Photo courtesy of Polly Carmichael

This story will be the first of a short series entitled Saccarappa Cemetery: Voices from Beyond the Grave. My aim is to tell the stories of so many who lie there. I hope there will be a heightened awareness about respecting the sleeping places of the dead.

 Martha was born to Joshua D. and Ellen Babb Roberts in 1842. The family lived on 342 Saco Street in the present day home of the Usher family. Joshua Roberts was a well respected farmer and known to have excellent orchards. A relative of mine owns an old powder horn made by Joshua D. Roberts when he was just 13 years old, dated 1828.It was carved with his initials, J. Roberts. It was fashioned from a bull horn and was never finished. I am told it hung over the fireplace across the street at 341 Saco Street in the brick house, where Martha lived her adult years, married to her 2nd cousin, John L. Roberts. I have read throughout many family diaries that Joshua sometimes would travel to Limington to buy a yoke of oxen. His daughter, Martha, was named for his sister, Martha who lived from 1800-1837. The first Martha is buried at Saccarappa Cemetery. The only testament to her life is an early needlework sampler with her name and birthdate at Falmouth in May 1800. Her gravestone is still intact, which is amazing, since Saccarappa Cemetery has been desecrated numerous times over the years.
             I had the opportunity to study her diary on 1863, in depth. It is also owned by a relative, but the transcription is at Westbrook Historical Society. Martha writes of thirty people, including some children, that year alone who died in Westbrook. A woman never went unaccompanied to town, after dark, whether by sleigh, or horse or wagon. Her world was small as she usually writes of visiting relatives and taking tea. All the relatives she mentions, I have found cross referencing marriage records, Babb’s and Roberts from early Westbrook, mostly from Rev. Caleb Bradley’s books. Since I have spent a great deal of time at the cemetery, I have stumbled upon many stones of the people she wrote about in her diary. 
            As for life on the farm, she is alone this year as her husband in enlisted in the 25th Me., Co. E, and is away in Arlington Heights near the Nation’s Capitol. She notes that the hay pressers came, usually for 2 days. She has a great deal of family support and is busy with her daughter, Flora, who is three. Many women in Westbrook are working in the mills, but she is able to stay home. She fills her time with knitting stockings for her husband, making so many garments for her family. As a homemaker, she writes of making cornstarch pudding for supper. She attends many church meetings on Sundays, many denominations as well.
News in the town was often noted. Pauline Woodman was married today. Later she writes  Temple Snow married today. There was even mention of Mary M. Marrett getting married (She married Westbrook’s Fabius Ray, historian and lawyer) She, too, is buried at Saccarappa, but not Fabius Ray as he married another when Mary died. Lewis Edwards opened his store today, another newsworthy entry. One February day she wrote about Father traveling to Portland on wheels with hay. Evidently the sleighing was not so good on that day. Most of her entries regard her neighbors, The Quimby’s, The Partidge’s, The Trickey’s and The Hatches and her relatives along Saco Street. They all helped each other and helped with chores when someone became ill. There were some entries mentioning a circle held at Father’s where 50 people attended. Recently, I learned The Circles referred to various organizations which were in place to help those in need. The Martha Washington Society was one such group which had roots in Westbrook. There is a ledger at Westbrook Historical with names of members and other interesting information.
            One evening a peddler stopped by her home and left three boxes of pills. Maybe this alleviated the terrible headaches she so often wrote about in her diary entries. She often wrote of the Hatch girls visiting, all of whom are buried at Saccarappa. They would share slips of flowers and make crafts together. The Hatch family included Josie, Mellie (Melvina), and Harriet and a brother Sylvanus. They lived in the brick home which later became known as the Libby House at 477 Saco Street. Martha writes of going into the woods with her sister-in –law and gathering cones to make picture frames. Her mother helps her mend and often they sit together to do such work. One day she wrote her mother had made her a pair of breastplates. Travel was slow. It was a big event to go to Portland, usually consisting of shopping, and visiting relatives, sometimes taking dinner with them. In the event the weather turned, an evening spent with family was not unusual.
One evening Martha writes of Uncle W’s barn burning. I believe it was her uncle William Roberts, actually a Great Uncle, as he was brother to her grandfather, Benjamin. He built the home at 547 Saco Street, present home of Polly Carmichael. I think the barn that burned was in this vicinity. At one time, there were three Roberts Brothers on Saco Street. William lived at 547 Saco Street. Benjamin lived on the land where Joshua D, his son later lived (342 Saco Street). I also believe a house existed before the present brick house at 341 Saco Street. In this location, a brother John lived, but he died a young age of 57, I believe. I believe William bought that parcel. Incidentally, all this land previously had been owned by Stephen Longfellow, on Longfellow Street in Gorham. William Roberts came to Westbrook from Fort Hill Road, Gorham and boarded at the Hatch Home when he married Rev. Nathaniel Hatch’s daughter, Betsy, who was an ancestor to all the future generations of Hatches who lived in the same household. Martha writes throughout her diary of events such as General and Mrs. Tom Thumb visiting the area. She relays the great excitement in “P” (Portland, I believe) as a ship is burned by the Rebels. She remembers her family and friends who have passed years ago, noting Grandfather Roberts been dead 5 years today.
             Martha’s life included much socializing. She attended usually two church meetings on Sundays and wrote of various Westbrook Regiments coming home from the Civil War. One day, she wrote that her husband had arrived home at midnight and the following day, she prepared a meal for some men from his Regiment who would be continuing their journeys home. He served with his brother William in the same Regiment.
             Christmas was not highlighted like it is today. She wrote of visiting and mending on Christmas. Life was simpler but not without hardship. One entry referred to the death of a Haskell Boy, named Frankie. At Saccarappa, I found his lichen covered gravestone, beside another sibling whose death was an early one. Upon reading the stones of his family plot, his parents suffered great loss, maybe five siblings in all.
Martha died at the age of 57. Her death was unusual as there was a certain amount of folklore that I have heard my whole life. She was dug up and her body thrown into Beaver Pond. It was never verified until I read the diaries of William Roberts, her brother in law (and 2nd cousin). He wrote one entry describing that he would be going to the cemetery to check to see if her grave was empty. He found in fact that it was an open grave. The following day, he was asked to go meet the sheriff. A body had been found and William was asked to identify it. William wrote that he could not identify it positively, however he had no doubt that it was her body. This was about eight weeks after her death. Perhaps he recognized the clothing. Someone had tampered with the body, but no person had ever been charged. I think it must have brought great distress upon the family. For those who may have had Eva Roberts as a teacher at Bridge Street School, this story relates to her mother. The cemetery is filled with many such stories. This is only one story but many people mentioned are at Saccarappa Cemetery. There will be more to follow.