| Notes |
- From Teresa Herrman, correspondent, note of March 13th, 2005
I was looking for someone else and ran across the following information on a Ruth Sprague, daughter of Gibson Sprague and Elizabeth. It says that her body was stolen out of her grave:
Information submitted by Percy Miller
About two years ago I visited the stone of Ruth Sprague born Jan. 11, 1846 which is found in the Old Maple Grove Cemetery in the village of Hoosick Falls, town of Hoosick, Rensselaer Co, NY. The inscription on the stone is found in several books on interesting stones in New England. The stone says
Ruth Sprague
dau. of Gibson & Elizabeth Sprague
died Jan. 11, 1846; aged
9 years 4 mo's & 3 days.
was stolen from the grave
by Roderick H. Clow & dissect-
ed at Dr. P. M. Armstrong's office
in Hoosick N.Y. from which place
her mutilated remains were
obtained & deposited here.
body dissected by fiendish Men
Her bones anatomised,
Her soul we trust has risen to God
Where few Physicians rise."
Dr. P. M. Armstrong was my great-great-great-grandfather who apprenticed physicians. In those days, they had to steal bodies in order to do autopsies and learn about the human body. This time they got caught.
The following comments from Clarence Sprague were received on December 28th, 2003
The grave of Ruth Sprague is perhaps of more historical, rather than genealogical interest. The details seem rather gruesome at first glance, however my scant knowledge of history seems to recall that the scientific and medical community was striving to learn more about the human body and it's diseases and vulnerabilities? The religious community objected to those studies and opposed laboratory investigations in human anatomy, even when done in the most prestigous universities. I suspect Ruth Sprague may have died in the midst of this era? [2, 3]
|
Abt 1806 - 1816 (~ 9 years)
[1] 
