Show Notes
Rest In Pieces
In this episode, Caitlin and Francesgrace trade stories of the lives and deaths of Mercy Brown, Rhode Island’s most famous vampire, and Mary Greene Clapp, a woman who may or may not have been murdered.
Accessibility: A rectangular gravestone in pale gray with a rounded top that reads: Mercy L. | Daughter of | George & Mary E. | Brown | Died Jan. 17, 1892 | Aged 19 years. In front of the stone is a collection of small stones, knickknacks, and artificial flowers.
Mercy Brown:
“Cemetery tales” Providence Journal (Providence, RI), November 28, 2017.
“Exhumed the Bodies” Providence Journal (Providence, RI), March 19, 1892.
“MonsterQuest: VAMPIRE SCARE IN NEW ENGLAND” (S2, E10) History Channel. October 14, 20120.
Bell, Michael E. Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2001.
Cranston, Tim. “Mercy on the Browns: The sad tale of Mercy L. and Edwin A. Brown” South County Life Magazine (Wakefield, RI), September 29, 2017.
Klein, Christopher. “The Last American Vampire” History.com, September 2018.
Raven, Rory. Haunted Providence: Strange Tales from the Smallest State. Charleston, SC: Haunted America, 2008.
Rondina, Christopher. Vampire Legends of Rhode Island. North Attleboro, MA: Covered Bridge Press, 1997.
Simister, Florence Parker. A Short History of Exeter, Rhode Island. Exeter, RI: Exeter Bicentennial Commission, 1978.
Spiers, Richard. “MERCY BROWN–A REAL RHODE ISLAND VAMPIRE” UnderworldTales.com. 2004.
Tucker, Abigail. “The Great New England Vampire Panic” Smithsonian Magazine (Washington, DC), October 2020.
Bonus Link:
Accessibility Description: The dark gray stone has a rounded top with little flares on the sides. There is a winged face carved into the top (unclear whether it’s a Death’s Head or a Cherub) and scrollwork down both sides. The stone reads: In Memory | of Mary ye Wife | of Silas Clapp | daughter of John | Greene Esqr | who died July | 3rd, 1760 in ye 38th | year of her age..
Mary Greene Clapp:
Adams, Hannah. A Summary History of New-England From the First Settlement at Plymouth, to Acceptance of the Federal Constitution. Comprehending a General Sketch of the American War. Dedham, MA: H. Mann and J.H. Adams, 1799.
Arnold, James Newell. Vital Record of Rhode Island, 16356-1850: First Series, Births, Marriages, and Deaths. A Family Register for the People. Volume 1: Kent County. Providence, RI: Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, 1891.
Clapp, Ebenezer. Record of the Clapp Family In America: Containing sketches of the original six emigrants and a genealogy of the their descendants bearing the name with a supplement and the proceedings of two family meetings. Boston: David Clapp & Son, Publishers, 1876.
Cole, JR. History of Washington and Kent counties, Rhode Island, including their early settlement and progress to the present time; a description of their historic and interesting localities; sketches of their towns and villages; portraits of some of their prominent men, and biographies of many of their representative citizens. New York: W.W. Preston & Co, 1889.
Clarke, Louise Brownell and George Sears Greene. The Greenes of Rhode Island: With Historical Records of English Ancestry, 1534-1902. New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1903.
Fuller, Oliver Payson. The History of Warwick, Rhode Island, from Its Settlement in 1642 to the Present Time Including Accounts of the Early Settlement and Development of Its Several Villages; Sketches of the Origin and Progress of the Different Churches of the Town, &c., &c. Providence, RI: Angell, Burlingame, & Co, Printers, 1875.
Greene, John. “Warwick (RI) Probate Court Wills, 1745-1797; John Greene” Rhode Island Historical Society Archive.
Tillinghast, Samuel. The Diary of Capt. Samuel Tillinghast of Warwick, Rhode Island, 1757-1766. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2011.
With some consolation of the history of fashion and undergarments, via Google, but without proper documentation. I should be ashamed of myself. My apologies.
Also, special thanks to the Rhode Island Historical Society for letting me root around in both their archives and their brains for anything available on Mary Clapp
Bonus Links:
FindAGrave - Mary Greene Clapp
Land Acknowledgment:
We’d like to acknowledge that we recorded this podcast on the traditional lands of the Wampanoag, Pokanoket, and Narragansett peoples. Here in the Northeast and all across the country, native peoples are still here and thriving. For more information, please see the links below.
Links: