@@peterstoddard6225 BS = Bastard Son. John Warham is my 23rd great grand uncle, thrice removed, on my lame, deaf, dumb and blind half-step-father's side of the family.
I remember when a storm took down an old tree in the old burying grounds in Hartford. The grounds crew went to do a clean up and found a box with 2 dueling pistol flintlocks where the stump pulled out. It made the front page of the Hartford Courant. Old graveyards hold secrets!!
I live in Texas and worked for a company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut and was amazed at some of the very old and still very legible gravestones in cemeteries in and around the city. Nothing like that where I live.
I believe that stone was carved by George Griswold of Windsor, several of his 1640s stones are intact including the oldest legible headstone in the state, in the Hartford yard dated 1648, and some other tomb style ones from the mid to late 1640's, though this is the oldest,
A few years back i ended up going to the cemetery a lot to go catch pokemon when the online game was popular. It was so peaceful and beautiful. After a few months i met a girl and we became a couple. She thought it was creepy that i would go but i took her and she liked it a lot. Looking at all the gravestones and seeing the names and the ages. Its like a museum if you’re not weirded out by it
My oldest ancestor was Luke Hitchcock; I believe he was from Warwickshire also. He was buried in Old Wethersfield, where he was a shoemaker. Died 1659. Close. I love this history.
@@the_gilded_age_phoenix8717 Supposedly, but I cannot prove that. I'm going to ask my aunt in Newington, she's the only one left. Jim Griswold passed away not too long ago. He was friends with my grandfather, the Griswold's are why we have the Wethersfield subsidiary of Griswoldville.
Note as to pronunciation: It sounds like Wor-ick with 'o' pronounced as in 'cod'... ie the w in wick is silent.... Also Edinburgh is pronunced Edin-bruh
Wow! I did not know about this grave! Amazing! I have a question. Is that gravestone the actual gravestone they made for him when he died? Is that the exact spot they all stood when they buried him? I always wondered if these old sandstone graves have actually been standing for almost 400 years. If so, that is wild!
I have been to this site with my dad when he was researching our Allen family tree. I was fascinated by it because the tombstones were so old. These were some of the first settlers in CT. I believe one of our relatives is buried there, Bathsheba. After they received a grant to the "Connecticut Reserve" which the deed described as worthless swampland south of Cleveland, the whole family left CT for OH and the family tree continued. But my father believed that we were originally from Warwickshire, England.
Is the body buried in the ground, like we would normally expect, or just underneath and behind the stone? If in the ground, what is inside the stone? Is it hollow or is it solid?
Typically the body is buried in the ground normally and the false vault (as some call them) is built covering the grave. All of the ones I have seen are hollow. Why did they do this? To protect the grave? To be different? I don't know.
Has any thought been given to try to protect the stone, so the weather doesn't make the engraving illegible in coming years? It seems like a historic landmark for CT and would be worth finding a way to shelter it from the weather.
I've lived down the street from this cemetary for 40 years. I'd say that at least half of the old gravestones have completely deteriorated and are gone since I moved here. Shame on the Historical Society for ignoring my requests to protect them.
@@sophiet1576 Windsor Historical Society is not responsible for maintaining the cemetery. Over the years, a number of professional gravestone conservators have conducted preservation projects (not affiliated with us) to restore as many of the old graves as was logistically possible at the times they were undertaken.
I'm fascinated by the historical significance of old cemeteries. To put things in perspective, Thomas Grey's 'Elegy In a Country Churchyard' makes for a very interesting read....
HERE LYETH EPHRAIM HUIT SOMETIMES TEACHER TO YE CHURCH OF WINDSOR WHO DYED SEPTEMBER 4 1644 who when hee lived wee drew our vitall breath who when hee dyed his dying was our death who was ye stay of State ye Churches Staff Alas the times forbid an Epitaph
They probably were. Palisado Cemetery was the only cemetery in town in the 17th century. However, no Phelps family members who died in the 17th century have extant grave markers.
The Eastern part of CT. wasn't settled until 1646. They do have some old gravestones, though! That part of CT was a little behind time wise in settlement because of Hartford and Providence. That's where the newbies went....at first. You still had the Mohegans and Narraganset running loose! A town couldn't be "incorporated" until there enough people to form and build a church. There were people who lived in unsettled parts of Eastern CT. though. A ditch and a wooden marker......long gone!
