Judith Dean Everett: A Family's Journey Through History

Judith Dean Everett (1716-1758)                                        

Judith Dean was born on June 6, 1716. Her parents were Ebenezer Dean and Judith Lewis Dean.

On August 12, 1735, Judith Dean married Eleazer Everett, the son of John and Mercy Everett.

The couple had nine children: Mehitable, Judith, Eleazer, a second Mehitable, Lois, Nathaniel, Melitiah, Sarah, and Abel.

Judith Dean Everett died on September 16, 1758 at the age of 42. Her husband, Eleazer, remarried.

On April 19, 1775, at the age of 15, Abel Everett, Judith Dean Everett’s youngest child, answered the alarm and joined the Company of South Parish Dedham which mustered in Dedham under the command of Captain Bullard. He served for 12 days. Once again, on January 26, 1776, he served for 17 days at Dorchester Heights under the command of Captain Aaron Guild. Abel Everett eventually rose to the rank of Captain while serving in the militia.

Judith Dean Everett’s gravestone was cut by stone carver Samuel Fisher. Samuel Fisher (1732-1816) lived in Wrentham, Massachusetts. According to several sources, his stones were in great demand and can be found in communities far from Wrentham, including the Old Granary burial ground in Boston. He completed both winged skulls and winged generic portraits on the tympanum of his stones. And, he remained consistent once he settled on the kind of skull, face, hair, and border he carved.

The gravestone belonging to Judith Everett depicts a winged skull. The shape of the skull, eyes, teeth, and borders are distinctive of Fisher’s work.