Jenna Davis, 10, of Leeds, replaced Hattie Lamb’s grave marker, left, in the Fish/Lothrop Cemetery on Route 106 on Leeds. “A stone is a permanent record of a person’s life,” said her grandmother Marilyn Burgess.

LEEDS — The gravestone had been uprooted from its final resting place and thrown on the front lawn of Leeds Central School.

Then for 10 years, it waited in the basement for someone to replace it in the Fish/Lothrop Cemetery just down the road from the school on Route 106.

That person was Jenna Davis of Leeds.

At 10-years old, she is the youngest member of the Maine Old Cemetery Association, or MOCA.

She was first introduced to little Hattie Lamb’s stone by her grandmother, Marilyn Burgess, the legislative liaison of MOCA.

“She was a little concerned about a 6-year-old that had died, because in her world, 6-year-olds don’t die,” Burgess said of the then 8-year-old Jenna.

But Jenna still thought it was “awesome,” and decided to take it upon herself to clean and replace the stone.

She did so by brushing it with a soft brush, and using Photo-flo, a mild detergent used in developing film.

But she had to be very careful. Harsh cleansing agents will instantly etch an old grave marker. And despite Photo-flo being the recommended cleansing detergent, if left on too long, it will also etch the marker dated Dec. 29, 1858.

But the stone came clean with no problems and Jenna did a rubbing before placing it on a base in the cemetery.

Unfortunately, the Fish/Lothrop Cemetery had not been mapped so they can never be sure where exactly Hattie, the only Lamb family member whose final resting place is Leeds, is buried.

But just getting her stone back in the cemetery has placed Jenna’s mind at ease.

“I wanted her back where she belongs,” Jenna said.

“Hattie A. dau.
Died Dec. 29, 1858
Et. 6 ys. 5 ms.
Hattie is an angel now,

A harp is in her hand.
Now she is clothed in
robes of light.
Dwells in the spirit-land.”

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