Probably made of slate, a long lasting stone. Sandstone starts to flake 'cause it's a sedimentary stone. Point of interest: the area around Groton, CT., an area of about 10 miles square, (100 sq. mi.) is identical geolocally to eastern Scotland. It was attached when there was only one continent and now sits about 3,000 miles from it's sister rock in Scotland.
these types of graves are known as "box tombs" aka "chest tombs" all are types of a sarcophagus, a chest tomb, if placed on a large flat base is called an altar tomb they all were used to hold the coffin & could be used as the coffin itself in many cases
I ride a motorcycle and travel along of nooks and cranies in CT! Does this include personal cemeteries that exist in people's back yards? Just curious how extensive it was looked into 🤔
Unfortunately, only around 20 17th-century gravestones have survived to today. All others have been lost to weather and time. But it should be noted that it is likely that not everyone in the 17th century had a stone to begin with. It's possible that people were buried without markers, or had wooden grave markers. Robert Winchell is not one whose grave has survived, we're sorry to say.
@@windsorhistoricalsocietyct Thanks for looking. Are there any records at all in Windsor for Winchell or Wincoll? The family were settlers in the Mass Bay Colony in 1634 or 35 and then moved to Windsor.
@@chiararomano1818 Certainly! There are Winchells in Windsor vital records, land records, church records, probably more. Email us if you have any specific questions.
@@windsorhistoricalsocietyct Thanks so much. I know the first generation here for my branch began with Robert. I live in the lower Hudson valley, one of these days I’ll take a drive into Connecticut.
Sorry but thatgrave monument is 19thc. Box tombs of this type are late 18thc /19th century. Also the supposedly 17thc inscription is in fact 19thc copy. Probably 1860 to 1880. The font set is typical of those trying to recreate the romantic past. Not unusual for the Victorian period. Arts and craft movement for instance. The 1812 inscription dates the box tomb. I'm a archaeologist and have seen thousands of 17thc gravestones and this is just a rehashed fantasy. Sorry to be that person who destroyed your video. It doesn't take away from the genuine social history of this person. The question is where is the oldest original readable grave in Connecticut. Your quest is back on....
This video is a prime example of what I dislike about UA-cam videos. Someone posts a video then NEVER return to answer any questions. So, in this case we will never know if the deceased is inside the "vault" or is it just an elaborate headstone or what?
I'm sure that there are older Graves but they didn't have that kind of money to have their name engraved in stone. I'm going to guess that he was a prominent slave owner who married a little girl of 12 or 13 years old after paying a dowry to her parents. Let's not glorify those times and just be honest about what really happened back then.
John Warham is my 8th great grandfather. So wonderful to find this video.
BS
@@52969RST why do you say that? No record of your illegal ancestors? 😂😂😂😂
Can confirm, im John Warham’s long lost bastard son
@@52969RST What do you mean by BS?
@@peterstoddard6225 BS = Bastard Son. John Warham is my 23rd great grand uncle, thrice removed, on my lame, deaf, dumb and blind half-step-father's side of the family.
I remember when a storm took down an old tree in the old burying grounds in Hartford. The grounds crew went to do a clean up and found a box with 2 dueling pistol flintlocks where the stump pulled out. It made the front page of the Hartford Courant. Old graveyards hold secrets!!
I live in Texas and worked for a company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut and was amazed at some of the very old and still very legible gravestones in cemeteries in and around the city. Nothing like that where I live.
Notice how the engraving is protected by, what is essentially a roof which
has an overhang to protect the engraving.
I believe that stone was carved by George Griswold of Windsor, several of his 1640s stones are intact including the oldest legible headstone in the state, in the Hartford yard dated 1648, and some other tomb style ones from the mid to late 1640's, though this is the oldest,
really
1:07 The video says it was likely Matthew Griswold
Thank you for this. Local history is as fascinating as world event history.
A few years back i ended up going to the cemetery a lot to go catch pokemon when the online game was popular. It was so peaceful and beautiful. After a few months i met a girl and we became a couple. She thought it was creepy that i would go but i took her and she liked it a lot. Looking at all the gravestones and seeing the names and the ages. Its like a museum if you’re not weirded out by it
That's awesome I lived in Connecticut all my life and I didn't know this. Thank you for sharing. Do they have a picture of him
My oldest ancestor was Luke Hitchcock; I believe he was from Warwickshire also. He was buried in Old Wethersfield, where he was a shoemaker. Died 1659. Close. I love this history.
Any relation to old Alfred?
@@the_gilded_age_phoenix8717 Supposedly, but I cannot prove that. I'm going to ask my aunt in Newington, she's the only one left. Jim Griswold passed away not too long ago. He was friends with my grandfather, the Griswold's are why we have the Wethersfield subsidiary of Griswoldville.
Note as to pronunciation: It sounds like Wor-ick with 'o' pronounced as in 'cod'... ie the w in wick is silent.... Also Edinburgh is pronunced Edin-bruh
Wow! I did not know about this grave! Amazing! I have a question. Is that gravestone the actual gravestone they made for him when he died? Is that the exact spot they all stood when they buried him? I always wondered if these old sandstone graves have actually been standing for almost 400 years. If so, that is wild!
Probably it is.
