Center (or Centre) Cemetery was first designated and used around 1759 when Derryfield's (later Manchester) first meeting house was built, on the land between the cemetery and Mammoth Road. It was called "Centre or Center" Cemetery as this was the "center of town" when Derryfield was incorporated. See below for additional history of this site.

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In 1993 a USGenWeb Volunteer "updated" a list of the tombstones in this cemetery [click here to see the TXT file of same]. It is obvious from the photographs below there are numerous misspellings and errors even in this newer version, so I suggest you take a look closely at the original stones below, by clicking on the thumbnail image to see a larger picture.

Center Cemetery - external view from Mammoth Road
Center Cemetery - inside cemetery
Center Cemetery - more views inside cemetery
Center Cemetery - inside cemetery, and outside facing north
Center Cemetery - outside, Mammoth Road side, DAR plaque commemorating Derryfield Meeting House (that stood here)
Andrews, Mary Died August 28, 1852, AE 69y 8m, wife of Dr. Joseph Andrews	Baker, Nathaniel August 30, 1881 Ae 85y 2m 7d [most of stone buried in ground]	Chase, Betsey Died October 25, 1860 AE 64 Wife of Job Chase --------- Chase, Abby Died January 19, 1841 AE 21 yr's
Clark, Aaron Died Nov 5, 1842 AE. 46 --------- Clark, Susannah Died December 24, 1853 61y 8m wife of Aaron Clark	Conant, Hannah G. Died August 11, 1817 AE 50	Dodge, Deborah S. Died August 23, 18-8
Eaton, William R. Died January 22, 1842 AE 5y 2m Son of Calvin & Cyntha Eaton	Farmer, Daniel D. Died January 3, 1822 AE. 28	Flint, Elijah Died February 23, 1829 AE. 81
Flint, Mrs. Lois Died August 29, 1799 wife of David Flint, Jr. NOTE: several small stones are probably Flint family, inscriptions worn and illegible, and some broken	Hall, Mr. James May 9, 1802 Ae. 20 Son of Daniel & Jane Hall --------- Hall, Lieut. Daniel Died November 4, 1815 Ae. 71 years --------- Hall, Mrs. Jane Died April 13, 1822 77 Wife of Lieut. Daniel Hall	Hall, Mary Died December 17, 1850 Ae. 40 Wife of Joshua J. Hall
Hall, Patten Died October 2, 1829 Aged 30 years	Harris, Daniel Died October 21, 1838 Ae. 52 --------- Harris, Mary Died October 31, 1853 ae 59y 2m Wife of Daniel Harris --------- Baker, Mary J. February 25, 1818 December 4, 1893 [stone broken, lying against base]	Haseltine, Groves D. Died September -0, 1817 AE 10 mos Son of Jonathan & Julia Haseltine --------- Haseltine, Martha Jane Died September 6, 1841 Ae. 11mos Dau of Jonathan & Julie I. Haseltine
Haselton, Ellice Mrs. who died January 8, 1829 AE 27 Wife of John Haselton Jr.	Hezzletine, Jonathan 5/23/1846 AE. 68 --------- Hezzletine, Nancy 10/17/1836 AE. 48 Wife of Jonathan Hezzletine	Huse, Capt. Isaac April 12, 1810 June 17, 1904 --------- Moore, Ursula June 24, 1812 May 14, 1852 Wife of Capt. Isaac Huse --------- Hoyt, Hannah P. Sept 9, 1824 January 11, 1911 wife of Capt. Isaac Huse
Huse, Isaac Esq Died September 1833 AE 74 --------- Huse, Joanna June 1820 AE 40 Wife of Isaac Huse Esq. --------- Huse, Jerome November 1807 AE 2 Son of Isaac & Joanna Huse Esq. --------- Huse, Infant July 23, 1855 July 24, 1855 1d --------- --------- Huse, Abel July 1807 AE 80 --------- Huse, Lydia August 15, 1825 Ae. 91(4), wife of Abel Huse --------- Huse, Josiah January 1808 Ae. 42 Son of Abel & Lydia Huse	Huse, Mrs. Susan December 14, 1819 Died September 21, 1892	Jackson, Maria November 6, 1837 AE 21 Dau of Samuel & Mary Jackson
Nutt, David M. October 25, 1829 AE 2y 7w Son of James Nutt Jr. & Hannah his wife	Perham, Capt. John Died March 15, 1814 Ae 72 --------- Perham, Mrs. Sarah Died February 24, 1821 Ae 82 Wife of Capt. John Perham	Stevens, Mr. Benjamin Died March 31, 1826 AE 62y 11m --------- Stevens, Mr. Ezekiel Died April 11, 1820 AE 84
Farmer, Dorcas Died May 8, 1844 AE. 82y 7m wife of Capt. Ephraim Stevens [Stone broken, lying flat on ground]	Stevens, Ephraim Esq. Born August 7, 1782 Died May 5, 1849 AE 66y 9m --------- Stevens, Susannah Died February 26, 1815 38 Wife of Ephraim Stevens	Stevens, Capt. Ephraim Died February 5, 1846 AE. 87y 10m A Soldier of the Revolution
Stevens, Mr. Ezekiel Died April 11, 1820 AE 84	Webster, Capt. Charles September 21, 1850 AE 87	Webster, Joshua Died October 1, 1856 59 [or 39]y 5m --------- Webster, George N. Died Feb 8, 1835 AE. 2y 2m Son of Joshua & Betsey Webster --------- Webster, George B. Died January 3, 1863 11y 2m son of Joshua & Betsy Webster [stone broken, lying on ground] --------- Webster, Betsey Died April -, 1864? Ae 28 yrs -- --
Webster, Hannah October 28, 185- Wife of Isreal Webster --------- Webster, Isreal March 3 [or 8] 1846 --- Webster, Rebecca Died September 1818 AE 41 Wife of Isreal Webster	Webster, Joshua Died October 1, 1856 Ae 59 [or 39]y 5m --------- Webster, George N. Died Feb 8, 1835 AE. 2y 2m Son of Joshua & Betsey Webster	Webster, Sally Died December 25, 1871 AE 68
Young, Caleb Died March 11, 1815 in the 17 year of his age son of Hezekiah Young --------- Young, Eliza Died March 11, 1815 in the 9 year of her age, dau of Hezekiah Young	Young, Emma J. Died September 21, 1868 --------- Young ? [stone illegible]

