Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Mount Auburn: Chapters of Poetry & Prose | Page 6

“... upon the borders of two worlds...”
The Late George Apley
by George P. Marquand (1936)
The imminence of war… was succeeded for George Apley by a
crisis of a somewhat different nature, occasioned by the death and
burial of Mrs. Henry Apley, a somewhat distant family connection.
Her sons, entirely within their right, buried their mother in the
Apley lot of the Mt. Auburn Cemetery—that gracious, well-
endowed, and beautifully attended piece of ground where so many
have found their final resting place and where others hope to,
including the present writer. It was Apley’s invariable custom to
attend every funeral of the family, but on this occasion, being much
pressed for time, he was not among those present at the grave, nor
did he attend to the Apley lot. Instead, he entrusted those details
to his second cousin, Roger Apley, greatly to his subsequent regret.
His letters, however, are self-explanatory.
DEAR ROGER:
Yesterday, happening to be motoring with Catharine toward
Concord, we stopped at Mt. Auburn Cemetery as is our habit
whenever we pass by it. I was particularly anxious to see how
the young arborvitae, which we decided after so much debate to
plant on the southern border, were surviving the early summer
heat. I was pleased to see that they were doing very well indeed,
and, in fact, was about to leave when I noticed that Cousin
Hattie had been placed in that part of the lot which I had
always understood, and which I believe everyone in the family
has understood, was reserved for my particular branch. I refer
to the part of the ground around the oak tree which my father
View of Road, 1937, Arthur Cushman Haskell
had ordered planted. This was a favorite place of his and has a
peculiarly sentimental significance to me and to my children. As
Among the revolutionary ideas presented by the Cemetery’s
you know, these matters grow more important with the growing
founders was the promise that within the confines of a lot,
years. I cannot conceive what prompted you to allow Cousin
generations of family could be buried together in perpetuity.
Hattie to occupy this spot. Not only do I think she should not
Bostonians quickly seized upon the opportunity to create
be there but also her pink granite headstone with the recumbent
an appropriate final resting spot for themselves and their
figure on top of it, which I suppose represents an angel, makes
families and through the years, many of these old family
garish contrast to our own plain white marble stones.
lots have continued to welcome new arrivals. Author
I admit that the Henry Apleys
John Marquand, who counted Margaret
are connections of the family, though
and Bucky Fuller amongst his relatives,
so distant that they might almost be
certainly understood the power of the
considered as such. I might also call
family cemetery lot and drew inspiration
to your attention that the Henry
from Mount Auburn for his satire The
Apleys, due to their straitened cir-
Late George Apley. Apley, a stereotypical
cumstances, did not and have never
Boston Brahmin, is revealed to readers
contributed to the purchase and
largely through his correspondence. In
maintenance fund of our ground.
one exchange of letters, Apley makes his
Under these circumstances it seems
feelings about the family lot at Mount
to me somewhat pushing and pre-
Auburn quite clear, reflecting the strong
sumptuous, although I like neither
associations many have felt for the place
of the words, of the Henry Apleys to
where their ancestors have been laid to
Author John Marquand counted Margaret and Bucky
preempt the place they did without
Fuller amongst his relatives. Pictured above is the
rest. For his humorous look at the world
at least consulting with me.
Fuller lot on Pyrola Path
of the Boston Brahmins, Marquand won
the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
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