Before-and-after cleaning photos!
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| June 2019 Gravestone of Daniel H. Otis with summer flowers from my garden. Before cleaning and reset to his proper burial site. |
CO. B, 14 REG C.V.
DANIEL H.
Son of Erastus S. & Elizabeth M. Otis,
Fell in the Battle of
Fredricksburg Dec. 13,
Died in Falmouth Va,
Dec 17, 1862
AE. 15 Yrs. 8 Mo’s. & 2 D’s
“HONOR TO THE BRAVE”
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| Spring-time at the gravestone of Daniel H. Otis, Maromas Cemetery. His gravestone after being cleaned and reset to his proper burial site. |
Look at the difference! The gravestone is actually white. Now the beautiful white marble stone that Erastus Otis erected as tribute to his brave veteran son can be seen in all its glory! All summer long, I put together bouquets of zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, and snapdragons from my garden, especially for Daniel. The GAR marker was placed by myself and my son.
All cleaning and repair items are safe and/or formulated for cleaning and restoring historic gravestones, which my husband, Mark, has training in.
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| Footstone of Daniel H. Otis D.H.O. |
A Note About Daniel's Gravestone
Private Daniel H. Otis was buried in Maromas Cemetery on Sunday, February 8, 1862 (per Middletown Burial Lists). His gravestone is a marble, tablet-style marker about approximately 5-feet in height (from the top to the very bottom) and 2-feet wide. It has a matching brownstone base with a slot for the gravestone to be set into. The gravestone is engraved with flags and insignia, and was privately-commissioned by the family through T.C. Canfield of Middletown, Connecticut. Canfield manufactured Italian and American Marble, and brownstone monuments. Daniel also has a matching footstone of white marble with the initials “D.H.O” engraved into it. The footstone is about 22-inches in height (from top to the very bottom) and 10-inches wide. The footstone is also a tablet-style marker, but is set directly into the ground with no matching base.
During August 2021, while restoring the gravestone of Lewie Otis (Daniel's infant nephew), we inadvertently discovered that the gravestone of Private Daniel H. Otis was reset at the wrong spot in 1997! That account can be read here, and how we righted the wrong.
A Note About Maromas Cemetery
Maromas was a sparsely-settled, yet close-knit farming community along the Connecticut River in the southeast section of Middletown. The community’s cemetery, which was established in 1766, is essentially a time-capsule of a community. Those who are buried there are families and folks who grew-up together, lived together, worked together, did business together, and are now buried together.
Maromas Cemetery replaced Prior Cemetery. Sadly, Prior is now a dilapidated, mostly-forgotten cemetery deep in the woods of Maromas along the old abandoned railroad tracks. Access to it is challenging. The only safe and quick route into Prior is via Pratt & Whitney property, and they are currently (late 2023) being completely uncooperative about allowing access to it so that volunteers can take care of it.
