Henry Christian Geyer, Prolific Boston Stonecutter

Henry Christian Geyer, stonecutter

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Henry Christian Geyer (c. 1727-1785) was quite a well-known stone cutter in and around Boston. James Blachowicz in his book From Slate to Marble: Gravestone Carving Traditions in Eastern Massachusetts, 1750-1850 recounts Geyer’s life and work.

Born in Germany, Geyer arrived in Boston in the 1750s. He first advertised his Boston stonecutter shop in the Boston Post-Boy in March of 1759 and continued to advertise through 1770. Seen here, Blachowicz had reproduced two of these ads in his book. Although Geyer had a wide-ranging business in stone, he gained a widespread reputation as a gravestone carver in particular. Geyer employed several cutters in his shop. Blachowicz has identified just over 200 gravestones cut by Henry Christian Geyer primarily in Massachusetts but extending as far as Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. He died in December, 1785.

The gravestone of George Talbot is identified by Blachowicz as carved by Geyer.

George Talbot (1714-1772)                          Lot 156

George Talbot was born on October 23, 1714 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. On September 30, 1763, he married Abigail Dean Bacon, the widow of Capt. William Bacon, in South Dedham.

Abigail and George Talbot continued to live and farm the land that Capt. William Bacon had worked in South Dedham. Together they had one child, George Talbot Jr., born on February 25, 1765. George Talbot, died on May 24, 1772, leaving Abigail a widow once again.

Laurel Gabel and Vincent Luti, two gravestone historians, believe that the stones belonging to Sarah White (lot 241) and Moses White Jr. (lot 241a), which was badly damaged, are also by Henry Christian Geyer himself or someone working in his shop.