ASHBY — A special event coming up this month pays tribute a pioneer who settled in the area centuries ago.
A ceremony slated for Saturday, May 16 at 11 a.m. at the Old Burial Grounds Cemetery at 20 Common Rd. in Ashby will dedicate a grave marker for John Fitch, the City of Fitchburg’s namesake who was born in Billerica in 1708 and laid to rest in Ashby in 1795.
“I am in awe and so very grateful to our neighbors at the Ashby Historical Society for making this ode to history happen,” Fitchburg Mayor Sam Squailia said in information announcing the event that community members are welcome to attend.
She went on to say that Fitch “lived a remarkable and difficult life” and his story is closely tied to both Fitchburg and Ashby before sharing his life sketch. Fitch — who is not to be confused with the American inventor by the same name from Connecticut — irst settled in what was then Lunenburg in the 1730s and later when a new town was created in 1764, his homestead became part of Fitchburg.
“Just a few years after that when Ashby was incorporated in 1767, that same homestead became part of Ashby,” Squailia said. “So, John Fitch was not only the founder of Fitchburg he was also one of the founders of Ashby.”
In 1748 Fitch’s home was attacked and burned and he and his family were taken captive to Canada. After a year or so they were ransomed and made their way back to Massachusetts, but his wife Susannah died on the return journey.
“John Fitch rebuilt, remarried, and went on to play an important role in the early development of this region but by the end of his life, his fortunes had changed,” Squailia said, adding that the historic figure died penniless and was buried in the pauper’s section of the Ashby cemetery with no marker.
“That is what makes this so amazing. More than 230 years later, the Ashby Historical Society raised the funds to finally place a gravestone near the spot where he was buried, making sure the man whose name lives on in Fitchburg is no longer left in an unmarked grave,” Squailia said. “This is an extraordinary act of historical stewardship and of neighborly kindness.”
The granite grave marker creation was commissioned to be created by two local small businesses — Leominster Monument Company and Hathaway Memorials in Sterling. Squailia said she is “excited” for the dedication ceremony and appreciates that she was invited to join.
“It means a great deal to me, and it is fitting that the city that carries John Fitch’s name can be there alongside Ashby to recognize him,” she said.
After the dedication ceremony everyone is invited across the street to the Ashby Historical Society at 850 Main St. for coffee, donuts, and an open house.
“Thank you again to the Ashby Historical Society for this thoughtful work,” Squailia said. “History lives through efforts like this and this is a beautiful way to make sure John Fitch’s story, and the history we share with Ashby, is known and remembered with the dignity it deserves.”
To read John Fitch’s full history visit ashbyhistorical.org/resources/john-fitch.
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