Near Barrington in Strafford County, New Hampshire — The American Northeast (New England)

The Balch Household Graves

Photographed by Kelly Marsh, September 9, 2023

1. The Balch Household Graves Marker

Inscription. The reinterred graves of two members of the Balch Household are in Pine Grove Cemetery. Rev. Benjamin Balch (1743-1815) was the first chaplain of the Continental Navy and earned the title of “Fighting Parson,” then served as the pastor of the local Congregational Church. Buried next to him is Aggie (ca.1740-ca.1840), an African American woman who was enslaved as a child and who lived out her life in Barrington after her emancipation. Known for nursing the town’s sick during a severe epidemic, she also worked as domestic help in the Balch household, most likely between 1784-1815.

Erected 2022 by New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. (Marker Number 0279.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the New Hampshire Historical Highway Markers series list.

Location. 43° 12.87′ N, 71° 0.217′ W. Marker is near Barrington, New Hampshire, in Strafford County. It is on Franklin Pierce Highway

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(New Hampshire Route 9) 0.1 miles east of Oak Hill Road, on the right when traveling east. NH Route 9, next to Pine Grove Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 687 Franklin Pierce Hwy, Barrington NH 03825, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on New Hampshire’s Seacoast. It is also in the American Northeast,

in New England,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Two-Mile Streak (approx. 1½ miles away); Canaan Chapel (approx. 5 miles away); Rochester Civil War Monument (approx. 6 miles away); Rochester Commons Bandstand (approx. 6.1 miles away); Dover NH Libby WWI Memorial (approx. 6.1 miles away); First Church Congregational (approx. 6.3 miles away); Reverend Amos Main (approx. 6.4 miles away); Arched Bridge (approx. 6.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map

Photographed by Kelly Marsh, September 9, 2023

2. The Balch Household Graves Marker

of all markers in Barrington.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 29, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2023, by Kelly Marsh of Moultonboro, New Hampshire. This page has been viewed 474 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 27, 2023, by Kelly Marsh of Moultonboro, New Hampshire. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.