Development Threatens Town History (1987)

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Greenwich Time, Greenwich, Connecticut
July 3, 1987

The town of Greenwich is an old one, with an historical and cultural heritage that is very precious. The small New England town, the idealization immortalized on postcards and picture books in libraries and local bookstores, conveys a spiritual beauty that transcends the material things handed down by our forbears.

The many old homesteads, barns, churches, burying grounds, and village greens are community heirlooms of a sort, firm reminders of the humble and unpretentious foundations of early Greenwich. They were built by people wielding primitive tools but today's standards.

Putnam Hill, Greenwich, Connecticut USA., 1913 from the steeple of the Second Congregational Church. 

In our town, and others across New England and the rest of the United States, neighborhoods of significant historic nature have been preserved and protected as historic districts, designated and conserved by Historic District Commission's like the one we have. 

The Greenwich Historic District Commission was organized by the Representative Town Meeting in 1976 and is headed by Mr. Paul van der Stricht, who has been chairman of this organization since its inception.

The historic district on Strickland Road in Cos Cob has been a sanctuary of sorts, with the character  and significance from past eras of Greenwich that is been respected, admired, desired and preserved. It may seem hard to believe in this day and age that those old houses and the land they are comfortably nestled on were originally developed for functional reasons of survival. The historic district preserves and protects both the enduraning strength and the aesthetic simplicity of such places. 

Rear view of Bush Holley House, Cos Cob. 

Historic preservationists, town government, and promoters of the town of Greenwich as a nice place to live and work realize that both residents and newcomers, whether coming as tourists, guests, or potential residents, will be attracted to a community that respects itself, has character, individuality, and reveres its heritage.

Until now. 

Despite the endless hurrahs, hosannas, attractive catchphrases like "enhancing the quality-of-life," and all the self-back-patting done over the years, much is been done to destroy and disrupt the preservation of our heritage. Most recently there was a decision by the Planning and Zoning Commission of Greenwich that gave permission to a local property owner in the Cos Cob Historic District to subdivide a rather meager spot of land and build on an opens piece of this property, despite objections voiced by neighborhood groups, property owners, and the Greenwich Historical Society. This situation is symptomatic of Greenwich's present mindset concerning our recent years of urban sprawl, which is essentially geared toward an insatiable desire to broaden the tax base.

Second Congregational Church, Putnam Hill Historic District.

In the case of the recent subdivision approval granted by the planning and zoning commission, policies of town zoning rules and regulations have now come into conflict with the goals and regulations of another local government entity, the Historic District Commission. Considering the recently enacted rules concerning development of certain waterfront properties, I can see why something similar could not be done as well in the historic districts, including a moratorium on new and disruptive development.

Why is it so important for town citizens to uphold the sanctity and viability of historic districts? Essentially, historic districts, often thought of as landmarks or curiosities, are community treasures. They are in many ways the most intimate means we have available of achieving that special sense of communion with those unpretentious, humble folks who in our history kindled the essence of our "New Englandness." It was that American spirit that planted the initial seeds of an evolutionary process in our architectural heritage.

Old Town Hall, Greenwich Avenue. 

Any citizen of the town can take pride in the historic districts around town, but those officially designated and those not yet so. Take a walk on a sunny day down Strickland Road in Cos Cob, or on East Putnam Avenue within the Putnam Hill Historic District (and here). Go back in time by visiting places like Bush Holley House, Putnam Cottage, Christ Church and the Second Congregational Church, (and here) and visit the burying grounds where many early citizens are interred, and whose identities and epitaphs are inscribed forever on stone. 

First Church of Round Hill. Round Hill Historic District. 

Go with an open mind and an open heart at the sense of history around you.

Historic districts are unique in the way they are situated on the land and oriented reference to the geography of the surrounding landscape. The spatial relationships between historic buildings to one another are important. While some homesteads sit close to the road, some are framed by expenses of open space –perhaps lined with majestic maple trees.

Round Hill Cemetery. Round Hill Historic District

This indeed is the hallmark of any historic district –namely, its pervasive individuality and the everlasting endurance of high quality craftsmanship in the construction of its buildings. This is something we all miss today in contemporary architecture and construction.

Tourists, guests, and residents may often enjoy the "quaintness" of these sites, but in reality the historic district is a pleasurable scene, a refuge from the scars of discord and ugliness.

Reviving and preserving the eloquence, dignity, purity, and integrity of our heritage is indeed worthwhile. I think  Eric Sloane said it best when he declared: "Things are never beautiful just because they are old. Let it become you to seek out and select the beauty of the past and to keep it alive for the future."

Those who wish to find the spirit of early Greenwich must work diligently to preserve the integrity of our historic districts and deny those who wish to exploit the zoning laws and those who oversee them by yielding to spot development. 

Brush Lockwood House. Stanwich Historic District. 

I am reminded of the words of Frank Boyden, who many years ago admonished the young boys of Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts by saying "Be worthy of your heritage."

Greenwich, by permitting the recent subdivision in the heart of the Cos Cob Historic District, has through such policy decisions symbolically given the sanctity and viability of historic preservation another slap across the face.

The Yankee tradition of cherishing for heritage must prevail as Greenwich counts down toward July 18, 1990, the 350th anniversary of the founding of the town. Is is our duty to continue collecting and preserving our historical legacy and pass it on to succeeding generations. Indifference to our overdevelopment is the greatest threat to our values and quality of life.

The entrance to Putnam Cottage, Putnam Hill Historic District.

I challenge our leaders, elected and appointed, as well as incumbents and candidates, to set a better example in this area. They are accountable to all their constituents to articulate what kind of town they think Greenwich should be. Likewise, in a democratically–elected society like ours, people must exercise their rights to be heard and be responded to.

In this space three years ago on Founders' Day, I said then, as I believe now more than ever, that "it is time to preserve the foundations, shared values, our vital open spaces, indeed very body and soul of the time of Greenwich." 

In the present case of the incursion in the Cos Cob Historic District, it is a threat to the sanctity of such districts that must be repelled. 

For those of you who can hear it, the historic districts and other historic sites around the town of Greenwich sing a symphony that envelopes the heart. The song of these sites, with their old houses, churches, burying grounds, and village greens set on rolling loans and framed by majestic trees, is precious music. It is music that is beautiful and educational, the collection of concertos likely never to be repeated again, whose lyrics convey the pure essence of Yankee simplicity and honesty.

Jeffrey Bingham Mead, a direct descendent of one of the founding families of the town, is a free-lance writer and a member of the Greenwich Historical Society.

Town Has Much to be Thankful For (1988)

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead

Greenwich Time, Greenwich, Connecticut

November 24, 1988

Not too long ago I was paging through a volume of reproduced Currier and Ives lithographs, and one caught my eye. Titled "Home to Thanksgiving," it was a picturesque scene set in the Connecticut of more than a century ago.

A barn in homestead with farm animals dot the foreground against the backdrop of mountains. Everything is covered with snow. A young man is shown walking to the front porch of the family homestead from his horse and sleigh to the greetings of his family emerging from the front door. A small plume of smoke billows from the chimney, suggesting the warmth generated by the hearth within. The artist who created this memorable classic was George Durrie.

The Thanksgiving holiday is best known Yankee celebration. The scenes and classically portrayed by the lithographers of Currier and Ives will no doubt be replayed in a more modern context in communities large and small across America, with the annual pilgrimage to home, or to the homes of grandparents or friends, where the inhabitants open their doors and set a place at the table for guest feast and enjoy themselves.

It is said that the Thanksgiving we celebrate every year started here in Connecticut with the proclamation by Gov. Bradford in 1639 rather then the "harvest festival" of the Massachusetts Pilgrims at the Plymouth Rock in 1621. Many today think of thanksgiving as a time for football, the Macy's parade in New York City, and the first avalanche of bargain-seeking customers at shops and stores.

