FRESH STUFF DAILY
Seacoast New Hampshire
& South Coast Maine
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Levi Lincoln Thaxter Grave
|
 |
 |
|
Written by GOseacoast Grave SIte
|
|
Page 1 of 3  THE GRAVE SITE
Levi Lincoln Thaxter, Roland, John & karl Thaxter, Rosamund
Thaxter (Kittery Point, Maine)
Look carefully to find the simple stone that marks the grave of Levi Thaxter. He lived and died in the shadow of this artistic wife Celia whom he met when she was barely 12. Today the "Island poet" is buried at the Isles of Shoals. But her husband and children's graves are 10 miles away off a winding seaside road in Kittery, Maine.
VISIT our CELIA THAXTER section
Though they never divorced, the separate lives of artist Celia Thaxter (1835 -1894) and Levi Thaxter intrigue us even today. Raised in the isolation of White Island at the Isles of Shoals Celia married Levi Lincoln Thaxter (1824 - 1884) when she was 16 and he 30. Levi has been her tutor for four years and had, it seems, had romantic interests from the start. He also became a business partner to Celia’s father Thomas Laighton at this time, arranging for the loan of money to build the original Appledore House.
 But ultimately they were from two different worlds. Levi tired of the Shoals and Celia tired of being the family breadwinner without relief from the burdens of housework and child-rearing. There is no photograph of the two together. They took separate vacations, spending more time apart until, ultimately, they were apart, then and forever.
Celia is buried with her parents and two brothers, Oscar and Cedric, in the family plot on Appledore the island where she spent much of her adult life. Levi and their three sons -- John Rolland and Karl -- are buried at Kittery Point in Maine. By the time they purchased the 186-acre Champernowne property at Kittery Point, Celia and Levi had largely gone their separate ways, emotionally at least. She had become one of the nation' most popular poets. Levi, always in search of a career, was best known for his readings of poetry by Robert Browning.
Levi Thaxter died in 1884, ten years before his wife. In tribute, Robert Browning reportedly penned an original epitaph. After dozens of visits to Celia's famous Isles, we finally made our way to Levi's resting-place. The burying ground of the First Congregational Church stands at a 90-degree turn in Pepperrell Road that hugs the river. The old Thaxter home, the church and the well known Lady Pepperell House are still here.
 Levi, Karl and Roland are buried under overhanging trees in an area toward the river, their stones now broken and difficult to read. The Browning epitaph has been reprinted into a bronze tablet affixed to Levi Thaxter's tombstone. The poem reads:
BROWNING TO LEVI THAXTER
"Thou whom these eyes saw never:
Say friends true who say my soul,
Helped onward by my song,
Thou all unwittingly, has helped thee too.
I gave ofbut the little that I knew:
How were the gift required,
While along life's path I race.
Coulldst Thou make weakness strong:
Help me with knowledge --
For life's old, death's new."
THE OLD BURYING GROUND
Pepperrell Road, Kittery Point, Maine
CONTINUE tour for SONS of Celia & Levi Thaxter
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>
|
Please visit these SeacoastNH.com ad partners.
Portsmouth Herald
|
Portsmouth Herald Latest Headlines
|
| Portsmouth Herald News from SeacoastOnline.com |
-
Alleged carjacker burglarized officer's home, police say
NORTH HAMPTON — A Maine man remains behind bars without bail on fugitive charges and also faces a $1 million cash bail on charges that he burglarized the home of...
-
Portsmouth police log
8:21 a.m. Report taken from a resident who wanted to press charges against a friend who had borrowed, but not returned a car.10:34 a.m. Durgin Lane caller reported a...
-
Grandmother smoked crack before high-speed chase, manhunt, say police
PORTSMOUTH — A Boston grandmother had been smoking crack Friday night before the car she was riding in crashed into a Seabrook police cruiser, sped up Route 1 at 100...
-
Smuttynose owner sees growth, expansion
If you want to see what a company looks like at a time of rapid growth, visit Smuttynose Brewing Co. on Heritage Avenue in Portsmouth.
-
Penguin Plunge raises $571K for Special Olympics
HAMPTON — Against all human instinct, more than 1,000 Granite Staters took a dip in the Hampton Beach waters for the 11th Annual Penguin Plunge this past weekend.
-
Historic building's renovation raises ire
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — As construction continues at 25 Academy St., several residents have voiced concern over the style of the building's front facade, stating the original historic home had...
-
Middle school program recognizes effort, conduct
PORTSMOUTH — Tien Peduzzi ripped open his third term report card last Wednesday with trepidation.
-
Federal farming bill supports agriculture
RYE — The 2008 U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Bill offers New Hampshire citizens owning or managing farmland or forest land, growing specialty crops, running a greenhouse, or farming organically,...
-
Seacoast area municipal meetings
Today in Portsmouth:Cultural Commission - Art Speak, 6:30 p.m., City Manager's Conference Room, City HallCity Council, Capital Improvement Plan workshop, 6:30 p.m., Eileen Dondero Foley Council Chambers, City Hall
-
Pats fans root for Saints
PORTSMOUTH — Roy Schluntz of North Berwick, Maine, is a New England Patriots fan through and through. So when he couldn't root for his team this year in the Super...
-
Portsmouth news briefs
PORTSMOUTH — I Eat Locally, a Web site offering half-price gift certificates to about a dozen Seacoast restaurants, has chosen Families First Health and Support Center to receive a portion...
-
City Council to hold work session on capital improvement plan
PORTSMOUTH — A city spending plan totaling more than $186 million over the course of the next six years will be presented to the City Council tonight, but the council...
-
Rye to buy Goss Farm for $1.3M
RYE — A piece of the town's past may become a fixture of the future as the Board of Selectmen agreed to a purchase and sale agreement for the development...
-
Alleged carjackers to appear in court today
STRATHAM — Two Maine residents are scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Hampton District Court on multiple felony charges, including the alleged Feb. 5 carjacking of a Stratham resident...
-
SAD 35 crunches numbers
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — There was an audible sigh of relief as the School Administrative District 35 School Board learned last week that the projected reduction in state subsidy would...
-
TIF district mulled in South Berwick
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — As the town considers its options for creating a Tax Increment Finance district, representatives from several town departments joined Town Manager John Schempf at a presentation...
-
Sen. D'Allesandro renews push for video slots in New Hampshire
CONCORD — Senate Finance Chairman Lou D'Allesandro has tried unsuccessfully a dozen times in as many years to get reluctant New Hampshire lawmakers to expand gambling.
-
Celtics overtaken by Magic
BOSTON — The Orlando Magic needed less than 48 hours to go from a terrible third quarter to a terrific one.
-
Web site for recycled building stock starts today
Not long ago, I wrote about the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Dover, a very cool place where people can find recycled and overstocked building material. And one of my...
-
York County news briefs
OGUNQUIT, Maine — The Lincoln Day Dinner, held by the York County Republican Committee, will be held Thursday, Feb. 25, at Jonathan's Restaurant, 92 Bourne Lane. The event begins at...
|
|
|
|
|
| Tuesday, February 09, 2010 |
|
|
|