History of "The Centre" (aka Derryfield Centre, aka Manchester Center)
On September 5, 1754 (after being incorporated as Derryfield), by vote of its residents, the location of the prospective meeting-house was fixed "by the side of the Highway that leads from Londonderry to Amoscheeg Falls, some place betwixt William McClintock's and James Murphy's."

Derryfield Meeting House aka the Town Church, built (completed) about 1760. Photograph from "The Town Church of Manchester NH" by Thomas Chalmers; The Jubilee Committee, 1903

The location of the meeting house was an issue that split the town politics in two for many years. August 27, 1758 a petition requesting the building of a house of worship was signed by Capt. Alexander McMurphy, John Hall, Robert Anderson, James Riddell, Samuel Boyd, John Dickey, Benjamin Stevens, John Riddell, James Humphrey, Hugh Stirling, Michael McClintock, Robert Dickey, John Merrill, James Pitirs, William Petiers, William Nutt, James Peirse, John Harvey, William Perham Jr. and Thomas Hall... "voted to build the meetien Houes on John Hall's land joyening the road leading to Thomas Hall's ferry and the Ammacheag Falls...Voted to raiese Said meetien Houes forty feet in lenth thirtey five feet in Brenth..."

By July 15, 1759, the meeting house had been framed and raised, for on that date it was voted to collect five hundred pounds "toward Borden and Shingelen of our Meetien Houes..." Finally December 15, 1760 the house was considered near enough complete to order that the names of the donors be recorded (including Col. John Goffe, Capt. John Stark). The largest amounts are from Abraham Miral [Merrill] and John Goffe.

During the Revolutionary war, nothing more was done to the meeting house. May 22, 1780, an effort was made to raise money for its repair by selling the "pew ground." The purchasers (recorded by John Goffe, town clerk) were Major John Webster, Daniel Davis, Daniel Hall, Capt. John Perham, James Gorman, John Green, John Hall, Lieut. David Merrell, John Stark Jr., Jonathan Greeley, Asa Haseltine, David Webster, Joseph Haseltine, William Nutt, Dr. John Duston, Abraham Ammy, Israel Young, John Dickey, Capt. Samuel Moor, Joseph Farmer, Peter Emerson, Archibald Gamble, Joshua Perse, Samuel Moor, Thomas Griffin and John Goffe.

In 1792 purchasers of the gallery included William Perham, David Stevens, John Stark, Able Huse, James Majorey, Samuel Smith, Capt. John Perham, Capt. Samuel Moor, Green Simons, William Stevens, Daniel Davis, John Hall, Jr. (but for some reason the gallery pews were never built). [SEE floor plan of this church in 1792]

The town voted in 1800 to build a pound at the south end of the meeting-house lot at the Centre, which was used till 1830.

On March 8, 1814, by a vote at town meeting, it was voted to dismiss a request to pay for preaching (in effect disestablishing the town church).

In February of 1828, Joseph Moor, Daniel Watts, Samuel Hall, and others met at the old meetinghouse and formed a religious society known as "the first Presbyterian Religious Society in Manchester, N.H." Amos Weston Jr. was secretary. The first meeting after the adoption of the organization's constitution was held there on March 26, 1828.

In 1834 the road passing by the meeting house was improved (by court order) to provide a more direct route from Concord to Lowell, and named Mammoth Road.

Very early histories of Manchester indiciate "they assembled at Manchester Centre until 1840." In 1840 the old meetinghouse at the Centre was foresaken entirely, the town voting to hold its meetings at the newly created village by the river. The building fell into great disrepair.

Thirteen years later (approximately 1853) the old meeting house was bought by H.T. Wilson and B.H. Cheney, moved a few rods and coverted into a dwelling house.

[Webmaster's note: if you are wondering where the meeting house was moved to, see the two photographs above, looking north from the cemetery--and you will spot a white house that sits on Mammoth road, approximately where Somerville Street ends. It is a private residence].