Philadelphia County PA Archives News.....Fate of Aged Tombstones Interests Crescentville April 30, 1905 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Cyndie Enfinger cyndiee@tampabay.rr.com January 18, 2008, 12:29 pm The Philadelphia Inquirer April 30, 1905 FATE OF AGED TOMBSTONES INTERESTS CRESCENTVILLE Inscriptions on Marble Are Distinct After Centuries of Wear Special to the Inquirer. CRESCENTVILLE, PA., April 29.-Since the famous old Dickson estate on Green Lane, at Crescentfille, has been offered for sale, fresh interest has been aroused in the fate of the old tombstones which have been preserved through two centuries. The word preserved is scarcely appropriate in this instance, however, for they are sadly defaced by relic hunters. The inscriptions are still distinct, and the lettering but slightly defaced, but the ornamentation of the stones, which shows work of very uncommon order for two centuries ago, has been hacked off and carried away until only a little of the scroll work remains on the centre stone. It is not known in what year this property came into the possession of the Price family; it seems to be enough to know that the mother and two sons were buried in the yard of their homestead more than two centuries ago, many long years before the property became known as the estate of James N. Dickson. This old Price family was of Welsh origin. Watson writes that it was a member of the community of Seventh-day Baptists-the same which afterward took the name of Keithian Baptists, from their union in sentiment with George Keith, who had been a Friend. The family owes its origin to Abel Noble, who arrived in 1684 and formed a society of Baptists in Upper Providence, Chester county, where he baptized Thomas Martin, a public Friend, and others. This last, as a public minister, baptized Rees Price, in 1697. In 1702 Rees and John Price and others, built a meeting house in Oxford township, on a lot given to them by Thomas Graves, but neglecting to get their deed in due time, it came to pass that the Episcopalians got both the lot and house-the same premises on which now stands the Oxford Episcopal church. the tombstones referred to are thus inscribed: No. 1.-"For the Memory of Elizabeth Price, Who Died August the 21st, 1697." No. 2.-"For the Memory of John Price, Who Died June the 11th Day, 1702, Aged 20 Years." No. 3.-"For the Memory of Rees Price, Who Died July the 17th Day, 1702, Aged 28 Years." One curious feature about these old tombstones is the fact that they have lettering on the back as well as on the front. The scroll work and other ornamentation on the front leaves little space for the epitaph, On the back of No. 2 is: "this young man was so much with sence indued that of his own and brother's death conclude, saying. 'Dear brother, this know well to I. twill not be long before we both must die.'" On the back of No. 3 is: "These are first that's in this duet I say, God's Sabbath kept, to wit, ye seventh day. In faith they dy'd, here side by side remain till Christ shall come to raise them up again." There is no lettering upon the back of No. 1-the mother's tombstone-as this was placed in 1697, and is much smaller than the ornamental stones over the graves of the two sons. It was a curious coincidence that both brothers should have died the same year, one aged twenty and the other aged twenty- eight years, and it is also a curious fact that John Price, the youngest brother, should have prophesied their deaths in advance, as quaintly mentioned on the back of his tombstone. The famous old springhouse, near which the graves are located, is quite as carefully preserved. It is claimed on good authority that the old spring was bubbling forth its pure waters two centries ago, when this famous old Dickson estate was in teh possession of the Price family. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 4.2 Kb This file is located at http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/philadelphia/cemeteries/price.txt