About

On Thursday, October 27 the Sturbridge Historical Society will  present a program about the Town’s Old Burial Ground, located just off the Common next to the Central Office Building. Local resident Bill Barnsley will share his work documenting and mapping the Old Burial Ground. He  will provide a brief background on cemeteries and gravestones, as well as sources for searching graves and ancestors. He will discuss some of the Sturbridge people and families buried here, sharing the stories he uncovered during his research. “This isn’t just rock and stone, it’s people’s lives” notes Bill. The Old Burial Ground served the Town’s needs from approximately 1740 to the last burial in 1894.

Bill Barnsley has been a Sturbridge resident since 2013 when he moved from San Diego to take care of his elderly parents. He is a certified Merry Gentleman (known as Santa Claus) and the CEO of a well-known worldwide, overnight toy delivery service, He also has a small “side hustle” as a genealogist. This led him to begin researching the Sturbridge Old Burial Ground. In time he was ably assisted by Jude McDonald, a Sturbridge librarian for 25 years (now also known as Mrs. Claus).

This program is held at the Publick House at 7:00 PM, and is open to the public free of charge.