The Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery are a pair of separate cemeteries on Farewell and Warner Street in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

. Together they contain over 5,000 graves, including a

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

-era

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

cemetery and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

graves. The pair of cemeteries was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

as a single listing in 1974.

History

The Common Burial Ground was established in 1640 on land given to city of Newport by John Clarke. It features what is probably the largest number of colonial era

headstone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, ...

s in a single cemetery, including the largest number of colonial

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

headstones in the United States. The predominantly African-American northern section of the cemetery is commonly referred to by local African-Americans as "God's Little Acre". The Island Cemetery was established by the city in 1836, and transferred to the private Island Cemetery Corporation in 1848. Many members of Newport's most prominent families have been buried there over the years. Notable people buried there include Medal of Honor recipient Hazard Stevens, Commodore

Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The best-known and most prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace A ...

, Commodore Matthew C. Perry and financier

August Belmont August Belmont Sr. (born August Schönberg; December 8, 1813November 24, 1890) was a German-American financier, diplomat, politician and party chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and also a horse-breeder and racehorse owner. He was ...

Grave markers returned

In 2016, three gravestones were discovered which had been lost for years. One stone, found in Pennsylvania, was a 12 x 24 marker for a 1-year-old child. The others were 1835 stones for a Newport woman, which were found in a Newport yard during a renovation. The recovered stones were reset in the Common Burying Ground in 2016 by the Newport Historic Cemetery Advisory Commission. In 2017, two more burial stones found in Pennsylvania, those of Violet and Duchess Quamino, were returned and restored. Duchess Quamino, a free Black woman formerly enslaved to

William Ellery Channing William Ellery Channing (April 7, 1780 – October 2, 1842) was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton (1786–1853), one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. Channi ...

, had been an active member of Newport's African community.

Notable burials

Prominent people buried in the Common Burial Ground

John Linscom Boss Jr. John Linscom Boss Jr. (September 7, 1780 – August 1, 1819) was a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island. Biography Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Boss completed preparatory studies. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar and commenc ...

- United States Representative. * Christopher Champlin - First Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island. * Christopher G. Champlin - United States Representative 1797–1801, United States Senator 1809 - 1811. *

Michele Felice Cornè Michele Felice Cornè (1752–1845) was an artist born in Elba who settled in the United States. He lived in Salem and Boston, Massachusetts; and in Newport, Rhode Island. He painted marine scenes, portraits, and interior decorations such as fire ...

- Painter. * John Cranston - Colonial Governor of Rhode Island. *

Samuel Cranston Samuel Cranston (1659–1727) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the first quarter of the 18th century. He held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times (twice in 1698), and served as g ...

- Colonial Governor of Rhode Island. *

William Ellery William Ellery (December 22, 1727 – February 15, 1820) was a Founding Father of the United States, one of the 56 signers of the United States Declaration of Independence, and a signer of the Articles of Confederation as a representative of Rho ...

- Signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of ...

and colonial Deputy Governor. * James Franklin - Printer and brother of Benjamin Franklin. * Ann Smith Franklin - Printer & publisher, wife/widow of James Franklin (1st woman U.S. newspaper editor) * Ida Lewis (lighthouse keeper) - Heroine of the 19th Century. Recipient of the Gold Lifesaving Medal. *

Henry Marchant Henry Marchant (April 9, 1741 – August 30, 1796) was a Founding Father of the United States, an attorney general of Rhode Island, a delegate to the Second Continental Congress from Rhode Island, a signer of the Articles of Confederation, and th ...

- Delegate to the Continental Congress. * Dutee J. Pearce - United States Representative. *

Peter Quire Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

- African-American leader and founder of St. John's Episcopal Church in Newport. * Duchess Quamino (1739 – 1804), a formerly enslaved woman, known as the "Pastry Queen of Rhode Island * Asher Robbins - United States Senator 1825–1839. * Gilbert Stuart - Portrait artist. (cenotaph) * William Greene Turner - Sculptor, perhaps best known for his statue of

in Newport. * Frances (Latham) Vaughan - "The Mother of Governors," widow to colonial President Jeremy Clarke, and mother of colonial governor Walter Clarke. *

William Vernon William Vernon (January 17, 1719 – December 22, 1806), of Newport, Rhode Island, was a merchant in the Atlantic slave trade who played a leading role in the Continental Congress' maritime activities during the American Revolution. In 1774, Ve ...

