Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-08-22
,.Dv rRNwIoK,s rOmB.
some Of the Moulders of Early Com
ueetacut S0cIety-The Gardeners o.
GARDENERS Island.

same of the m0ulders of Early Con.
neetscut Society-The Gardeners of |
GARDENERS leland.
SAxBRooK, Conn, Aug. 19.-The monu- |
mental stone at Lady Fenwicks tomb, prob |
ably the Oldest in our country recognizable
now, stands in the original burying ground
of this ancient town. It has often attracted
antiquarian attention at this well known
summer resort, and has recently been de-
scribed by writer in the Notes and Queries,
London historical magazine, with its record.
The monument consists of massive dark
brown sand stone slab, lying horizontally and
supported by three short, thick stone legs
Its face is perfectly smooth, a little slant
each side from the center, and without in
scription in the memory of the Oldest inhab-
liant, even a century ago when that great
scholar, President Styles of Yale college, in
company with the late venerable Frederic q.
Hotchkiss, then pastor of the Congregational
church in Saybrook, visited it.
On the 23d of November, 1879, this tomb
stone, with it's underlying remains, was re-
moved from its origins1 situation, near the
fort on the river bank, in order to escape the
track of the Connecticut River Valley rail
road, then in process of construction, and
placed where it will be- secure from further
fin in which the long deceased had been en-
cased, on being exposed to the air, immedi-
ately crumbled to dust. The skeleton was
/ clearly that of white woman of middle age,
with good set of teeth, and having no pc
culiarity except a remarkable curvature OF
the spine, and not vestige of anything else
was found but the hair. This was wonder
| fully long and heavy, of bright Scotch red,
and arranged in two braids, which were
wound once around the head, and carried
over the shoulders, reaching to the waist.
| Commemorative services on the occasion were
| held in the churches of the place, and the
bells tolled. The eminent lady whose mem
ory was thus solemnly honored is supposed
| to have been the first English woman who
| died within the limits of the present State of
Connecticut, and, her name being held in
I veneration by the inhabitants of the town of
l Saybrook, a committee of citizens, represent
| ing several of the oldest families, was ap-
pointed to take charge of the removal. Adj
dresses were delivered at the time, which
with an account of the ceremonies were pub
| lished in pamphlet form. To gentleman of
that committee. R. B. Chalker, and Mr.. Rich
| ard Dickinson and another Saybrook friend
| we are indebted for the above given particu~
| lars.
| Historical documents inform us that Lady
Alice FenWick, of whom this is memorial,
was daughter of Sir Edward Apsley, and
1 the widow of Sir John Boteler, when she
Il
| band. He was lawyer of Gray's Inn and
| became the first Governor of the colonial jur-
| isdiction of Saybrook, founded in 1886 and
80 named from LORDS Say and Seal and Lord
Brooke, its original paten4ees. She was one
of those "godly women of noble family, who
emigrated from England to New England
early in the seventeenth century" thus spo-
ken of by recent English writer. Others
| of them were Elizabeth Pole, daughter of Sir
William Pole of Shute, county of Devon, Eng
land who died at her chosen'hom at Taunton
sin the colonie of New Plymouth in New
England, /" in 1854, and the Lady ArabeIla
| johnson of Boston. Of the latter the cele-
brated Cotton Mather, in his Magnolia"
thus speaks: ''Of those who soon dy'd after
4 their first arrival was the Lady Arabella, who
Id an earthly paradise in the family of an
| earldom to encounter the terrors of the will
derness for the entertainments of pure
| worship in the house of God, and then inn
mediately left that wilderness for the heaven
| ly paradise, whereto the compassionate
Jesus, of whom she was follower, called
her." In like manner Col. Fenwick, soon
| after his establishment in Saybrook, was
called to resign his wife to the claims of a
higher destination.
/ Returning to England in 1914 he became
| an officer in the army of the Protector, held
important civil positions, and was appointed
| one of the judges of Charles l., but happily
escaped serving He died at Berwick, of
| which he was the governor in 1857. Colonel
l Fenwick was of the ancient Northumberland
family of that name. He had sister, Eliz-
abeth, who also emigrated to this country
and married Captain John Cullick, a magis-
trate of Saybrook, and some of her descend
ants now live in Lyme, Conn, which at first
was part of Saybrook. Before going back
| to England Mr.. Fenwick took care that
this monument should be placed over the
remains of her whom he had lost, and COM
! mitted the charge of it to the prominent
Griswold family of Lyme, tho ancestors of
those former distinguished New York mer-
chants, Messrs. George and Nathaniel Girls
| void, mentioned with great respect by the
easily New England annalists of whom Hub
thus eulogizes him: 'sThe hands of those on
that side of the country, near Connecticut
not then embracing Saybrook-"were
strengthened by the coming over of Mr.. Fen
wick, gentleman of great estate, and emil
nerA for wisdom and piety, July 10, 1889,
who arrived in New Haven with q ship of
$50 tons, bringing his lady and family. His
intent was to make plantation at Saybrook
about the month of the Connecticut river.
He laid the foundation there and in a few
years returned to England"
From another book of that period, entitl-
ed woodworking Providence we extract
the following poetical tribute in his honor:
"Fenwick, among the Christian throng, to wilder,
There learned hast thou yet farther, how Christ
1 should advanced be.
Who for that end, doth back thee send their sena
In native sou, For Him still toile while thou hast
His churches peace. do thou not cease, with theil
That they and those, in lasting glee may haelujat
| sing"
The fort at Saybrook was an important
strategic point in New England's early days,
and was built and first commanded ny a ia
nous historical character, Lieutenant Lior
J Gardiner, the original purchaser from the
Il Ct II =
the east end of Long Island. 1t was called
by them "Monchonock, /" and by himself ffIsls
of Wight" Governor Winthrop, in his
Journal, has this note concerning him:
fNov. 20, 1635.-There arrived a small
Novsey barque of 20 tons, cent by the Lord
Say and Brook with one Gardiner, an exper
engineer on work here, and with provisions
of all sorts, to begin a fort at the mouth o.
! the Connecticut river. He was a native O
Scotland, and had served as a lieutenan
with the British army in the Low Countries
under General Fairfax. He belonged to tn
! same party with the illustrious Hampden
Cromwell etc. He was in command of Say,
brook Fort until 1859, when he removed Il
his island
l The descendants of Lion EGardiner hay,
been numerous, and many of them eminen
| citizens. Two of his children were born il
Saybrook, and his daughter Elizabeth, Sep
TENDER ID 1641, on Gardeners Island. She
is said to have been the first English child
born within the present bounds of the State
of New York. Their mother was Dutch la
dy of responsibility in Holland. The daugh
ter inst mentioned married Conkling, who
was an ancestor of many old Long Islanders
of that name, one of whom was United
4 States Senator Roscoe Conkling, and also the
wife of General N. N. Halsted, the vice
president from New Jersey of t'The Ladies'
l Mount Vernon Washington association
The venerable widow of President Tyler
nee Gardiner, is also a descendant of the an
Gent captain of Saybrook Fort.-New YORK