The beginning of the 18th century in Eastern Europe had seen a spate of claimed Vampire killings, known as the 18th Century Vampire controversy, accusations of vampirism exploded and corpses were staked through the heart, or the heads were removed. A practice by the 18th century which was already ancient.
 
This practice and its folklore by the centuries end, had made its way from the old world into the new, and into rural New England.

While accounts are more frequent in near by Rhode Island, Martha Forward Dwight was exhumed on the 21st July 1788. 
 
The tombstones are modelled on New England examples, and feature original illustrations, with the iconography based upon the accounts of the New England Vampire exhumations.