- Colonial era merchant. * Richard Ward - Colonial governor of Rhode Island. * Samuel Ward - Delegate to Continental Congress and colonial Governor of Rhode Island.

Prominent people buried in the Island Cemetery

* Hugh D. Auchincloss - Naval officer, government official and stockbroker * Janet Lee Bouvier Auchincloss Morris - Mother of

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

- Chairman of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

1860 to 1872 and founder of the Belmont Stakes *

August Belmont Jr. August Belmont Jr. (February 18, 1853 – December 10, 1924) was an American financier. He financed the construction of the original New York City subway (1900–1904) and for many years headed the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, which ran ...

- Developer of the IRT Subway in New York City and the

Cape Cod Canal The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts connecting Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south, and is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The approximately canal traverses the neck ...

* Perry Belmont - United States Representative and Army officer * Sara Swan Whiting Belmont Rives - 1st wife of

Oliver H.P. Belmont Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont (November 12, 1858 – June 10, 1908) was an American banker, socialite, and politician who served one term as a United States Representative from New York from 1901 to 1903. Belmont was a member of the banking firm ...

and 2nd wife George L. Rives * Yeoman (F) 3rd Class Gladys Carr Bolhouse - U.S. Navy veteran of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and local historian. * Gunner

George F. Brady George F. Brady (real name George Patrick Brady, September 7, 1867 – November 6, 1903) was a sailor in the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Spanish–American War. Biography George Patric ...

, USN - Medal of Honor recipient. *Captain Kidder Breese, USN - Commander of the Naval Landing Party at the

Second Battle of Fort Fisher The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was a successful assault by the Union Army, Navy and Marine Corps against Fort Fisher, south of Wilmington, North Carolina, near the end of the American Civil War in January 1865. Sometimes referred to as the "Gi ...

. *Brevet Brigadier General Henry Brewerton - Superintendent of

West Point Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

. * Melville Bull - United States Representative, 1895 - 1903 * George Henry Calvert - Writer and Mayor of Newport *Rear Admiral Augustus Case - Career Navy officer *

William Cole Cozzens William Cole Cozzens (August 26, 1811 – December 17, 1876) was an American politician and the 28th Governor of Rhode Island. Early life Cozzens was born in Newport, Rhode Island on August 26, 1811. He married Martha Stanton Gould; the couple ...

- Mayor of Newport and Governor of Rhode Island, 1863 *

Henry Y. Cranston Henry Young Cranston (October 9, 1789 – February 12, 1864) was a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island, brother of Robert B. Cranston. Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Cranston attended the public schools. He engaged in mercantile pursuits in ...

- United States Representative from Rhode Island and commander of the

Artillery Company of Newport The Newport Artillery Company of Newport, Rhode Island was chartered in 1741 by the Rhode Island General Assembly during the reign of George II of Great Britain, King George II of Great Britain. It is the oldest military unit in the United States ...

* Robert B. Cranston - United States Representative from Rhode Island * George T. Downing (1819–1903) - abolitionist, entrepreneur, restaurateur *Lieutenant

Thomas Eadie Thomas Eadie (April 8, 1887 – November 14, 1974) was a United States Navy diver and a recipient of America's highest military decoration - the Medal of Honor. Biography Thomas Eadie was born on April 8, 1887, in Glasgow, Scotland. He enlis ...

, USN -

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

recipient (buried in Island Cemetery Annex). *

William Channing Gibbs William Channing Gibbs (February 10, 1787February 21, 1871) was the tenth Governor of Rhode Island from 1821 to 1824. Early life Gibbs was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the son of George Gibbs II and Mary Channing. He served in the state milit ...

- Governor of Rhode Island, 1821 - 1824 * George Washington Greene - Historian *

John N. A. Griswold John Noble Alsop Griswold (May 29, 1822 – September 18, 1909) was an American China trade merchant, industrialist, and diplomat. Early life Griswold was born in New York City on May 29, 1822. He was the son of George Griswold (1777–1859), wh ...

- Merchant, industrialist and diplomat *

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa� ...

(1827-1895) - Noted architect of Gilded Age *

Charles Bird King Charles Bird King (September 26, 1785 – March 18, 1862) was an American portrait artist, best known for his portrayals of significant Native American leaders and tribesmen. His style incorporated Dutch influences, which can be seen most promi ...

(1785–1862) - Painter * Clarence King (1842-1901) - Geologist * George Gordon King - Congressman *

Lewis Cass Ledyard Lewis Cass Ledyard (April 4, 1851 – January 27, 1932) was a New York City lawyer. He was a partner at the firm Carter Ledyard & Milburn, personal counsel to J.P. Morgan, and a president of the New York City Bar Association. Early life Lewis Ca ...