Whatever the case may be, Thanksgiving has endured as a holiday and an institution throughout the centuries due to what I think is the almost universal theme the holiday conveys, namely, a time reserved by all to be thankful for accomplishments, values, faith, charity and virtue, as well as hopes and dreams for the future.

Greenwich, like so many other towns and cities in America, is blessed with many unsung heroes who conscientious good works and virtuous hearts orchestrate a genuine willingness to give for the sake of all.

Let us give thanks to the young people of Greenwich, whose enthusiasm, idealism, energy, perspective, education and desire to grow have served our community in a wide variety of good works. Their activities are worthy of respect and emulation. Let us recall those who picked up the trash and litter through Greenwich Green & Clean, the Boy Scouts who ventured door-to-door collecting food donations for the needy this holiday season, and those young people both past and present who have joined in a concerted effort with the Historical Society to clean up our historic and neglected burying grounds. There are those who work the check-out counters at the store or market, who deliver our newspapers, who volunteer to help the elderly and infirm, and those whose voices of commitment and dedication man crisis help lines. Through organizations such as S ADD and safe Rides, young people seek to improve the quality of our community. Many individuals and groups prosper because of this commitment.

We have much to appreciate in the rest of the population whose good works and find examples likewise do not receive the thanks in the rest of the year that they are due. There are many teachers and school professionals who meet, if not exceed, the expectations of our society. There are the clergy who tend our spiritual selves, providing dedicated guidance and consolation by their example during times of need. 

What of our firefighters, police officers and medical professionals, who protect life and property, cure and console the sick, whose dedication is all too often taken for granted? As well as people and organizations such as Meals on Wheels, the Red Cross and Parents Together. I know of many dedicated parents who do not spoil, neglect or overindulge their children, whose genuine concern for the scourge of drugs and other adolescent problems, of education and expanded opportunities for their children are laudable. The list goes on and on.

We have much to be thankful for, yet the hustle of our world often distracts us from this awesome self-evident truth. I am elated by President-elect Bush’s desire for a kinder and gentler nation, yet many elements of this vision exist today in the nooks and crannies of the nation’s fabric. Examples abound everywhere of such people whose examples are an inspiration to others.

We forget how free we are in America to speak our minds, write our views in the free press, to worship as we choose, to vote and to journey wherever we please. Those new and not so new to our nation may see a panorama of opportunities for all who dare themselves to work for and earn and challenge to make their dreams into reality.

Americans will, as our freedom so provides us, commemorate this holiday in many ways. Whether it be a gathering around a televised football game, a blazing hearth with a grandparent rocking in his or her chair, or a children's play in one of the primary schools, Thanksgiving is an authentic celebration of what our nation is about. 

And let us all pay respects to those among us who cook the feast and wash up afterwards. These nameless millions are the backbone of the holiday, and though mentioned last, they are not least important.

Thanksgiving is the epitome of the heart of America, reminding us as a people of the daunting task of sharing our fellowship, just as it has been done since those days immortalized by Currier and Ives -and before.

Jeffrey Bingham Mead, a direct descendent of one of the founding families of the town, is a free-lance writer and a member of the Greenwich Historical Society.

Town's Neglected Burying Grounds Deserve Better (1989)

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Greenwich Time, Greenwich, Connecticut
November 23, 1989

(Non-photo caption: "The old burying ground was overgrown and in disarray. One of the stone retaining walls had collapsed. The grass was so high on places that the gravestones were obscured. Trees were in dire need of pruning, and dead branches were scattered around the ground. A former neighbor used part of the property as a dump, and I found everything from soda cans to rusted rolls of chicken wire.")

The Town of Greenwich has been the scene of numerous praiseworthy efforts to preserve historic burying grounds, especially those forgotten and neglected over the years.

While this area of Fairfield County has changed and grown, the ancient burying ground have remained little disturbed, as if passed over by time. The effort to preserve neglected historic cemeteries has been enthusiastically received by Greenwich's young people, and, in spite of their diminishing numbers, their accomplishments have been substantial.

