James Foster and Descendants
James Foster I (1651–1732), son of Captain Hopestill Foster and Mary Bates, is credited with creating many of the oldest tombstones in the Boston area. His legacy continued through his sons—James Foster II (1698–1763), and Hopestill Foster (d. 1676)—as well as his grandson, James Foster III (1732–1771.)
Over time, the style of the later generation evolved to feature friendly, winged faces in the tympanum and simpler side panels. Many of the Fosters are buried in Boston’s Dorchester North Burials Ground–the earliest remaining landmark for Dorchester, Massachusetts.
John Foster (1648–1681) of Dorchester, Massachusetts, graduated from Harvard around 1667, and was known as “The Ingenious Mathematician and Printer” as shown on his tombstone at the left. Brother to James Foster I, he operated the first successful printing press in Boston in 1675 and printed the first book in Boston in 1676. His tombstone was carved by the “Old Stonecutter of Boston” who preceded the Foster family’s stonecutting.
Mary Norton Beetle, 1700-1746,
Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
Joseph Chase, 1689-1749, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
John Norton, 1674-1730, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
Nathaniel Badcock, 1718/19 Milton Cemetery, Milton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Joseph Barnard, 1650-1695, Old Deerfield Burying Ground, Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
George Bird, 1716,
Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Simon Beamon Jr, 1712, Old Deerfield Burying Ground, Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Anna Butler, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
Robert Calef, 1719,
Eliot Burying Ground, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
John Capen, 1699, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Desire Clap, 1717,
King’s Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Hopestill Clap, 1719, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Elisha Foster, 1689, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA
Son of Hopestill and Mary Foster, brother to James I
Thankful Foster, 1700, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA
Daughter of James Foster I and Anna
Abigail Gearfield, 1710,
Farmers Burial Ground, Weston, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Major John Lane, 1714/15,
Old South Burying Ground, Billerica, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Stephen Larrabee, 1718,
Eastern Cemetery, Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, USA, Farber
Benjamin Leeds, 1717/8, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Susannah Mayhew, 1758
Abel’s Hill Cemetery, Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
Joseph Nightingall, 1715,
Hancock Cemetery, Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Theoda Peck, 1718, Eliot Burying Ground, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Mary Preston, 1710, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Henry Ruggles, 1702, Eliot Burying Ground, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
John Sheldon Jr, 1713, Old Deerfield Burying Ground, Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Edward Sprague, 1715,
Bell Rock Cemetery, Malden, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Thomas Swift 1717/8 Milton Cemetery, Milton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Deacon George Sumner, 1715, Milton Cemetery, Milton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Mary Sumner, 1719, Milton Cemetery, Milton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Benjamin Thompson, 1714, Eliot Burying Ground, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Dorothy Weld, 1694, Eliot Burying Ground, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Thomas Weld 1682/3, Eliot Burying Ground, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Hannah Wiswall, 1690, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Stones carved by James II and/or Hopestill
William Avery, 1750,
Old Village Cemetery, Dedham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
John Bird, 1739, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
Dudley Boylston, 1748,
Walnut Street Cemetery, Brookline, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, US
William Bullard, 1737, Old Village Cemetery, Dedham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA
James I (1732) and Anna Foster (1739) Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Priscilla Foster, 1739, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
James Jerdis, 1750, Eliot Burying Ground, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
George Payson, 1734,Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Sarah Rice, 1740,
Revolutionary Cemetery, Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Ann Spur, 1721-1739, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Samuel Swift 1747, Milton Cemetery, Milton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Thomas Wells, 1743, Old Deerfield Burying Ground, Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Sybil Williams, 1750, Old Deerfield Burying Ground, Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Ebenezer Withington 1747, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber,
Stones carved by James Foster II/III
Thomas Bird, 1772, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Samuel Blake, 1754, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Susanna Bradley, 1764, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Eunice Clap, 1770, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Jonathan Davis, 1762, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Francis Edwards, 1770, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
James Foster III, 1771 Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Mindwell Fuller, 1758,
East Parish Burying Ground, Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Pelatiah Glover, 1770, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Mary Kilton, 1762, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Ruth Leadbetter, 1766, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Keziah Loring, 1754, Revolutionary Cemetery, Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Noah Masen, 1753,
Old Burial Ground, Sturbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Sarah Sever, 1769,
Needham Cemetery, Needham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Ann Pain, 1753, Needham Cemetery, Needham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Robert Spurr, 1768 Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Peter Vose, 1764, Milton Cemetery, Milton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Thomas Vose, 1760, Milton Cemetery, Milton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA Farber
Abigail Williams, 1754, Old Deerfield Burying Ground, Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Hannah Williams, 1764, Eliot Burying Ground, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Thomas Wiswall, 1752, Dorchester North Burying Ground, Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA, Farber
Additional burials thought to be Foster’s work:
Joseph Allen, Abel’s Hill Cemetery, Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
Jonathan Luce, Abel’s Hill Cemetery, Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
Anna Mayhew, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
John Baxter, 1719, Hancock Cemetery, Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA
1761 Damoris Ripley, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
Mary Smith, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
1735/6 Jedidah Smith, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
1739 Benjamin Sumner, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
1730 James Stanbridge, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
1764 Jean Norton Vinson, TTower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
John Worth, Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
Sources
Roark, Elisabeth Louise (2003). Artists of Colonial America.
Farber Gravestone Collection