In Bloom: “When We Were Young, We Died”
— A Southwick Time Machine Archival Reconstruction
On Saturday, July 15, 1809, four young girls from Southwick, Massachusetts, went to Southwick Ponds on what should have been a simple summer outing. Three of the girls were between fifteen and sixteen years old; the youngest was only eleven.
Their original plan was to pick cherries along the shore. When few could be found, the girls decided instead to gather pond-lilies, for which the lakes were well known. To do so, they climbed into a small boat resting at the edge of South Pond and pushed off from shore using a setting pole.
Shortly after leaving the shoreline, the girl holding the pole realized the water beneath them had grown too deep when the pole failed to reach the bottom. As she leaned over the side in an attempt to regain contact, she lost her balance and fell into the pond. The remaining girls rushed toward her, and the sudden shift of weight to one side caused the boat to overturn, throwing all three into the water.
Clark Cannon, who was working nearby, heard the cries of distress and looked toward the lake. He saw the girls alternately floating and sinking in the water. He quickly realized that two of the struggling figures were his own daughters. Cannon ran as far into the pond as he could, but stopped when the water reached a depth he could not manage, as he was unable to swim. He got a horse and rode it into the pond, using a pole and rope to recover the boat.
Despite his efforts, the rescue came too late. The girls were approximately six rods from shore in water estimated to be eight or nine feet deep when the boat capsized.
Neighbors, alerted by the commotion, hurried to the scene. One girl’s body was recovered within about fifteen minutes. A second was found roughly thirty minutes after the accident. The remaining two were not recovered until nearly an hour and a half later.
The victims were:
- Mary Langdon, the only daughter of Captain Roswell Langdon and his wife, Mary (Cole)
- Julana “Julia” Stratton, daughter of John and Lucy (Purchase) Stratton
- Charlotte Cannon, daughter of Clark and Orpah (Stratton) Cannon
- Orpah Cannon, also a daughter of Clark and Orpah (Stratton) Cannon
The tragedy cast a deep gloom over Southwick and extended far beyond the town. The funeral was held the following day, Sunday, and drew a large public turnout. The girls were placed in separate coffins. Julana Stratton, Charlotte Cannon, and Orpah Cannon were buried side-by-side in a single common grave in Southwick Cemetery. Mary Langdon was interred nearby, in a grave she shared with her younger brother, who had died in 1803.
Two sermons were delivered in response to the tragedy by Joseph Lathrop, D.D., pastor of the First Church of West Springfield, Massachusetts. One of the sermons took its text from Ecclesiastes 9:12:
“As the fishes are taken in an evil net, and the birds caught in a snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.”
The passage reflected on the uncertainty of life and the suddenness with which tragedy can strike.
Today, a gravestone in Southwick Cemetery commemorates three of the girls and reads in part:
"In Memory Of Three Unfortunate Young Maidens
Who Were Drowned In South Pond In This Town, July 15, 1809."
Below, the verse continues:
"When we were young we dide you see
And why not you as well as we
Death cut us down while in our bloom
And sent us to a watery tomb
They were lovely and pleasant in their time
And in their death they were not divided."
— A historical account researched and preserved by the Southwick Time Machine.
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A digitally restored photograph of the shared gravestone of the Cannon sisters and Julana Stratton in Southwick Cemetery. |
Mary Langdon: d. July 15, 1809.
Julana “Julia” Stratton: d. July 15, 1809.
Charlotte Cannon: abt. 1793 — July 15, 1809.
Orpah Cannon: abt. 1798 — July 15, 1809.
This article is based on original primary-source research, including but not limited to census data, immigration records, period newspapers, and death certificates. Southwick Time Machine stories are living documents. Research is ongoing, and this account may evolve as new information comes to light. Illustration(s) used in this story are representations inspired by Southwick, Massachusetts and it's history.
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Edited Out / Author’s Additional Research Notes
- The girls drowned around 5:00 p.m.
- Some historical sources state that it took nearly two hours to recover the final two bodies.
- Printed copies of Joseph Lathrop’s sermon were reportedly sold to the public for 17 cents.
- The original gravestones marking the tragedy were badly weathered. Newer memorial stones were put in place.
- At the time of the drowning, Southwick was part of Hampshire County; it became part of Hampden County in 1812.
- Julia Stratton’s sister, Lucy Stratton, never married and was found deceased in her bed on February 4, 1873.
- Some sources claim the boat capsized after one of the girls dropped a handkerchief overboard and all four leaned to one side in an attempt to retrieve it.
- Some sources say that Roswell Landon was a lieutenant, others say captain.
- Southwick Ponds is better known today as Congamond Lake.
- Clark Cannon may have called out to the neighbors, although the closest one lived about a half-mile away.
- The boat was reportedly a canoe.
- "Dide" was used on the gravestone instead of died, as was common during the time period.
- Mary Langdon’s mother’s nickname was “Polly.”
- The Purchase family surname was originally Purchis. It was changed when the family came to America.
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