After having the opportunity to examine her canary quilted petticoat (see earlier blog post), I started on a quest to find Temperance Pickering Knight's headstone which I had heard was "embedded" within the expansive mall area of Newington. Newington is where she was born and married. As it turns out, I had seen the remains of the small plot some five years earlier and knew exactly where it was located. The burial site is in a state disrepair and the handful of stones within the borders are barely legible and eroded from the elements and years of past vandalism. While Temperance's headstone is badly damaged and the upper third severed, there is nonetheless a powerful connection with her through the stone.
It is possible to make out her name and death date on the the stone despite the damage. Note the deeply incised and elegant serifed lettering. The use of classic white marble is indicative of the changing style of headstone in the early 19th century.
Descendants have a created a family genealogy which may be found at
http://members.tripod.com/Al_Beagan/April4/3565.htm and a there are a number of key documents at the Rockingham County Probate Records.
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