New Britain herald., 1923-07-09
BURLINGTON BOASTS
 ANCIENT CEMETERY
"Dled 17S7" Earliest Record Found in Colonial Burying Ground

At country crossroads in Burling- ton, an hours drive from New Britain stands an old farmhouse, which up- doubtedly was there when Washing 1 tons troops drove the Red Coats- from the valley in IT'S. In front of this house stands large tree, so large that the old fashioned farm house is dwarfed beside it. The tree, accord ing to casual guesses probably ante dates the first white man in America and migat have been the site of many a ''redskin" council in days of yore. l Thanking the house on both sides are roads which take the traveller on to ether and more thickly populated sections or to the site of great mod ern engineering feat. But there is an- other road which branches off in front Of the house. The third road runs for a few hundred feet, where the wayfarer suddenly finds himself fac ing an ancient neglected and almost forgotten cemetery.
 The cemetery is overgrown with weeds Its headstones, most of them crude homemade slabs cut from mountain stone, some of them show ing fairly successful attempts by anna teurs to cut epitaphs on their face. are leaning oyer or have fallen entirely. There are no pathways left. The only entrance, narrow iron gate. no longer swings on hinges but stands | aiar, held in rigid position by the combined rust of the ages. For 123 1 years no funeral cortege seems to have passed its portals.
 Death was the dominating thought | in the minds of those early settlers of Revolutionary days, and solemn ad- monshments to be ready for the mo- ment when the grim reaper would come were the outstanding precepts of the day.
 A brief visit to the cemetery was made yesterday by Herald" man, Desolation and neglect were the strik- ing features of the grave yard. The old church, if there ever was church there. is gone and only a crumbling foundation wall survives, There are no neighbors nearby. if there were any. Possibly those who first settled the valley where the Ne paug stream now flows, used the an : cient burial ground. The visitors were unable to ascertain,
 One or two grave stones still stand. They give evidence of being recent ( copies of the originals. But the ma { jority of stones have not been disturb ed for a century or more. For years the grass has not been cut. Tangled brush and weeds grow everywhere, and it is necessary to pull away the bushes 10 read the tombstones. Most of the carving seems to have been { done by unskilled hands and the let Fr ters are similar to those used in the 2 writing of the Declaration of Inde- [ pendence The stones appear to have ( been hewn out or smoothed off by rough instruments and bear no re- { sembance to the polished granite and r marble in modern cemeteries, I
 Dates Back to t7s1. 2 Many of the stones have had their ' faces so smoother by the winds and rain of almost 8 century and half that ( t is almost impossible to read them > Dn one brown stone can be distin guished faintly the words. "Died l7S7." The name cannot be read.
 Deacon Hezekiah West. Died 1905 in the 56th year of his age." avs another stone.
 A large flat stone tells of the pass ng of a beloved wife in the following manner:
 "In Memory of ?
 Mrs. Tase Meacham wife of Deacon Samuel Meacham q
 Who departed this life, Ian. 26. A. D., 1871. in the S2nd year 2
 of her age" \ Still another one reads in signifi q ant and poetical style;
 Sacred to the memory of .~-
 Mr. Jacob Covey, who died -r
 February 2l, A. D. 1894, Age 80.
 Stop, look at me as you pass by, As you arc now, so once was I.
 As I am now, so must you be, Prepare for death and follow me" A stone which appears to be modern copy of an old time head tone. says:
 Elizabeth. wife Of
 Benjamin Palmiter.