Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-01-05
Relic of Old Saybrook Colony

Brooke, a daughter of one of the two
Titled Englishmen who backed the
founding of the colony. 1t was told
to me in the summer of 1878, when
the little town was holding a celebra-
ton commemorative its founding;
and my informant was the late
Thomas G. Acton, who became IA
nous during the Civil war as the New
YORK chief of police who put down
the draft riots; who for years after
the war was an assistant treasurer OF
the United States, and who was born
IN SaybrOok and maintained a country
nome there the greater part of his
maturity.
Lady Brooke, believe, was the first
woman of the English nobility to come
with a group of colonists to this part
Oh New England" said Mr.. Acton.
ana, alas, 1t was a sad day for her
when she set sail from old England.
Sne mad been brought I'D in luxury.
she had been sheltered from the storm
ana stress Of the world. The min
ute she came in contact with the
new world she was placed face to face
with a rough and strange mode of
lie. She was too tender of body and
OF spirit to accustom herself to the
new conditions; she was among the
first OF the little band to fall a vic
tim to the various illnesses that soon
broke out among it, and not long there
after she was laid at rest in the lit
tie cemetery that was almost cofnci-
dent with the founding of the colony
itself.
SO much by way of preface. Now
some years ago there was organized
company to build railroad from Hart
ford, the state capital, to Saybrook
Point, Just below the town, where the
Connecticut empties into long Island
sound. One day surveying corps ar
rived in Saybrook, and after it had fin.
1shed It's work we discovered that the
line Of the road had been laid directly
through the long unused colonial GEN.
etery, and, what was more startling
still, Immediately over the grave that
mad come down to us as that of the
last resting place of the beautiful and
gentle Lady Brooke.
Immediately there spread through
the town a feeling that 1t would be a
sacrtlege for, railroad trains to RIM
over the grave Of Lady Brooke. so II
was decided to open the grave. and
II there remained aught Of relics of the
titled colonist, to collect and renter
them, and place over their new resting
place a suitable monument. That was
the plan, though really none of us had
any strong belief that we would be
called upon to conduct a reburiaI. For
considerably more than 200 years
Lady Brooke had been dead. and sure
ly, in that time, must have returned
to dust completely.
Yet the grave was opened and rev
erently the soil was upturned. At
coffin depth there appeared absolutely
nothing that could be identified, even
in the faintset manner, as belonging
to coffin, shroud or body. We were
turning to go when, suddenly, a slight
discolOration of the soil was discoy-
cred. With great care we had the
examined it-and what do you suppose
We discovered? A beautiful brown
tress, in as perfect condition as though
it had been placed in that spot the day
before 1t was all that was left of
the beautiful and tender Lady Brooke.
There was not a man there who
was not deeply stirred as he stood in
the presence of that imperishable
relic. Tenderly we placed it in a suit
able receptacle and directed that it be
deposited permanently in Hartford.
And l have never ceased to have
deep sense of satisfaction in the
thought that I was among the number
who kept that beautiful tress that
once crowned Lady Brooke's head
from remaining forever buried beneath
the roadbed of railroad.
Copyright, 1910. by e. ]. Edwards. All
Rights Reserved.)