the East Greenwich Historical Cemetery No. 84

“Historical Cemetery, East of Carr’s Pond Road, 36 burials with 0 inscriptions, On Macera’s place (the old Straight Farm). The Straight cemetery is all fieldstones. The Spencers buried 4 people on the west side of this cemetery. … Henry Straight’s family and others are buried here…”
–database cemetery description–

In 2001 the Straight Cemetery (aka Over-back Cemetery, the East Greenwich Historical Cemetery No.10 and then No. 510, the Straight/Spencer Cemetery) was given the new label East Greenwich Historical Cemetery No. 84.

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A notation that the four Spencers buried in the East Greenwich Historical Cemetery #84 are related to those in East Greenwich Historical Cemetery #9 and the reverse notation at East Greenwich Historical Cemetery #9 stating that these Spencers are related to the four Spencers in the East Greenwich Historical Cemetery #84 would serve the interest of the Spencers and keep clear the historical record preserved by these cemeteries.

Spencer family descendents were aware of their four Spencer ancestors’ burials in the Straight Cemetery, located to the south–1,383 feet–of the Spencer Family Cemetery on Middle Road, and in 2001 made this information known to other researchers.  It was at this time in history that the No. 84 was added to the name of this East Greenwich cemetery database and the East Greenwich historical cemetery No. 510 was dropped from the database.

Hence the name Henry Straight was then added to the below list of known persons buried on the cemetery grounds, chronologically known as the Straight Cemetery, the Over-back Cemetery, the East Greenwich Historical Cemetery No.10, the East Greenwich Historical Cemetery No.510, the Straight/Spencer Cemetery and the East Greenwich Historical Cemetery No.84.

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The Promise

When the Over-back Cemetery was recorded as East Greenwich historical cemetery No. 84 and the original No. 10 classification  no longer belonged to her ancestors’ graveyard, Audrey Mae (nee Spencer) MacDonald in her 90’s said “Why did they take our No. 10 from us?”  After all, the Spencer descendents of No. 10 are in the near-by No. 9 cemetery. Audrey’s daughter responded to Audrey, “Mother, I’m doing historical research to prove that the Straight/Spencer (aka Over-back) cemetery is the original No.10.”  This website makes good this  promise.

A notation that the four Spencers buried in the East Greenwich Historical Cemetery #84 are related to those in East Greenwich Historical Cemetery #9 and the reverse notation at East Greenwich Historical Cemetery #9 stating that these Spencers are related to the four Spencers in the newly named East Greenwich Historical Cemetery #84 would serve the interest of the Spencers and keep clear the historical record preserved by these cemeteries. The first generation Spencer parents are buried at the west end of No. 84 (original No. 10) and the following seven Spencer generations are buried in No. 9.

The American Revolution

The significance of the Spencer burials in this cemetery is enhanced because the first two Spencer deaths and burials occurred in October 1777  when the second son, John, was fighting in the American Revolution. John’s father and older brother, who stayed home to tend the farm, died of small pox and his grieving mother buried her husband and elder son on the west end of the Straight family cemetery located on her land.