Harris Cemetery, Becket, located in Chester. In David D. Field’s A History of the County of Berkshire, Massachusetts, published in 1829, we read that “there is only one public graveyard in the town, and that is in the centre, though some individuals have been buried in the east and some in the west part of the town.”

The oldest of those “family” cemeteries, located in the woods beyond the end of the Captain Whitney Road in East Becket, on the property of the town of Chester. Previous owners of this farm were Rose, Bruce, Edwards, and Harris. The plot is about 40′ by 40′ and surrounded by a stone wall 3½’ in height and 2′ in width in good condition. Its stone step entrance, typical of the times, served to keep out domestic animals that ran at large. It contains thirty-four field stone markers, and four marble slab headstones reading: Mrs. Lucy-wife of Daniel Harris, died Mar. 1, 1777 (or 1797?) ae. 37 yrs; Mary-wife of Joseph Ballou, d. Jan. 14, 1843, ae. 23 yrs. Huldah-wife of Nathan Harris, d. Aug. 13, 1869, ae. 82 yrs; Lyman-d. Nov. 14, 1810, ae. 1 yr; James-d. Jan. 14, 1837, Ae 6 yrs., children of Nathan and Huldah Harris.

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