NORTH BROOKFIELD —  There have been signs all along the way and yesterday, as more than 100 people began to gather near the open grave in the still afternoon heat at Walnut Grove Cemetery, a branch fell from a tree.

The irony was not lost on members of the Elizabeth R. Hill Committee, who have spent the last year working to bring home the remains of one of the town's most famous former residents.

Mrs. Hill, more than 100 years ago, was arrested for having branches cut in the graveyard because a tree leaned over the burial site of her four sons and she feared the it would damage the new marble stone she'd had installed.

Yesterday, the scant remains believed to be those of Mrs. Hill were moved to the cemetery after being disinterred from the grounds of the Worcester Lunatic Asylum — now the Glavin Regional Center in Shrewsbury — last week.

Committee members said it was her wish to be buried with the four of her five sons who died before their third birthdays. She'd written about that desire in her books and had her name carved on the stone. The committee had hoped to right a wrong nearly a century old. Yesterday, beneath her name on the white marble stone, a new inscription, “Reunited with her children, July 24, 2010” had been carved.

The feat was one that amazed Mrs. Hill's great-great-granddaughter, Ruth Widau, who in 2001 tried to find Mrs. Hill's burial site during a visit here from her home in Greensburg, Ind., and went home disappointed.

“How they cut through all that red tape. ... I'm just overwhelmed,” she said yesterday after the service. Ms. Widau revealed that she recently found some family pictures — although none depicted Elizabeth — and she talked about her great-grandfather, Elizabeth's son, who moved to Indiana with his father, Kittredge Hill in 1863 and didn't see his mother for nearly four decades.

“Welcome home, Elizabeth,” committee members said as they dropped fistfuls of dirt on the white wood casket after a celebration service at the First Congregational Church. “Welcome home.”

Mrs. Hill was a divorcée, unusual for her time. She was an outspoken property owner, traveler, teacher and newspaper reporter who often rankled those in power in the small community with her opposition to the taking of her land by the railroad. She frequently filed lawsuits against the town and others, although she did not have the right to vote. Local officials twice had her committed to the Worcester Lunatic Asylum. She was released once, but at age 78, she was sent there a second time and died there 16 years later when she was 93.

Last week, committee members gathered at the grave in Shrewsbury and sifted through yards of dirt looking for human remains. The committee includes Patty A. Duggan of North Brookfield; Leslie R. Munns of Worcester; Shelley Finn of Spencer; Donna M. Gauthier of North Brookfield; Megan M.F. Halloran of Spencer; Mary Truhel of North Brookfield and Paulette Adams of North Brookfield.

They found small bone fragments and pieces of wood three meters down, but no one can say for sure whether the remains are human or if they are those of Mrs. Hill. Sketchy records from the former asylum indicated the grave should be empty. About a decade ago, a marker bearing someone else's name was placed on the spot.

But Ms. Finn, with the help of record keepers at the center, found a handwritten notation indicating Mrs. Hill was buried in that grave. A ground-penetrating radar study done in May showed something below the surface and once the grave was open, a band of discolored dirt seemed to indicate something had been placed there, Funeral Director Robert Pillsbury said.

Claire L. Gold, an anthropology professor at University of Massachusetts at Boston, identified the wood and bone fragments but could not confirm the source. She said she'd have expected to find more, including larger bones, but couldn't rule out the possibility that what was found was Mrs. Hill's remains.

Still, Ms. Finn is sure, and she's not alone.

“We have as much of her earthly remains as we're going to come up with,” Mr. Pillsbury said, as he zipped closed a body bag containing the fragments and some soil from the site last week. The committee members carried the bag from Shrewsbury, and yesterday carried the casket to the new grave, then lowered it with ropes.

Clad in a period undertaker's outfit, Mr. Pillsbury yesterday smiled as about 125 people gathered to pay their respects. Cecelia Lubelczyk portrayed Mrs. Hill, giving an overview of her life and the wrongs so many had committed against her.

“They took me from my home,” she wept. “Away from my babies. ... I'm not crazy.”

State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, spoke of the injustices perpetrated against those committed to asylums.

Rev. David J. Libby offered prayers at the church and graveside.

Leslie Munns, describing the sometimes emotional journey, said through their work, “Some of us have found our great grandmothers, our grandmothers, our mothers and some of us, have found ourselves.”