__NOTOC__ Established in , the East Norwalk Historical Cemetery is Norwalk's oldest cemetery, and many of the area's first

settler A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settl ...

s are buried there. The cemetery is owned and maintained by the Third Taxing District, formally known as the East Norwalk Fire District of the Town of Norwalk, and before that it was known as the Down Town School District. Triangle shaped and surrounded clockwise by Gregory Boulevard, Cemetery Street and East Avenue it is situated in the neighborhood of

East Norwalk East Norwalk is a neighborhood of Norwalk, Connecticut, located mostly in Norwalk's third taxing district with segments of its northernmost area within the first and fifth taxing districts. As one of the earliest settlements of Norwalk, it was ...

At the north entrance of the grounds stands the ''First Settlers of Norwalk Memorial'', inscribed with the following names of 31 settlers who founded Norwalk in 1649: George Abbitt, Robert Beacham,

Stephen Beckwith Stephen Beckwith (born 1623) was a founding settler of Norwalk, Connecticut. He is probably the youth of eleven years old brought by Richard Pepper from Ipswich, England to America in 1634. He was at Hartford Hartford is the capital city o ...

John Bowton John Bowton (also John Bouton, John Boughton) (October 1636 – January 1707) was a founding settler of Norwalk, Connecticut. He served as a deputy of the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut from Norwalk in the sessions of October 167 ...

, Matthew Campfield, Nathaniel Eli, Thomas Fitch, John Griggorie,

Samuel Hales Samuel Hale (July 1, 1615 – November 9, 1693) was a founding settler of Hartford and Norwalk, Connecticut. He was a deputy of the General Court of the Colony of Connecticut from Norwalk in the sessions of 1656, 1657 and 1660. He was born on ...

, Thomas Hales, Walter Haite, Nathaniel Haies, Rev. Thomas Hanford, Richard Homes, Ralph Keiler, Daniel Kellogge, Thomas Lupton, Matthew Marvin, Sr., Matthew Marvin, Jr., Isacke More, Jonathan Marsh, Widow Morgan, Richard Olmsted, Nathaniel Richards, John Ruskoe,

Matthias Sention, Sr. Matthias Sention Sr. (also spelled Sangins, Sension, Senchion, and later as St. John) (August 9, 1601 – October 19, 1669) was a founding settler of Dorchester, Massachusetts, of Windsor, Connecticut, of Wethersfield, Connecticut and of Norwal ...

, Matthias Sention, Jr., Matthew Sention,

Thomas Seamer Thomas Seamer (also Seymour) (July 15, 1632 – 1712) was a founding settler of Norwalk, Connecticut, modern day United States. He served as a deputy of the General Assembly of the Connecticut Colony from Norwalk in the May 1690 session. He was ...

, Richard Webb, and Walter Keiler. Many

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grav ...

s are unmarked by headstones as remains were deposited before stones were available, and of which no mark or tradition is known. In 1843, the Down Town Cemetery Association was founded to maintain and conduct the business of the cemetery. In 1933, the name was changed to the East Norwalk Cemetery Association. In 1941, the Norwalk Third Taxing District entered into an agreement to supplement the association's perpetual care fund, due to a dwindling amount of donations. In 1966, the district took the deed to the land, so as to secure better insurance. Today, the district provides for the perpetual care of the grounds, while cemetery business is conducted by volunteers of the association.

Notable burials

(1636–1707), founding settler of Norwalk * John Copp (1673–1751), teacher, doctor, member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from Norwalk, purchaser and surveyor of

Ridgefield, Connecticut Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 25,033 at the 2020 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough ...

, town clerk of Norwalk and Ridgefield, town treasurer and surveyor of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

* Samuel Daskam (1823–1912), warden of the Borough of Norwalk from 1874 to 1877 * Thomas Fitch, Jr. (1612–1704), founding settler of Norwalk * Thomas Fitch, IV (1699–1774), Governor of Connecticut * Colonel Thomas Fitch (1725–1795), widely believed to be the original "Yankee Doodle" dandy * Reverend Thomas Hanford (1621–1693), first minister of the colony, a flat brown stone marks the grave, however the inscription is obliterated * John Gregory (1612–1689), founding settler of Norwalk * Daniel Kellogg (1630–1688), founding settler of Norwalk * Richard Olmsted (1612-1687), founding settler of Norwalk * Matthew Marvin, Sr. (1600–1678), founding settler of Norwalk (no extant stone) * Joseph Platt (1672–1748), longest serving state representative from Norwalk *

(1601–1669), founding settler of Norwalk * Matthias Sention, Jr. (1628–1728), founding settler of Norwalk * Samuel Smith (1646–1735), early settler of Norwalk, Connecticut and deputy of the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut from Norwalk in 1691 * Richard Webb (1580–1665), founding settler of Norwalk

References

External links

*{{official, https://ttd.gov/ttd-community-spotlight-east-norwalk-cemetery Cemeteries in Fairfield County, Connecticut History of Norwalk, Connecticut 1655 establishments in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Norwalk, Connecticut

Notable burials

See also

Further reading

References

External links