- Lawyer and Commodore of the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

*Captain Christopher Raymond Perry - Privateer in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

and naval officer in the

Quasi War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congres ...

*Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858) - Commander of Black Ships Expedition to Japan in 1853 *Commodore

(1785-1819) - Hero of the

Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shore of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the B ...

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

*Lieutenant Colonel John Hare Powel - Army officer, Mayor of Newport and commander of the

* George L. Rives - Assistant Secretary of State * William Paine Sheffield Sr. - Congressman and United States Senator 1884 - 1885 * William Paine Sheffield Jr. - Congressman *Major General Thomas W. Sherman - Civil War general *

William Watts Sherman William Watts Sherman (August 4, 1842 – January 22, 1912) was a New York City businessman and the treasurer of the Newport Casino. In 1875–1876 he had the William Watts Sherman House constructed in Newport, Rhode Island. Early l ...

(1842-1912) - Socialite and treasurer of the Newport Casino *Brevet Brigadier General Hazard Stevens -

recipient and son of Isaac Stevens *Major General

Isaac Ingalls Stevens Isaac Ingalls Stevens (March 25, 1818 – September 1, 1862) was an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Territory of Washington from 1853 to 1857, and later as its delegate to the United States House of Represe ...

- Civil War general who was killed in action at the

Battle of Chantilly The Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill, the Confederate name) took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's corps ...

* Frank K. Sturgis - President of the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...

*Brevet Brigadier General

George W. Tew George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

- Civil War officer. Lieutenant Colonel of 5th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. Commander of the

*Commodore

Benjamin J. Totten Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thi ...

- Career U.S. Navy officer * Charles C. Van Zandt - Governor of Rhode Island 1877 - 1880 *Major General Gouverneur K. Warren - Chief engineer of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of th ...

- Commander of V Corps (1863-1865) *

George Peabody Wetmore George Peabody Wetmore (August 2, 1846September 11, 1921) was an American politician who was the 37th Governor of, and a Senator from, Rhode Island. Early life George Peabody Wetmore was born in London, England, during a visit of his parent ...

- Governor of Rhode Island and United States Senator * Katherine Prescott Wormeley - Literary translator, founder of the

United States Sanitary Commission The United States Sanitary Commission (USSC) was a private Aid agency, relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the United States Army (Federal / Northern / Union Army) during the Ameri ...

during the Civil War *Norman G. Bestoso - Newport Police Lieutenant and Avid Cruise Ship Traveler

Images

Common Burial Ground

Cranston.John&Samuel.grave stone.Com Bur Gnd.20110722.jpg, Original grave slab for Governor John Cranston on left, and newer slab for both him and his son, Governor

, on right Ward.Samuel&Richard.grave site.Com Bur Gnd.20110722.jpg, Table marker for Governor Samuel Ward on left; brick vault for his father, Governor Richard Ward, on right Ellery.Wm.grave plot.Com Bur Gnd.20110722.jpg, Enclosed plot for Deputy Governor

, signer of the

William Ellery grave at Common Burying ground Newport RI.jpg,

grave inscription Ellery.Wm.grave plaque.Com Bur Gnd.20110722.jpg, Grave plaque for

Ida Lewis grave at Common Burying ground Newport RI.jpg, Ida Lewis monument

Island Cemetery

Newport Cemetery.JPG, Island Cemetery in 2009 Entrance building at Common Burying ground Newport RI.jpg, Entrance building Chapel building at Common Burying ground Newport RI.jpg, Overgrown cemetery chapel Chapel building front at Common Burying ground Newport RI.jpg, Chapel Chapel roof hole at Common Burying ground Newport RI.jpg, Hole in the Chapel roof Richard Morris Hunt grave at Common Burying ground Newport RI.jpg, grave of

Richard Morris Hunt grave inscription at Common Burying ground Newport RI.jpg, grave of

References

External links

Island Cemetery websiteColonial Slave Cemetery informationHistory of Newport County, Rhode Island," ed. Richard M. Bayles, NY, 1888 (description of common cemetery)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Common Burying Ground And Island Cemetery 1640 establishments in Rhode Island Cemeteries in Rhode Island Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Slavery in the United States Buildings and structures in Newport, Rhode Island Jewish cemeteries in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Newport, Rhode Island Tourist attractions in Newport, Rhode Island