Howard Cemetery Tradition Story by J. Richard Nye Written February 26, 1970

Moses Howard: Mr. M. E. Howard lived in a very old house and farm building south of David Hobart’s farm where Dr. LeGrand Burns lives. There is an old monument beside the road. (No Money to take care of it). Most of the land is now owned by Boyers.

Mr. Howard was in a law suit many times in his life, and he sold his body for money to pay off a law suit. He owned land where the Berlin Quarries are, also the so called Wing lot on the top of Irish Hill.

When they buried his body they took his body out of the grave at night time. (Could account for the third impression not by Liz Richardson in her introduction.( in the Berlin Cemetery index) His name is not on the monument there now.

They took a reed and probed for a casket but could not fine one there. They say his wife and daughter were buried in a wet grave. (Without a casket.)

In the Dodge papers that I gave to the Town of Berlin it tells how he put a pike rod into the road by his buildings and another neighbor, Mr. Townsend on what was the old Norton farm got in to a law suit on the road matter, with Mr. Howard. He was a man that stuttered a lot. They said that although not a big man his daughter would cream he  beat her  up at times.

He and David Hobart got into an argument over fence lines, Miss L. M. Hobart said her father David Hobart told his son T. D. Hobart to turn his back so as not to be a witness, but Mr. T. D. Hobart told Mr. Howard to leave his father alone.

Mr. Howard came over to J. Edward Perrin’s farm  (Now the Dodge farm to look over some cows to sell. Well Mr. Howard said, “Mr. Perrin what about this cow you did not point out to me?”

You can see more about it the the Town Law Suits, Dodge papers, that I gave to the Town of Berlin in 1970.