Nestled amidst historic Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut is a pastoral burial ground, where some of America’s most prominent minds and leaders lie at rest. From poets, military officers, inventors, educators, Yale alumni, and politicians, Grove Street Cemetery has attracted many to its quaint grounds. If you are ever in New Haven or even passing through the area, a visit to the Grove Street Cemetery is a must!
History
Between 1794-1795, a deadly yellow fever epidemic gripped the town of New Haven, Connecticut. This led to a rash of victims and accordingly, a need for space to bury the dead. Following this event, local businessman and U.S. Senator, James Hillhouse, encouraged wealthy families in town to create a burial ground just outside of town.
In response, Grove Street Cemetery was first organized in 1796 and was then known as the “New Haven Burying Ground” (prior to its establishment, the people of New Haven often buried their dead on the New Haven Green). A few decades later, in 1821, the older monuments and headstones on the New Haven Green were moved to Grove Street Cemetery.
In 1845, a commanding brownstone Egyptian revival gateway was placed at the entrance of the cemetery, adding to the grandeur and mystery of the burial ground (since you drive your car through this historic entryway, be sure to take your time and avoid hitting it!). Then in 1848-1849, an 8-foot high stone wall was placed around the perimeter of the cemetery. All these decades later, Grove Street Cemetery has become a beautiful centerpiece on Yale University’s campus and a favorite of locals and visitors alike.
Interesting Facts
- Named streets and pathways are neatly laid out amidst the tombstones and family plots of Grove Street Cemetery, as if it were a town. Accordingly, its earned the nickname “city of the dead”
- Grove Street Cemetery was the first in the United States to be arranged in family lots. Additionally, it was the first private, nonprofit cemetery in the world
- Amos Doolittle, an engraver who famously engraved four scenes following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, is buried in the Grove Street Cemetery
Notable Burials
Grove Street Cemetery is the final resting place for some of America’s most famous individuals, to include abolitionist Lyman Beecher, Charles Goodyear, Jazz bandleader Glenn Miller, patriot and famed politician Roger Sherman, Noah Webster (of Webster’s Dictionary fame), inventor Eli Whitney, and countless others. We had a great time wandering down the neatly laid “streets” of Grove Street Cemetery, admiring the fascinating and historic headstone engravings, and visiting with some of this nation’s greatest contributors.
Of course, we are unable to properly highlight all of the “notable burials” in Grove Street Cemetery here; therefore, we focus on eight eminent individuals: Roger Sherman, Admiral Andrew Hull Foote, Mary Clap Wooster, Ezra Stiles, James Hillhouse, Simeon Baldwin, David Humphreys, and Eli Whitney.
Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793)
- Only person to have signed the four “Great State Papers” of the United States: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederaion, and the Constitution of the United States
- He was the second oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 (younger only to Benjamin Franklin)
- Served as the 1st Mayor of New Haven from 1784-1793. Additionally, he represented Connecticut in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1789-1791 and in the U.S. Senate from 1791 until his death in 1793.
Andrew Hull Foote (September 12, 1802 – June 26, 1863)
- Attended the Army Academy at West Point briefly, then left to attend the Naval Academy in Annapolis. He served admirably in the decades leading up to the American Civil War and commanded numerous ships
- Served in the western theater of the Civil War (he primarily led a fleet of ironclads in the western rivers)
- One of the first naval officers promoted to the rank of rear admiral
- He died suddenly in 1863 while on his way to take command of the Atlantic Blockading Squadron- he was only 56-years-old
Mary Clap Wooster (April 25, 1729 – June 6, 1807)
- Daughter of Thomas Clap, who was the 5th President of Yale University
- Married General David Wooster, who served during the French & Indian War and the American Revolution. General Wooster died from wounds sustained in the Battle of Ridgefield in April 1777 and died on May 2nd of that year
- When the British raided New Haven, Connecticut in early July 1779, they specifically targeted the home of patriot Mary Clap Wooster (particularly due to her late husband’s position as a general in the American Army). She defiantly refused to leave her home, but in the end, much of her furniture and belongings were stolen or destroyed
- Her headstone appropriately reads “Madam Wooster was a lady of high intellectual culture and distinguished for her refined and dignified courtesy; beloved for her many Christian virtues”
Ezra Stiles (December 10, 1727 – May 12, 1795)
- A Congregationalist minister, educator, writer, and theologian. He served as the 7th President of Yale University, from 1778 until his death in 1795
- He moved to Newport, RI in 1755 to serve as the minister at the Second Congregational Church (still standing). He remained in Newport until late 1776, just before the British Army occupied the city. His written accounts of colonial Newport are one of the best (and only) detailed accounts of that important coastal city from that era
- Despite being outspoken against slavery, he purportedly was given a 10-year-old male African slave in exchange for a hogshead of rum that he sent to the African coast
James Hillhouse (October 20, 1754 – December 29, 1832)
- Veteran of the American Revolution- he served as Captain of the Second Company of the Governor’s Foot Guard
- Served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1780 – 1785
- Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut from 1791 – 1796
- United States Senator from Connecticut from 1796 – 1810 (he served as the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate from February 28 – March 4, 1810)
- In 1803, he joined a group of New England politicians who called for secession from the rest of the country due to the growing influence and power of “Jeffersonian Democrats”
- He was vital to the establishment of the Grove Street Cemetery
- He was a Treasurer for Yale College (University) from 1782 until his death in 1832
Simeon Baldwin (December 14, 1761 – May 26, 1851)
- A 1781 graduate of Yale College (University)
- Son-in-law to famed founder, Roger Sherman (he married his daughter Rebecca). When she died in 1795, Simeon married her sister, Elizabeth Sherman Burr
- Father of Connecticut Governor Roger Sherman Baldwin and grandfather of Connecticut Governor Simeon Eben Baldwin
- Served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut from March 1803 – March 1804 (he was a Federalist). After a year, he declined to be a candidate for reelection
David Humphreys (July 10, 1752 – February 21, 1818)
- Served as an aide de camp to General George Washington during the American Revolution (prior to that, he served on the staffs of General Parsons, Israel Putnam, and Nathanael Greene). Humphreys was with General Washington during the British surrender at Yorktown, was present at Washington’s resignation in Baltimore, and accompanied George and Martha Washington back to Mount Vernon
- He was one of the original members of the Connecticut Society of the Cincinnati
- Served as the 1st U.S. Minister to Portugal (1791 – 1797) and the 3rd U.S. Minister to Spain (1797 – 1801)
- He was the first to bring Merino sheep to the United States (he brought them from Spain in 1802), was a laudable poet, author, and lover of science (in 1802, he wrote an anti-slavery poem, A Poem on the Industry of the United States of America)
Eli Whitney (December 8, 1765 – January 8, 1825)
- An inventor, he is best known for his invention of the cotton gin in 1793 (sadly, this invention made the separation of cotton from its seed much easier, which further expanded and prolonged slavery in the American south)
- Popularized the idea of interchangeable parts (particularly for muskets)
- Graduate of Yale University, colleague of James Hillhouse, and husband to Henrietta Edwards (granddaughter of evangelist Jonathan Edwards)
Source: https://www.grovestreetcemetery.org/