The John Fay Homepage by Dave Fay and Dic Carnes
   
   
FEATURES
   
   
   
   
   
EARLY FAMILY SITES
   

Richard Carnes, descended through Edgar Augustus Fay and Miriam Alice Fay Carnes, visited the Marlborough, Mass. area in September 1989, and located both the 1680 House (Stony Brook Farm), and the graves of several of John Fay 1 descendants in Westboro, Mass. (The "boro" towns, Marlboro, Westboro, etc., are spelled in several different ways, e.g.: Marlborow, Marlboro, Marlborough.) The 1680 House is located just south of Marlborough, off Mass. Rt. 85. About a mile north of the intersection of Mass Rt. 65 and Rt. 30 (at which intersection is located the Fay (Private) School--still in existence) there is a stop sign. Rt. 85 goes off to the left. The 1680 House is on the road going off to the right of the stop sign, several hundred feet down this road on the left. I was not able to find a name for this road- it is possibly Farm Rd. (Ed. It was originally Framington Rd. and the area at that time was known as Stony Brook.) The house is just off the road and immediately apparent to any looking for it. It was purchased in 1979 from the St. Maurice family by a couple whom I met, but under the circumstances, was not able to get their name. The house and barn appear to be in excellent condition, and very well maintained. The fields around the house are obviously not being used.

   

Following Rt. 30 from the intersection, west about five miles, one enters the town of Westboro. Proceed around the circle in the town center and go straight ahead about two blocks.

The Town Center cemetery is located on the right, immediately across from the town hall. There are three sets of Fay graves in the cemetery; one immediately to the left as you enter, the Whitney Monument, and further along on the left, another grouping of Fay graves.

The first set as you enter are those of Cap. John Fay, his wife Elizabeth Wellington Fay, Mrs Betsy Fay, Cap. Benjamin Fay, and his wife Martha Miles Fay. John and Benjamin are the son and grandson, respectively, of John Fay 1st. Mrs Betsy Fay was the wife of Mr. John Fay. The date of her birth places her several generations after Cap. Benjamin Fay.

(None of the following are pictured.)

The second gravesite is that of the Whitney Family. A monument lists, among others, Elizabeth Fay Whitney, the mother of Eli who invented the cotton gin. The monument appears to have been erected by Eli's son, since Eli died in 1825 and the monument was erected in 1862.

The third set of graves are those of Capt. Jonathan Fay, his wife Joannah, their daughter Joannah, and Mary Fay, whom I assume to be the second wife of Capt. Jonathan Fay. Jonathan Fay was born in 1725, which places him in Benjamin Fay's generation. However, I find no record of a Jonathan Fay, born near this date in the Fay Book. In fact, he appears to have been born "between generations." John Fay 2nd was born in 1669 and his children were born between 1693 and 1715. It appears that he is the grandson of John Fay 2nd.

(Ed. note: True. Orlin Fay's book shows a Capt. Jonathan, born 1724, son of John 3rd, born 1700, son of John, Jr.,or 2nd (1669). He was Capt. Benjamin's nephew.).

The grave-sites of John Fay 1st , his great grandson, Benjamin Fay, Jr (b 1744), and their respective wives are unknown.
 

   
INSCRIPTIONS
   
The first set of stones is arranged as follows:
   
First stone (1):
   
IN MEMORY OF
MRS BETSY FAY
WIFE OF MR JOHN FAY WHO DIED
MAY 10, 1810 IN THE 21ST YEAR OF
HER AGE

ALSO BETSY N. FAY, DAUGHTER OF THE ABOVE
NAMED PERSONS WHO DIED JULY 23
1810, AGED 2 MONTHS & 14 DAYS
   
Next stone (2):
   
HERE LYES BURIED
THE BODY OF
CAP. JOHN FAY WHO
DEPARTED THIS LIFE JAN
THE 5th 1747/8
IN THE 79th YEAR
OF HIS AGE
   
Next stone (3):
   
HERE LYES BURIED
THE BODY OF
ELIZABETH FAY
WIFE TO CAPT JOHN FAY
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
MARCH Ye 8 1739
IN THE 67th YEAR
OF HER AGE
   
Next stone, in back (4) is a double stone:
   
IN MEMORY OF
CAP BENJn FAY
WHO DIED
Ye 6TH 1777
IN Ye 66TH
YEAR OF HIS
AGE
Mrs MARTHA FAY
WIFE OF CAP BENJn
FAY WHO DIED
JULY Ye 19th 1761
IN THE 43RD YEAR OF
HER AGE
   
The Whitney Monument:
   
Side 1:
   
ERECTED BY
ELI WHITNEY
OF NEW HAVEN 1862
   
Side 2:
   
ELI WHITNEY
DIED AUG 25 1807
Ae 67

ELIZABETH FAY HIS WIFE
DIED AUG 18 1777
Ae 36
   
Side 3:
   
NATHANIEL WHITNEY
DIED JAN 27 1776
Ae 79

MARY HIS WIFE
DIED DEC 3 1776
Ae 76
   
Third set of FAY graves:
Stone 1:
   
MRS JOANNAH
FAY WIFE OF CAPT
JONATHAN FAY, DEPARTED
THIS LIFE JUNE 10 1788 IN THE 60th
YEAR OF HER AGE
   
Stone 2:
   
MRS MARY FAY
WIFE TO CAPT JONATHAN FAY
DEPARTED THIS LIFE JUNE
THE 29th DAY 1796 IN THE
61st YEAR OF HER AGE
   
Stone 3:
   
HERE LIES
THE BODY OF
CAP JONATHAN FAY
WHO DIED MARCH 3 1800
AETATIS 75
   
Stone 4:
   
JOANNAH FAY
DAUGHTER OF CAPT
JONATHAN & JOANNAH FAY
DEPARTED THIS LIFE OCT 24
1775 IN THE 16th YEAR
OF HER AGE
   
Two other generations of Fays; Benjamin, Jr. (b. 1744), his wife Beulah Stow Fay, and William Fay (b. 1785), and his wife Elizabeth Crane Lankton Fay are listed in the Fay Book as having lived in Westboro. The latter two are buried in the Mound cemetery, Marietta, OH. In addition, of course, John Fay 1st lived (and probably died) at the 1680 House. It would be interesting to find out if there are any graves on the 1680 House property, and whether there are other cemeteries of 1700 vintage in Westboro.
   
---Richard Carnes