The Rand’s gravestones are removed so the tree stump can be cut to ground level and new fill added to the cemetery. Credit: ASHLEY SAARI / Ledger-Transcript 
Ka Nalenz of Gravestone Services of New England and volunteer Walter Gruda lift the slate gravestone out of the cemetery. Credit: ASHLEY SAARI / Ledger-Transcript 
Kai Nalenz of Gravestone Services of New England works to remove Susannah Rand’s gravestone. Credit: ASHLEY SAARI / Ledger-Transcript 
Volunteer Walter Gruda and Kai Nalenz work to remove Susannah Rand’s gravestone. Credit: ASHLEY SAARI / Ledger-Transcript 
A stump, with the Rand headstone embedded. Credit: Courtesy 
A stump, with the Rand headstone embedded. Credit: Courtesy 
Volunteers remove a large part of an old oak tree that grew around the Rand gravestones. Credit: Courtesy 
A stump, with the Rand headstone embedded. Credit: Courtesy 
Pieces of a large oak tree are removed from the Rand cemetery. Credit: Courtesy 
Susannah Rand’s gravestone is reset. Credit: Courtesy
A small group of volunteers was on site Friday afternoon to witness the conclusion of a months-long effort to free a pair of historical gravestones from the maw of a tree that had grown up around them, swallowing the stones.
The stones belong to Col. Daniel Rand and his wife Susannah Rand, buried in a small family plot in Rindge and set back into the woods, where theirs are the only headstones. Freeing those headstones and restoring them to their proper place has been a project for the Rindge Veterans’ Association since the fall.
Larry Cleveland, a Rindge selectman and honorary member of the Veterans’ Association, was tapped to lead the project.
He said it was a daunting prospect. The tree that had started to envelope the stones had probably been growing there nearly as long as the gravestones had been in place, he said. Measuring about 50 inches around, the tree was probably about 200 years old. Some time ago, the top of the tree had shorn off, leaving about 18 feet of trunk.
The Veterans’ Association was assisted in the project by Kai Nalenz, president and owner of Gravestone Services of New England.
“Luckily, the stones were intact, which, given the size of that tree, is quite a miracle,” Nalenz said. “That stump must have put a ton of pressure on it, and they usually break.”
Both stones are made of slate — gray slate for Susannah, and black slate for Daniel, which was likely imported from Britain.
The tree had grown a few inches around Daniel’s gravestone, and that extraction was fairly easy, Nalenz said. Susannah’s stone, however, had been embedded at least 12 inches into the stump and took a bit more effort. As they freed the stone, it was discovered that Susannah’s stone had created a pathway for water to enter the tree, rotting it from the inside, and likely leading to the eventual breaking of the trunk.
Nalenz said that in his work, he also identified an indentation in the ground that indicated there was a third grave in the enclosed cemetery, though there was no headstone. The size of the grave indicated a young child. The presence of a third grave was confirmed with ground-penetrating radar.
According to Karla MacLeod, of the Rindge Historical Society, while there is no way to know for sure, based on the size, the gravesite is likely the resting place of young Susannah Rand, named for her mother. She was born in 1781 and died on June 17, 1784, at the age of three, by drowning in a well.
Cleveland said the Veterans Association would like to create a plaque or roadside marker to commemorate the cemetery and include a marker for young Susannah.
“This is a great piece of history for the town of Rindge,” Cleveland said. “This is a very worthy project.”
Cleveland, himself a fourth-generation resident of Rindge, said he took pride in restoring the resting place of some of the early residents of the town, particularly Col. Rand’s.
“Knowing he was a Rindge resident and was one of the many who fought for our freedom, this is hugely important to me,” Cleveland said. “This is a hugely historical site for the town of Rindge, and I wanted to make sure it was preserved. There is a lot of rich history here for Rindge, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Volunteers Walter Gruda, Jeff Goodreau, Jim Leger, Penny Rodriguez, John Weston, Derick Smith, and Cleveland worked to uncover the gravestones, remove and reset them, cut the tree stump as close to the ground as possible, and place new fill over the graves to reset the stones.
The property belongs to Josh Olson, who allowed the volunteers access to the property and donated water and electricity to the project. The Horn family, who owns the neighboring property, also granted volunteers access. Jewell Masonry volunteered services to rebuild the stone wall around the cemetery, clean the stones and recap the wall.
The Rand family
Col. Daniel Rand was the son of Solomon and Deborah (Dodge) rand, and was born in Shrewsbury, Mass., on Oct. 15, 1742.
He married Susannah Hemmenway, also of Shrewsbury, in 1767. Susannah Rand has some ties to Rindge — she was the cousin of Abigail Bigelow, the second wife of John Perry, and an early settler of Rindge, which may have led to the couple settling in Rindge themselves. Daniel’s brothers, Ezekiel and Solomon Rand also settled in Rindge. Another Rand brother, Artemas, also visited the town, but was never a permanent resident.
Daniel and Susannah Rand resided in Rindge the rest of their lives, and had a large family, having 12 children together on their homestead, on the corner of what is now Rand and Robbins Road.
Their children included Ruth, Warham, Asenath, Resinah, Liberty, Anna, Gates, Susannah, Asa, Candice, Grata and Matilda.
Daniel Rand joined the Revolutionary Army, starting as an ensign in Capt. Hale’s Lexington company in 1775. He worked his way through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant in Col. Isaac Wyman’s regiment in 1776, a Captain in 1777 under Col. Moore, where he led a company that included 24 men from Rindge during the Battle of Saratoga. He later was part of a militia company, where he became a major in 1782, and a Colonel in 1785.
In addition to his military service, Daniel Rand was active in civic life — he represented the town of Rindge in the New Hampshire legislature for 10 years, and was elected to serve on the Board of Selectmen in Rindge seven times.