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History

Pine Grove Cemetery

The earliest burial in the Pine Grove Cemetery seems to be in 1803, in the Ellis Pond Cemetery 1813, and in the Quaker Burying Ground, 1820. In the grove of pines to the south of the road, in the Pine Grove Cemetery, several years ago one could decipher that Samuel Linnell was buried in 1803 and John Crosby in 1806, both early settlers here.  

Across the road, in what is known as the Woodside Cemetery, John Page was buried in 1812, David Farnham in 1814, and first –settler Joel Richard son in 1819. A sale recorded on November 14, 1809 by Aaron Page to a group of men “a part of lot 134 for a burying ground on the plain”.  

At a Town Meeting of 1905 it was voted to call the “old” cemetery Woodside and the “new” cemetery Pine Grove. In 1909 land was bought from the G.J. Cummings estate for $200 to enlarge the “new” cemetery. More was bought in 1974 for $8,000. The earliest burial in the Pine Grove Cemetery, the “new “part, was in 1883. This section, known as the Pine Plains and Pinkham’s Corner, was bought from Vassal Pinkham.   

Ellis Cemetery

Not far back from the west shore of Ellis Pond (also known as Richardson’s Pond and Salmon Lake) lies the small Ellis Cemetery, now almost inaccessible. Survey maps show that this was the land of John Penney as early as 1802. The first burial was that of six-year-old Henry Bickford in 1813 and the last of that was Dolly Lovejoy in 1908. Her husband Chester died ten years earlier. 

This area was fist part of West Pond Plantation, and then the town of Dearborn was incorporated, and finally became part of Belgrade in 1853. 

At least one Revolutionary soldier lies here. John Rankins fought the entire seven years and lived until 1828. Peaslee Morrill, the father of two Maine governors, Anson and Lot, and recorded as a prominent and influential man, was buried here in 1855.

​(Information provided from the second edition of the “Past and Present”, “Pictures and People” of Belgrade, Maine 1774-1976, compiled by the Heritage Committee of the Belgrade Bicentennial Observance)