Most likely is since the grave carver died in the 1690s
Cool vid . lifelong CT resident here , appreciate the history.
Surviving grave? Unfortunate headline
I have been to this site with my dad when he was researching our Allen family tree. I was fascinated by it because the tombstones were so old. These were some of the first settlers in CT. I believe one of our relatives is buried there, Bathsheba. After they received a grant to the "Connecticut Reserve" which the deed described as worthless swampland south of Cleveland, the whole family left CT for OH and the family tree continued. But my father believed that we were originally from Warwickshire, England.
thank you, Torrington has it's roots from the Windsor charter, I've read some history on that and will visit the grave later this spring.
Is the body buried in the ground, like we would normally expect, or just underneath and behind the stone? If in the ground, what is inside the stone? Is it hollow or is it solid?
Typically the body is buried in the ground normally and the false vault (as some call them) is built covering the grave. All of the ones I have seen are hollow. Why did they do this? To protect the grave? To be different? I don't know.
The oldest surviving grave. Huh, that's a strange and ironic headline.
I'm sure there are many gravesites of native people that are older.
Very interesting 🤔. Thanks!
My question is what gravestones are older in the US?
Indian ones
@@grantglow4206 I meant from English settlers with a date on them.
@@kevinevans5921 I don't know that to be fair
Surprised he hasn’t been cancelled or erased ?
Has any thought been given to try to protect the stone, so the weather doesn't make the engraving illegible in coming years? It seems like a historic landmark for CT and would be worth finding a way to shelter it from the weather.
I've lived down the street from this cemetary for 40 years. I'd say that at least half of the old gravestones have completely deteriorated and are gone since I moved here.
Shame on the Historical Society for ignoring my requests to protect them.
I would think they could be restored by re-etching
Looks pretty well preserved. Maybe not the original?
EXCELLENT point, you would think it would at least have a roof put over it to protect from the elements
@@sophiet1576 Windsor Historical Society is not responsible for maintaining the cemetery. Over the years, a number of professional gravestone conservators have conducted preservation projects (not affiliated with us) to restore as many of the old graves as was logistically possible at the times they were undertaken.
I'm fascinated by the historical significance of old cemeteries. To put things in perspective, Thomas Grey's 'Elegy In a Country Churchyard' makes for a very interesting read....
Love that poem
Is this just a monument, or is the deceased actually in the stone structure?
Good question! Huit is buried below the chest tomb, which is the customary practice for this type of grave marker.
One of my ancestors was a founder of Windsor, Norwalk and Stamford.
Please tell us what it says on the monument; both sides.
Thank you.
HERE LYETH EPHRAIM HUIT SOMETIMES TEACHER
TO YE CHURCH OF WINDSOR WHO DYED
SEPTEMBER 4 1644
who when hee lived wee drew our vitall breath
who when hee dyed his dying was our death
who was ye stay of State ye Churches Staff
Alas the times forbid an Epitaph
War-Wick-Shyer.
Pronounced 'Worrick-shear' correctly.
So cool. I wonder if any of my Phelps ancestors who were original settlers in Windsor were laid to rest there? Hopefully I can visit some day.
I think Phelps intermarried with my ancestors, the winchell (wincoll) family.
They probably were. Palisado Cemetery was the only cemetery in town in the 17th century. However, no Phelps family members who died in the 17th century have extant grave markers.
Windsor Historical Society CT I’m sorry there aren’t any to see. Perhaps I will visit some day and do some family history research.
Hewitt is my grandfather!
You and I are related then
FYI Warwickshire is pronounced Worickshire (viewer from the UK )
1:10 Matthew Griswold is an ancestor of mine. He brother, Edward Griswold is my 11th great grandfather
There is a 1648 grave, also in us here in yt. The will be the second oldest grave after this one.
It’s pronounced Waricksher. Not that anyone asked.
Surviving? Methinks you could use a different word
Graves don't survive they just multiply..
My off the boat ancestors John Owen is buried here, 1698. Northwestern corner.
Oldest KNOWN gravestone, of a white man.
I spent à pleasant afternoon there looking for two Stoughton stones but had no luck. I'll try again.
Just curious, did you search for gravestones in the eastern part of the state?
The Eastern part of CT. wasn't settled until 1646. They do have some old gravestones, though! That part of CT was a little behind time wise in settlement because of Hartford and Providence. That's where the newbies went....at first. You still had the Mohegans and Narraganset running loose! A town couldn't be "incorporated" until there enough people to form and build a church. There were people who lived in unsettled parts of Eastern CT. though. A ditch and a wooden marker......long gone!
he must have been very short
Most people were very short back then. And they had tiny feet. Seriously
Probably lots of old graves in St. Mary's County/ Maryland. Maryland was established in 1634!
