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Published in a Yarmouth newspaper, date unknown:

By Arthur Thurston

The most attractive and unusual tombstone in California was erected in Irvinston, California by a Yarmouth man, Stephen Larkin. He left Yarmouth, adventure-bound for the California gold fields in 1849, already a man in his mid-thirties. I don't know whether he went round Cape Horn in one of Donald McKay's clippers or crossed the Isthmus of Panama, but once safely in California, he engaged in mining, then bought a schooner and traded very successfully up and down San Francisco Bay. In the course of his career he purchased several vessels and built a warehouse at Larkin's Landing. He traded in grain, and owned ranches and a homestead.

He was descended from Walter Larkin who founded the large family of that name in Argyle and Yarmouth, being one of the first English settlers at Pubnico. Walter had eight sons and our Stephen was a son of Stephen, and of course a grandson of the original Walter. His brothers were John, Barak, Amos, and William, and his sisters were Ruth, Sarah, Deborah, Rebecca, Mary and Elizabeth.

Stephen married in California when he was in his seventies. His wife was a widow with three children, and she wanted Stephen to make out his will in favor of her children. This he refused to do. Soon he became ill and consulted a doctor who told him he was being slowly poisoned. He then left his home and went to live with a friend for a time, and commenced proceedings for a divorce. He succeeded in this, but it cost him in the neighbourhood of $30,000. He left a substantial estate nothwithstanding.

Now I come to the point in the story that interests me the greatest. Stephen Larkin was an atheist, despite the Biblical names of his brothers and sisters. He could not be made to believe there is an all-powerful creator. He did not believe in an after-life, that the "I", the "ego", remains active. This negative feeling was his until he was in his late seventies. Then one night, in a dream, he found himself sliding down to Hell and the fire was about to scorch him when he found a mighty voice calling to him. Just at that moment two white doves approached and pulled him away from Hell and up to Heaven. Needless to say Larkin was relieved when he awoke and found it all only a dream. But wisdom and virtue came to him as a result.

The dream took place in 1891 and the very next day he held a consultation with the Master Stonecutter of the area. In due course a bright new granite monument, by far the largest and most ornate in the State of California at the time, appeared in Irvington Cemetery. But it was its design that has made the stone one of the most famous on this continent. On one side of the stone a shaft had been prepared by the stonecutter. About the middle of the shaft, half way down, to phrase it another way, was suspended a life-size figure of Larkin, dressed in holiday attire. He was in a pose of swiftly and surely descending into the Burning Pit. Just over his head two doves are in the act of seizing him and rescuing him from Hell. Every detail of the dream has been accurately worked out in stone.

Surmounting the huge block of granite is a figure of Christ with Larkin sitting by Him and holding to His robe. Below that reads:

Stephen Larkin
Born in
Yarmouth, N.S.
June 7, 1815
Died Feb. 1, 1894
Aged 81 years

Of course the date of his death was not engraved until "later."

(Of all animals and birds, the dove is personified most often on tombstones. There is a famous example in Yarmouth Mountain Cemetery, guarding forever the grave of Lyman Cann, deceased 1887.)

On either side of the shaft enclosing Larkin=s falling figure reads:

UNBELIEF WAS CARRYING ME TO THE PIT OF ENDLESS WOE BUT THE DIVINE DOVE OF THE LORD SAT ME AT THE FEET OF CHRIST.

The Yarmouth Herald of March 20, 1894, carries a story on Stephen Larkin=s Will which it copied from the San Francisco Tribune. In those days it was not unusual for a newspaper to print a Will. The story records that Stephen Larkin was a well known citizen in Alameda County, living at Mowry's Landing 30 years. The estate was valued at the substantial amount of $72,500, and consisted of a farm in Washington Township valued at $61,700 and personal property.

The first provision in the Will is to the effect that all property disposable is his, that there is no "community property". He continues that he was married to Elizabeth Jessie Larkin in July, 1884, and had acquired no property since that time. He emphasizes that he makes no provision in his Will for her. He leaves her nothing.

Stephen Larkin then makes bequests as follows: "To my sisters, Mary Vickery, Ruth Ricker, and Rebecca Allen, $1000 each; to my brothers, John Larkin and Amos Larkin, $500 each; to my youngest brother, William Larkin, $1000; to my niece, Lydia Wyman, $500; to George Wyman, David Wyman, Nellie Crawford and Sarah Wyman, children of my nephew William H. Wyman, $500 each. The residue of my estate is given to all my nieces and nephews, share and share alike. Most of them live in Nova Scotia."

Amos Larkin was executor of the Will which was drawn up February 7, 1885.

The article concludes "Larkin figured very prominently in Superior Court a few years ago. He came to the conclusion his young wife married him for his money. A suit for a divorce was instituted and there ensued a sensational contest, with some very bitter charges made on each side before Larkin finally was granted his divorce. His wife appealed the case to the Supreme Court of the United States, but was beaten in the end.

And Stephen Larkin paid the stonecutter $2000 in gold for his artistry. Gold has increased in value between six and seven times since 1891, which is a good rule of thumb for comparing relative purchasing power over the ages.

Such a stone would today cost $12,000 or $13,000 and then only provided it could be furnished, only on condition that exceptional stonecutter's talent was available."

[For information about someone named "Stephen Larkin" click on 
REBECCA ELDRIDGE WYMAN.]