21. Sarah Pratt

Pratt has the oldest stone in the cemetery. The Death's head is an early work of the First North River carver and became the symbol of the First and Second carvers, active from 1700 to 1778. Another identifying feature of this work is the triangular notches in the slate created by the cutting method. These became part of the decorative elements on the stone, forming borders, starbursts, and winged skulls. These graves in the original cemetery are oriented in the east and west Christian tradition. The body was laid with the head to the west and the feet towards the east. The intention was that if the body rose again, it would automatically face east. Each grave had an elaborately carved headstone and a footstone that matched with initials or was simply unfinished. The writing on the stones faces away from the grave so that visitors wouldn't walk on the site.