thomas Killam. It is my suspicion that Thomas and his wife, Martha Solart, are also buried here in this cemetery but no grave markers remain for some unknown reason. As you will see Thomas bought the farm originally in 1701 and as such it makes sense that they were the first to use this consecrated ground on the farm. (Notes are from "Austin Kilham, Progenitor of the American Family named Kilham/Killam.") Thomas died in 1725 and Martha some time afterwards.

"Thomas Killam, as the last name became spelled in Boxford, has been a rather interesting individual for me to research. Like his grandfather, Austin Kilham, he quietly went about his business, staying below the radar screen as far as the formal records are concerned, but through his living he left his mark for the next generations. As already noted, with Thomas the last name becomes spelled Killam in the Boxford area, and all those who remained in the greater Boxford area have maintained this spelling. The fun has been in ferreting out the facts and the accompanying discoveries I stumbled across in coarse of my searches.

Thomas was a soldier of Major Appleton's company in the King Philip's War, 1665.

While Thomas lived in Wenham he served on the jury during the 1692 witchcraft trials that resulted in conviction and execution of the many of the defendants. Of the seven men from Wenham that served on these juries, five signed a confession of error in 1697, two men did not. Thomas Killam along with Charles Gott Jr. were the men who did not sign the confession of error.

"He lived in Wenham until 1701, when he purchased of Zerubabel Endicott, of Boxford, the farm in the latter town originally granted to his grandfather, Governor John Endicott. Mr. Killam immediately moved to this farm, now owned and occupied by the sixth generation of his descendents." (page 280; Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Genealogies; George S. Brown, Transcribed from the Yarmouth Herald, 1896 through 1909; Prepared for Publication by Martha & William Reamy, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1993). The original farm consisted of 100 acres which was a part of the 500 acres granted to Colonial Governor John Endicott. Today the farm no longer exist due to the building of US Route I-95. If one stands in the middle of the bridge for the Masconomet Regional School, exit # 51 over route I-95, the farm house was located about 50 feet from the bridge on the north side in what is now the median strip. The balance of the farm land is divided. To the west side of I-95, the land contains a few homes and the old dirt road leading to the original wood lot for the farm. Along the sides of the wood lot road are still the old blueberry bushes that the farm was noted for amongst other things. On the east of route I-95, the farm land was taken by eminent domain for the building of the Masconomet Regional School. Nestled in the wood of the southeast corner of the school property is a major discovery for me. It is the Killam/Curtis Cemetery which is bordered on the south by the head waters of the Ipswich River. Here is where I suspect Thomas Killam and his wife Martha Solart are buried. Even though there are no grave markers, Margaret Killam Frost, who was the last generation to be born and raised at the farm house, told me when she was showing the cemetery, that over the years either vandalism or age has taken its toll on several of the stones. There is a noticeable absence of markers in the front row of the southerly side of the little cemetery with the subsequent rows having markers. It is here that I would suggest that Thomas and his wife rest.

The farm house was originally moved and used by the Boxford Board of Education as administration offices on the grounds of the regional school, and it was finally relocated to River Road in Topsfield, where it has undergone a complete remodeling, but still exists. Another interesting note regarding the little cemetery is that in Massachusetts burial grounds can not be disturbed, as such the original route for I-95 had to be moved to the west so as not to encroach on the Killam/Curtis Cemetery.

On a visit to the Wenham Museum on 23 October 2002, I met with the Museum's documents antiquarian and learned much to my surprise that the original home that Thomas Killam lived in before removing to Boxford in 1701 still exists in good condition and located in Wenham.

Martha Solart, daughter of John "Frenchman" Solart, was one of several children, all of whom are named in her father's will. Apparently her father was a financially well off through his ownership and license to operate Solart Tavern, located at 106 Main Street, Wenham, Massachusetts. The building dates from around 1670, and it is still standing as of this writing. One of Martha's sisters was Sarah Goode who was the third person to be tried and hung for witchcraft in Salem. Another of Martha's sisters, Abigail, married Mordecai Larcom who is the American progenitor of the Larcom family with whom my branch of the Kilham family are related to."

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