Historic Headstone Re-creation

7/24/2019 Historic Headstone Re-creation

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The Messenger

Gravestones

Capt. David Messenger1760 ~1811

Hannah Higley Messenger1758 ~1815

Presented to the Granville Cemetery Board

Monday, January 25, 2016


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FORMAL REQUEST TO FAITHFULLY RECREATE THE HEADSTONES OF

Revolutionary War soldier Capt. David Messengerand his wife, Hannah Higley Messenger

My mother and I first visited Granville on a summer vacation in1972

onour way from Iowa to visit family in the east. At the time, she had beenresearching her ancestors for a few years and we came to Granville in search

of the graves of her four-times great grandparents, David Messenger andHannah Higley. With the help of someone who knew the cemetery well,we were able to locate the graves and she took these pictures photos

that some 40 years later, would be invaluable in this project.

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B A C K G R O U N D :

As I mentioned, David Messenger was a Revolutionary War soldier:

June3, 1775: Enlisted at Becket [he was not quite sixteen], as a Private.He served in Capt. Malcolm Henrys company, Col. David Brewers

9th Massachusetts regiment, served during the Siege of Boston;Service: 2months,4days; order for a bounty coat or its equivalent

in money, dated Roxbury, December 23, 1775*

Served under Capt. Samuel Hays company, Conn. 18th militia regiment,commanded by Jonathan Pettibone. Arrived New York, 22Aug 1776,discharged, 25Sep 1776. Service time [incl 7days marching, 6days

return], 1month, 17days. Wages/month: s40. Wages paid: L3/S2/D8**

David Messenger was also one of the early settlers of Licking County.In April, 1804, he was one of 35who signed and paid $8to form

the Scioto Land Company which became the Licking Land Company.

He brought his whole family to Granville, his wife and their eight children.He was among the first to receive a deed for land, purchasing 500acresin December, 1805. He served as a grand juror, a supervisor of highways

and played a hautboy in the eleven-member township band.He died at the very young age of 51.

* Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Rebellion, page 694

** Connecticut Militia pay abstract, source: Fold3

The History of Granville, Licking County, Ohio, pp 60, 83-84, 96 2


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H O W T H I S P R O J E C T B E G A N :

In September, 2011, a genealogy friend who was visiting Granvilleagreed to take pictures of the graves for me. This is when I found out that

the stones were no longer standing. However, through her photos, I wasntwithout hope because I saw pieces of broken stone on the ground.

This led me to write some emails and make some phone calls andeventually I made the e-acquaintance of Lyn Boone who helped me to

realize that the shards I had seen were actually pieces of Hannahs stone.She and her husband did an initial excavation of the site on June 16, 2013

and one week later I drove over from St. Louis to meet Jim and MinxieFannin. We did a 2nd excavation on June 21, 2013and were able to find an

additional shard. These pieces, along with Charles Bryants 1886transcription record, helped to document Hannahs stone for certain.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE FACEBOOK PAGE:

www.facebook.com/David-and-Hannah-Messenger-1428723824056913/ 3

CURRENT CONDITIONS

From left, David Messenger, his wife, Hannah Higley Messenger and their son, Campbell Messenger
http://www.facebook.com/David-and-Hannah-Messenger-1428723824056913/http://www.facebook.com/David-and-Hannah-Messenger-1428723824056913/


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T H E P R O P O S A L :

To recreate the original stones as faithfully as possible.

I have secured a quality monument company, Columbus Art Memorial todo the work and I will personally oversee all work from the shape of thestone to the engraving of the inscription

The chosen material is a gray granite. It is selected for its durability andbecause it will blend in well with the current context of the cemetery. Theexact same material was used on the entrance to Dennison University,created by Columbus Art Memorial a few years ago (see page 6)

The stones will be installed as they would have been originally, in a mortiseand tenon set-up (see page 9)

The stones were professionally measured by Jim and Minxie Fannin andwill be recreated to those exact measurements (see page 7)

Using Charles Bryants 1886transcription record, the wording will beengraved exactly as it was, including the misspelling of Mesinger onHannahs stone (see page 8 )

Using the shards of Hannahs stone found during the two excavations,the font style on those shards will be recreated as faithfully as possible(see page 8 )

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Revolutionary War soldier Capt. David Messenger

and his wife, Hannah Higley Messenger

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FIN.GRADE

3'-8"

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1'-7"

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2 1/2"

DAVIDMESSENGER 1 1/2" - 1'-0"

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3'-2"

4"

2"

'

3'-2"

1'-5"

2 1/4"

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HANNAHMESSENGER'

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2'-6"

5"

3"

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1 1/2" - 1'-0"

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3'-2

3/4"

CAMPBELLMESSENGERFOR REFERENCE

6"

6"

2'-2

3/4"

3

1/2"

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'

tudio durhamARCHITECTS

s

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'


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ABOVE: ife of from the end of the third line, wife of

AT LEFT: Sac from the word Sacred, the first line of

the inscription.


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9

Detail of the mortise and tenon stone installation from vendor.

Stone will be purchased through Columbus Art Memorial.They will also engrave and install the stones.

COLUMBUS ART MEMORIAL606West Broad Street Columbus, Ohio 432215 614 221 2726

Contact: Carmine Menduni, president


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Thank you for your time and attention to this projectwhich is so important to me. Not only will it be a way for me

to honor my five-times great grandparents, but this is a project

that my mother and I discussed many times.Though she did not live to see it completed (she died

in February, 2015at the age of97) I honor her memory as well andI believe she would be very pleased that this project was finished.

Documents

Historic Headstone Re-creation