Union Cemetery

Union Cemetery. . , Established in 1844, the gravestones of Union Cemetery contrast with those in neighboring North Cemetery which is almost a century older. Nearly all the stones are white limestone or marble, with Victorian floral relief carving. Some monuments are sculptured, and individual family plots are fenced off with elaborate ironwork. These traits, and the park-like setting, were influenced by the earlier Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston. This cemetery is the final resting place of some of Portsmouth’s most notable figures from the mid-nineteenth century. Among them are clipper ship builders George Raynes and Frederick Fernald, as well as the grandparents of Portsmouth author Thomas Baily Aldrich. , George Raynes d. 1855 , Rayne' monument overlooks the site of his shipyard, where he built 53 ships between 1832 and 1860. Among them were the brig Ida Raynes, named after the daughter buried beside him, and a number of famous clipper ships, including the Coeur de Lion, depicted above. , "Grandpa Nutter" d. 1879 , Thomas D. Bailey, the grandfather of Thomas Bailey Aldrich, was fondly remembered by Aldrich as "Captain Nutter" in his tale of boyhood life in Portsmouth. A "hale, cheery, old gentleman," as Aldrick described him, he had briefly been a captain of militia in the War of 18 12. When Aldrich came to live with him he was "living at ease on his money, invested principally in shipping." , Frederick Ferald d. 1855 , Fernald died eighteen days after his competitor George Rayes. His shipyard was located on Badger's Island, where he constructed clipper ships rivaling those build by Raynes. This ship Typhoon (1,612 tons) was the largest ship ever build on the Piscataqua River, slightly besting Rayne's ship Sea Serpent (1,402 tons). , Meserve-Boyd-Raynes House , Once standing diagonally across the street from Union Cemetery, this 1740 house was the home of three prominent shipbuilders from Portsmouth’s maritime past. It was build in 1740 by Col. Nathaniel Meserve, who in 1749 constructed the America, one of the first warships built in the colonies. Later, shipbuilder George Boyd bought the house, and in 1832 it was purchased by George Raynes. , Thomas Bailey Aldrich House , This house, located at Stawbery Banke Museum, was opened in 1906 as one of the first house museums in Portsmouth. The author Thomas Bailey Aldrich lived in it with his grandparents during his formative years. He fictionalized his youthful experiences in Portsmouth in his well-known work The Story of a Bad Boy., Funding for this historic marker was provided in part by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.