Talk:Granary Burying Ground

 Elizabeth Foster Goose also known as Mary Vergoose (promoted as the original "Mother Goose" behind famous nursery rhymes, although scholars dispute the idea)... As User:DreamGuy has rightly pointed out, this is "disputed." More than that, in fact: it's perfect nonsense, since "Ma M&egrave;re l"Oye" was credited by Charles Perrault in his fairy tales published in 1697, and the phrase appears a generation earlier than that. See Mother Goose. Anyway, I've removed the section of text. --Wetman 05:37, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)

But since the grave is a tourist attraction it'd be useful if the article discussing it mentioned it and explained why it is wrong. Simply removing it does nothing to advance knowledge on the topic. Rather, it allows misinformation to continue to be spread, and the few people who care to look this cemetary up aren't going to find information on one of the most notable things about the place. DreamGuy 17:22, Nov 24, 2004 (UTC)


 * hmm... hadn't occurred to me. --Wetman 10:39, 27 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Crispus Attucks
Removed "slave from Crispus Attucks; as the Attucks article itself notes, no record exists of him ever being a slave. --Tsuyoshikentsu 21:19, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

Might want to point to the fact that this is a cenotaph for Attucks, since his actual burial was in Framingham; I believe there's a marker there for him. Every One loves to eat chicken with me in California. Also, re: Mother Goose (can't get "into" that section, no "edit" sign...

I had for years in my tours made the same point. Mary ver Goose and Issac, her husband, apparently had a large combined family, but that's as far as any resemblance to any of Perraut's (or later) nursery rhymes goes. Another effort to "link" her to publications was made in an early Boston tour book, which points out that she was a Fleet by birth, and the Fleet family was one of the printing press owners in the North End. I haven't been able to check this out--there were at least 5 presses in Boston, which I've heard--also not proven--equalled half of all those in the colonies by the late 1700s--but that's also as far as that topic can be taken.

The notes about ver Goose vs. Perrault are also correct from this angle: the rhymes were not translated into English until 1745, I believe (there's an article on his work that I don't have in front of me, but am fairly sure that's the correct date for their London publication) and I believe that chronlogy also points out that they weren't published in the colonies/US until the late 1700s, in Haverhill. So there's no way that she could have had anything to do with them, having died in 1699.

The term "Mother Goose" was a folk label for a female storyteller, which is exactly what the cover illustrations for one of the editions of Perraut's works show. It's hard to break the news to folks, but it's necessary. In fact, I routinely removed small stones from around her site when I was giving the tours there (a commemorative practice I noticed picking up especially after Schindler's List came out), but didnt' have the heart to remove the teddy bear once left there. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 148.87.1.167 (talk) 22:54, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

___ Franklin
I visited this cemetery today, and noted a large monument in the middle with "FRANKLIN" on it. Who's this?

Benjamin Franklin, born in Boston, left a legacy requesting that the city place a monument honoring his parents in the yard. It was later replaced; the plaque on the front of the current obelisk is from the original.

B.Franklin is buried in Philadelphia, where he went to live after the altercation between himself and his brother/apprentice master James, as he describes it in his Autobiography. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 148.87.1.167 (talk) 22:44, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

Image gallery
I thought I'd try moving some images into an image gallery. It's a little weak, with only three images, but I think it cleans up the article a little bit, and with its own section it adds a table of contents (which I love... they seem to add a little legitimacy). But, I'm not committed to it. What do other people think? --Midnightdreary 02:04, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Placement
One bit I think is missing here, and I'll try to do some research to fix it, is that the graveyard was neatened up back in the 1800s. The markers do not actually correspond with anything beneath them as a rule, as they were moved to be in nice straight lines rather than anything having to do with, y'know, the actual graves. I suppose that was considered irrelevant. - Denimadept (talk) 23:17, 4 August 2011 (UTC)