A bike ride a few years back helped me spot the small graveyard alongside the Vineyard Haven-Edgartown Road near the County Road Oak Bluffs Next Right sign across from Dodger’s Hole. I’ve remained transfixed on the story of Sarah Wilbur whose headstone (April 15, 1792 to March 20, 1875) is the only one marked. In 2013, a social media post by Jessica Burnham shared a part of Mrs. Wilbur’s story.

A Norton, she and her husband farmed the land nearby. It was suggested he was buried there too, but with no stone. The family moved to Maine and one of their children was lost, apparently taken by “Indians.” He surfaced years later as an adult having been raised by the wife of a man who found him. Born to the Wilburs in Maine in 1824 and named James, he wound up spending time with his natural family here in Oak Bluffs. After his disappearance, the Wilburs had another son — also named James, according to Jessica Burnham, who with Marna Waller and some other ladies pieced together the story, noting that the family was listed in The History of Martha’s Vineyard by Banks.

The Gazette Chronicle on Nov. 6 highlighted a Nov. 3, 1967 Things Insular column that adds another bit of information to the story. It seems Sarah wanted to be buried at this spot “which then commanded a distant view of the church spires of Edgartown.” Mrs. Wilbur’s husband Joseph, described as a giant of a man, who died four years after her at age 92, evidently gave orders for his grave to be dug on the eastern side of hers and “mounded high” so that she might not see the spires after all. The giant of a man may have been big like a pig but his legacy is small after all.

The Federated Church reminds us that on Dec. 3 from 5 to 7 p.m., the annual Festival of Wreaths will be held in the parish house at 45 South Summer street in Edgartown. Uniquely designed, hand-decorated natural wreaths will be available for sale from $45 to $65. All are welcome.

Congratulations to Oak Bluffs filmmaker Spike Lee, who received an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles Saturday. The highly talented director was presented his award by Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Wesley Snipes, two of whom are known to be Vineyard visitors. Spike made it clear to the roomful of Hollywood’s most powerful executives and biggest stars that Hollywood is lacking people of color in key positions. Oscar winner Mr. Washington said the 58-year-old Lee had put more African Americans to work in the business than anyone.

It’s the week before Thanksgiving and an opportune time to plan tangible tax-deductible thanks. You may want to consider gifts to the Martha’s Vineyard Theatre Foundation for the Strand Theater at mvtheaterfoundation.com. Contributions are gratefully accepted for the Oak Bluffs Niantic Park Fund at P.O. Box 1327 for the playground and The Friends of Oak Bluffs, PO Box 1281 for basketball, tennis and the rest of the park. The Oak Bluffs library accepts gifts at P.O. Box 2039 — all at Oak Bluffs, MA, 02557. This has turned out to be a wonderful year for Oak Bluffs cultural activities and people; please continue your support.

In an interesting historical footnote to last week’s story about contributions of the Portuguese to Oak Bluffs and the Island, Debbie Pederson shared that her great-great-grandfather Manuel Machado was from the Azores. He was taken aboard one of Captain Norton’s (possibly John Oliver Norton) whaling ships, and adopted and assumed the Norton name, a common practice. He married another immigrant, Catherine Corr of Ardagh, Ireland, and lived on Norton street in Edgartown, where they raised their family. Sailing around the Horn twice, the family opened a small bakery that provisioned outbound whalers. He and his wife are buried in the cemetery at the top of the street where Debbie grew up and used to place flowers.

Although it’s been 140 years since Sarah Wilbur’s death, flowers in her honor — and some thorns for Joseph — in that lonesome graveyard would be retrospectively appropriate.

Keep your foot on a rock.