Carvers: Ilsley & Thompson
There are more than 150 Eastern Cemetery stone carvings attributed to the shop of Francis Ilsley and Joseph Thompson. They took over the Portland business after Bartlett Adams died.
A list of the 3 stone carvings attributed to them is below. The names are linked to the image on Flickr if available.
Francis Ilsley
Ilsley (1804–1874) worked in Portland for a short time before moving to New York in 1834 to pursue a music career.
Joseph Robinson Thompson
Thompson (1804–1883) continued the business when Ilsley left. He worked at a time when marble became the preferred stone.
A few select examples of their work:
- Edmund and Mary, their son Edmund Jr. and his wife Hannah Caswell, their children, Mary, Cynthia, Mary W. and Samuel Mountfort, various deaths, plot D-31, marble with crest in relief (photo above)
- Susan Todd, died 1826, plot B-5-28, rectangular slate with wide border and corner pinwheels, urn and willow
- John Rand, died 1823, plot A-2-4, slate with urn with flame and willow and wavy border
Read more about Ilsley & Thompson in Ron Romano’s publications: