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Committee weighs options after discovery of 1728 grave on private property
Summary
A committee member reported finding the 1728 grave of Captain Joseph White in a private backyard; the group discussed state permits, RSAs, GPR surveys, homeowner consent and possible reinterment in Norris Cemetery but took no formal action.
Sue Polidura told the committee she found a solitary 1728 grave believed to belong to Captain Joseph White inside a private property’s backyard and raised the possibility of moving the remains to a public cemetery if necessary. Polidura said the state requires permits and adherence to RSA processes for relocating historic graves and that locating next of kin may prove impossible for a burial this old.
Polidura summarized available options and cautioned that ground‑penetrating radar (GPR) and careful excavation would be needed before any reinterment. “It belongs to captain Joseph White who died in 1728,” she said when describing the stone she found; she later noted, “Moving the grave requires that we follow some RSAs,” and that state volunteers or Department of Natural Resources contacts have assisted on similar projects. The committee agreed this is an investigative matter that will require homeowner buy‑in, state coordination and, if pursued, logistical support for reinterment (Polidura identified Norris Cemetery as a possible reinterment site).
