The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-13
FAIR HAVEN CEMETERY.
4 shETcH OF IT'S HISTORr-REP0RT
 OF THE ASSOCIATION.

veners--An Interesting Review.
 The Fair Haven Union Cemetery as- sooiation has just published pamphlet giving an account Of the history of the cemetery, with other information con corning this well-known burial place. The work says:
 In the early days of the century the land lying on both sides of Grand ave- nue, from Mill river east to Dragon river. now Quinnipiac, was farm land, and the two or three houses upon 1t were farm houses. On the north side Of the road the farm of Nathaniel Granniss extended from Dragon river west to about Atwater street. and then west of this was the farm of stephen Rowe, two men Of old Puritan stock, progressive and public spirited.
 Desiring to do something for their town 1t was agreed between them that one should give land for "buryine grounds and that the other should give m equal amount for q meeting house, school house and parade" Mir. Rowe gave an acre and quarter little dis tance back from the road, both giving a right of way to 1t. That acre was the beginning of the Fair Haven Union cemetery. Mir. Granniss gave his acre on the road, on a part of which now stands the Grand avenue brick school house, formerly "the Old Brick church." and before that school house.
 The "Burying Ground" was divided into eighty lots, five of which were Ire served for strangers" (Potter's Field.) All lots were fifteen by thirty feet. The lots were offered for sale, S2 being the price for the best location and l.50 for those upon the outside, and the money was used for fercing.
 The first burial was in 1908, q child of MT. stephen Bunnell; then followed one grave after another, the grey slate and white marble ustones, half hidden in alders, willows and pines, told the passer-by that this was Gods neglected acre.
 The square was very soon enclosed with fence and thus enclosed made Il snug and safe pasture for young calves in summer and for older animals in the fall.
 For years there was no record of burials, probably no organization of any kind and no person authorized to make records. In many instances no stone or slab, even, marked the soon forgotten grave. There is no knowl- edge, therefore, as to how many or who were buried during the first forty years The first records of, burials which still exist were made by MT. Lester Mabry in 184S, and his record continues to 1883. The first regular sexton was MT. Seth Barnes. Prior to Mr. Barnes each ly, and possibly family records might furnish the name of some persons buried before MT. Mabry's record begins. By whom or how MT. Barnes was elected no record tells, and there is nothing to indicate how long he served or how many or whom he assisted in burying. If he made records they are lost. Such records as they now exist would undoubtedly ten us of the quaint funeral custom when wine was fur nished the bearers before the solemn procession left the house for the place of sepultnre; of the bearers with the corpse upon bier upon their shoulders; of the modrners and friends walking to the burying ground as being "more solemn and appropriate than riding, occupying less time and saving much unnecessary expense"
 The sextons have been Seth Barnes, Stephen Futile; 1s4s, l.. W. Mabry, Hamilton Scranton; 1855, Ralph War ren; 1858, L. W. Mabry; 1883, Fred Sci bert, jr.
 MT. Mabry served in all thirty-two years, and during that time assisted in burying l,S19 persons. Since 1883 there have been 985 burials, making 2,7S4 known and marked graves in the pres ent cemetery.
 The legislature granted charter in- cooperating the Fair Haven Union cemetery in 1856. It was the climax of q spasm which indicated a desire for and the possibility of better things. As soon as the act of incorporation be- came a law meeting for the purpose of organizing was ''holden in the Old Brick church, July 14th, 1s56." Ebe- nezer Allen, esq, was chairman and Henry R. Barnes was clerk. A com- mittee of one from each of the differ ent church societies was appointed to draft by-laws.
 The first directors were John s. Far ren, Ruel Rowe, Willis Mallory, George Hults and Ambrose Clark. There was no president and chairman was elected at each meeting to preside. The duties were not 'onerous, as there were but two meetings in 1856, two in 1857 and no more until 1862.
 In 1857 the lots were numbered, a map was made of the ground and tax of. 50 cents laid upon each lot. Ap- parently this tax was collected so far as possible by the sexton and retained as compensation for services for opening graves. Certainly no improvement was made and little care was taken of the ground, although the records show oc- cassional efforts after something better. In 1866 the sexton was instructed to remove from the cemetery all trees and shrubs which may be considered as nuisances'' and in 1867 it was "Voted, That the sexton be and he hereby is authorized to remove all Instructions from the aisles and passways of all the cemetery grounds. l" A there was no meeting of the board from 1S47 to 1873 we may presume that the ''aisles' were not cleaned and that the ''nuisances" were not abated.
 This seems more probable for we read in 1878 that MT. Lester Mabry was f.hired as sexton at g a week from mil to naoamhpr he fn stov in tho