Where is it?
The center of the Searles Hill community was on the Center Rangeway. The fragments of the Center rangeway now go under different names. Beginning at the Merrimack Road in Franklin now, as Punch Brook Road or nearly so, Searle’s Hill Road, Center Road, Loverin Hill Road onto the slopes of Mt Kearsarge.
From historical accounts we know:
The Graveyard was just east of the Church/Meeting House which was located on a ten acre lot.. A parsonage was to the nw and the school across from the church. They School cellar hole has been identified , and possibly the Parsonage as well.
From deeds we know: The Graveyard is mentioned in deeds and is likely located either on Lot 17 or Lot 18 or less likely but possibly near to 16 as originally laid out. Today’s property lines adhere to the original lot lines laid out in circadian 1763 or earlier and original lot lines are easily identifiable.
The Searles Hill Graveyard is the sacred burial ground of our earliest notable settlers and likely at least 2 Revolutionary War veterans are likely interred there. The settlement itself is of historic significance in our town’s history but sadly there are no stones above ground to help us find it. We do however see it in deed records.
Sometime after 1841 the graveyard stones were destroyed or plowed down as the story goes and the search connecting deeds continues and is nearly complete. A small group of citizens and an ancestor of Reverend Searle have in the last 2 years resurrected this search.
Who might be buried there?
1- Andrew Pettengill died 1777
Andrew Pettengill owned owned a church pew and was a church supporter. He owned land on the hill as did his brother and nephew who owned the graveyard at various points. He is not buried in any graveyard in town nor likely at his tavern at the crossroads in Salisbury. Perhaps he was the first person buried at Searles Hill. Why there? His strong connection to the church is clear. Both he and the Reverend Searle were intimately connected with or served with Ebenezer Webster father of Daniel Webster in the Revolution. They were veterans. Comrades. It is reasonable to assume they are buried there. They signed the Articles of Association and there was an alarm fire location on the hill to warn of Indians and British, they possibly manned.
2-Ebenezer Webster of Kingston prior to Salisbury was instrumental in founding Searles Hill from his earliest days in Kingston and responsible to for installing Reverend Searle. He and his family attended the church and Daniel Webster was baptized there. From “History of Franklin” by Shepard,
“Mehitable (Smith) Webster [Ebenezer Webster’s first wife] died March 28, 1774, and was buried near her little children on Searles Hill.” From “History of Franklin” by Shepard, pg. 63.
3-The Minister Searles wife died in 1792. She is not buried in any other graveyard. The family resided nearby until 1841.
4-The Minister died in 1818, He is not buried in the Shaw’s corner graveyard near the road to the Birthplace. His family continued to live at the parsonage near the Church graveyard on Searles Hill up until 1841.
5- Amos Searle lived on after his father died. He died before Oak hIll Cemetery was created and is likely buried there though his name is on the family monument on Oak Hill.
6- In addition there are those associated with and who supported the church, who owned church pews, and were town residents who died right before other graveyards had been established and are not buried anywhere we know of. There are those also who lived on the hill who may also be buried there. A descendant of the Bailey family is researching the graveyard as well. Early church records are scant and do not indicate who is buried in the Searles Hill Graveyard and until records are found it will remain speculative based only on reasonable deductions.
If you have any information or family oral history on this topic please contact us.
Exploring Searles Hill, please note: Searles Hill Road is a Class 6 road and is not maintained by the town. The land is all privately owned as the oldest deeds show including those sections that were once laid out for town use as such as a Meeting House, School, Parsonage and graveyard. A good portion of the land is posted and requires the permission of the land owner to visit. As with all areas where remnants of old farms or building once stood there are cellar holes and open dug wells and are not safe. If you are on unposted land or otherwise please note that all objects or artifacts found belong to the landowner and may be of historical significance and should not be removed.