The Roby Family
Hannah Lund Roby was 8 years old when Benjamin Franklin demonstrated that lightning was electrical, 10 years old during the French and Indian War, and 33 years old when the Declaration of Independence was signed. She died June 11, 1838, at age 95.
Hannah was the wife of William Roby (1742 - 1775). William Roby was a second lieutenant in a New Hampshire regiment at Bunker Hill, and later a first lieutenant, who was taken prisoner at the Battle of the Cedars, Canada. He died in 1775 while serving his country at Ticonderoga. There is no gravestone in this cemetery for him, although records indicate he is buried here. Hannah was a widow for 63 years!
Hannah was the mother and grandmother of many souls who are buried in this cemetery, including her:
Son William Roby, Esq., Nov. 16, 1769 - Aug. 27, 1850. He was named after his father (above). He married Dorothy “Dolly” Spaulding on February 27, 1800, in Chelmsford.
Grandson William Roby, 1802 - 1862.
Grandson James Sullivan Roby, 1808 - 1866.
Grandson Elbridge Gerry Roby, 1811 - 1835.
Granddaughter Hannah M. Roby Richardson, 1818 - 1891. She was the last to survive of the 12 children in her family. After her grandmother and parents died, she married a farmer over ten years her junior named Edward F. Richardson. At age 44, she had only one child who died in infancy. She was known for her cheerful and sunny temperament.