First Settlers Cemetery

Sep 12th, 2019

This oldest cemetery in Dover was the original resting place for the first pioneers of Dover Colony in the 1600s. Although many of the gravestones of these original settlers are gone or buried, hidden in the back corner of this burial ground is a replica headstone provided for Thomas Roberts, one of the first settlers here, and a colonial Governor while we were still under British rule. He travelled to the colonies along with wealthy fish monger Edward Hilton back in 1623. It is said that Thomas was later married to Hilton's sister (or in some stories, neice) Rebecca. They would go on to have over a dozen children. However, for many years, there seemed to be no bona fide record of Rebecca. Not her birth, not their marriage; it's as if she never existed..
Feb 11th, 2021