Great gravestones in CT, Did a ton of walking in Cheshire
I appreciate that producing this video was a grave undertaking.
There are many stones in Groton that are fully legible. I'm trying to find them.
Probably made of slate, a long lasting stone. Sandstone starts to flake 'cause it's a sedimentary stone. Point of interest: the area around Groton, CT., an area of about 10 miles square, (100 sq. mi.) is identical geolocally to eastern Scotland. It was attached when there was only one continent and now sits about 3,000 miles from it's sister rock in Scotland.
Why the hell am I watching this.
Thanks for the info.Alex,UK
This is Great ty very much
As an Englishman I found comedy in your pronounciation of Warwickshire lol but found this interesting nevertheless.
He was short little dude.
Great 👍 history.
WOW! Great work......
“Surviving grave”
Great
Too much wind boo
Headstone needs to be properly preserved..
Wow!
Absolutely fascinating! I love New England church history! Puritan heritage is fascinating!
Now that's an old man in there.
Thank you - so interesting ~
Is it an above ground grave or just a big elaborate tombstone cause for a above ground crypt it has really held up
these types of graves are known as "box tombs" aka "chest tombs" all are types of a sarcophagus, a chest tomb, if placed on a large flat base is called an altar tomb they all were used to hold the coffin & could be used as the coffin itself in many cases
@@johnjerman3421 oh cool!
I ride a motorcycle and travel along of nooks and cranies in CT! Does this include personal cemeteries that exist in people's back yards? Just curious how extensive it was looked into 🤔
Doubt it
Warwick ….you don’t pronounce the second W. (War ..ick)
I have to have surgery just watch them awhile
Native Indian bones r already blessed.
Wow, so interesting!!!
Thank you for sharing this story!
It is war rick shire
I wish you would’ve read the epitaph….
You can see what it says in our article on this grave: windsorhistoricalsociety.org/connecticuts-oldest-surviving-gravestone
Very nice!
Can you find my distant ancestor Robert winchell (possibly in old)? He was buried in Windsor in 1669.
Unfortunately, only around 20 17th-century gravestones have survived to today. All others have been lost to weather and time. But it should be noted that it is likely that not everyone in the 17th century had a stone to begin with. It's possible that people were buried without markers, or had wooden grave markers. Robert Winchell is not one whose grave has survived, we're sorry to say.
@@windsorhistoricalsocietyct Thanks for looking. Are there any records at all in Windsor for Winchell or Wincoll? The family were settlers in the Mass Bay Colony in 1634 or 35 and then moved to Windsor.
@@chiararomano1818 Certainly! There are Winchells in Windsor vital records, land records, church records, probably more. Email us if you have any specific questions.
@@windsorhistoricalsocietyct Thanks so much. I know the first generation here for my branch began with Robert. I live in the lower Hudson valley, one of these days I’ll take a drive into Connecticut.
I believe that the headstone was carved by Clark Griswold of Chicago.
Sorry but thatgrave monument is 19thc. Box tombs of this type are late 18thc /19th century. Also the supposedly 17thc inscription is in fact 19thc copy. Probably 1860 to 1880. The font set is typical of those trying to recreate the romantic past. Not unusual for the Victorian period. Arts and craft movement for instance. The 1812 inscription dates the box tomb. I'm a archaeologist and have seen thousands of 17thc gravestones and this is just a rehashed fantasy.
Sorry to be that person who destroyed your video. It doesn't take away from the genuine social history of this person.
The question is where is the oldest original readable grave in Connecticut.
Your quest is back on....
re-done maybe?
@@grantglow4206 The stone is the wrong shape.
this guy exudes spongebob energy i dont know how else to put it
Good little history lesson. But pink pants, really ??
That's not pink, it's salmon. Lol
Anyway, the new normal. Woke
DOES THIS GUY HAVE PINK PANTS ON ? (WTF)
It’s called Nantucket Red here in NE
It's called woke.
It's called guys can wear pink 😁
Damn click bait titles.
You absolutely butchered the pronunciation of Warwickshire
the second w is silent BTW
This video is a prime example of what I dislike about UA-cam videos. Someone posts a video then NEVER return to answer any questions. So, in this case we will never know if the deceased is inside the "vault" or is it just an elaborate headstone or what?
He would be buried underneath it.
I'm sure that there are older Graves but they didn't have that kind of money to have their name engraved in stone. I'm going to guess that he was a prominent slave owner who married a little girl of 12 or 13 years old after paying a dowry to her parents. Let's not glorify those times and just be honest about what really happened back then.
They built a society that changed the world. What have you done? Sour grapes
You're evidence of the dumbing down of America. You had access to education through the age of 18, provided at taxpayer expense, but you chose stupid.
Let's not judge people from past history using today's morality.
We learn from the past and do better in the future.
So old even his bones have decomposed.