The Ancient Burying Ground is the final resting place of generations of rich and poor, free and enslaved, powerful and humble, famous and obscure who died in Hartford between 1640 until approximately 1815 (see also: the Uncovering Their History: African, African American, Native American Burials website). It is the oldest historic site in Hartford and the only one dating from the 1600s.
Beginning with its establishment just four years after the first English settlers arrived, as many as 6,000 people are believed to have been interred in the Ancient Burying Ground. More than 400 original gravestones dating from the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s are still standing.
The graveyard bears unique witness to the lives of men and women, famous and obscure, who individually and in combination influenced the evolution of Hartford, Connecticut, and ultimately the United States itself. It is the perfect place to begin an exploration of Hartford’s historic resources.
Learn more about the stories of people buried at the Ancient Burying Ground:
- Reverend Thomas Hooker and Government by the Consent of the People
- Nathaniel Willet and his role in Connecticut’s Witchcraft Trials
- Governor William Leete – Connecticut and New Haven Became One
- John Allyn, securing the Royal Charter and the Charter Oak
- Elizabeth Willson from Hartford as a successful Colonial Business And Commercial Center
- Col. Nathan Payson and Dr. Eliakim Fish, who served in the military in several Colonial Conflicts
- Richard Bernham and Ebenezer Watson in Connecticut’s Run-Up To Rebellion
- Captain Pownal Deming and Moses Dunbar – opposing roles in the American Revolution
- Jeremiah Wadsworth – Creating A New State And Nation
- Learn more about the People of Diverse Races and Ethnic Heritages found at the Ancient Burying Ground