The upcoming 350th Founders Day in 1990, in which we will pause to commemorate the settlement of the town, will perhaps see an increased effort for the long term to revive, restore and preserve our historic past for the benefit of present and future generations, in old cemeteries and elsewhere.

I have been asked from time to time why it was so important for me to preserve old neglected burying grounds. My work began in 1984, when I moved to Cost Cob. Around the corner lived my grand-aunt, Miss Mildred Mead, who before she died was a charter member of the Historical Society, along with her sister Frances. Her stories of days gone by, more wholesome days, were the stuff of many enjoyable hours of reminiscences of a Greenwich much less hurried and more content with itself than now. We talked often of our shared heritage and the need to preserve it.

Not far from her house and the east shore of the Mill Pond was one of the old Mead cemeteries. One day I walked down to the old burying ground, and what I found horrified me.

The old burying ground was overgrown and in disarray. One of the stone retaining walls collapsed. The grass was so high in places that the gravestones were obscured. Trees were in dire need of pruning, and dead branches were scattered around the ground. A former neighbor used part of the property is a dump, and I found everything from soda cans to rusted rolls of chicken wire. I was astonished and ashamed at the neglect discovered here, and even angered at the angered at the shallow egotism some Mead's voiced about cleaning up the site.

Both my father and great-grandfather had meticulously maintained the cemetery in the past, and I recall memories from childhood of playing among the tombstones. I realized then and there I had a task to perform, a mission to accomplish. That autumn and winter my work began and eventually I was given the deed to the cemetery – and odd thing for young man in his 20s to receive. Life does have some strange twists, doesn't it?

I began to drive around town looking for other neglected cemeteries, stopping once in a while to explore an abandoned site. One bright winter morning I received a call from Claire Vanderbilt, president of the Historical Society, asking to go out and inspect these to neglected cemeteries. Never mind the time of the call – let's just say it was a memorable wake up.

With Mrs. Vanderbilt at the wheel and Town Historian William Finch, Jr., and former curator Terren Duffin along, we zoomed from graveyard to graveyard, stopping along the way to read the inscriptions, epitaphs and ponder the symbolic motifs carved on the tombstones. Some sites I had not seen before and were, to say the least, in badly neglected condition. Ironically, many of the cemeteries are in some of the most exclusive neighborhoods in town.

There was no doubt that more needed to be done. After reporting my findings to the Historical Society and soothing skeptics about the wisdom of utilizing young people our work began, and I am proud of the successes the youth of Greenwich have made in this area of historic preservation. It is an example worthy of emulation.

I will be the first to tell you that preserving graveyards does not elicit the glamour of preserving historic houses or other worthy causes. I find these unique historic sites to be mysterious and intriguing, representing a darker side of our heritage. The preservation of a cemetery is not meant to evoke feelings of nostalgia, or make these places into gardens, with less emphasis paid to the gravestones and the stories and lives behind them. To truly dignify these sites and our heritage at the same time is to memorialize the efforts of our ancestors to cope with the limitations of their humanity.

In past years the government had a role in this, as specified in the laws of Connecticut concerning neglected and abandoned cemeteries. Some of this is still carried out locally by the Parks Department, and given budgetary constraints, it is amazing that they do as much as they do. We know all too well the reality of limited budgets coupled with other projects and priorities for the town. After all, the average taxpayer asked to choose between having his or her park maintained or an abandoned cemetery down the road, knows which will be given priority. We all know that government is not a cornucopia of funding for all things.

I have met through the years many follow Yankee founding family descendants who are very proud of their heritage, and a minority are rather snobby about it, I'm sorry to say. How strange. Was the neglect of our heritage, as found in the final resting places of our ancestors, for whom we owe so much, something to be proud of? I don't think so. Given that most neglected cemeteries in Greenwich are private family plots, surely descendants can organize themselves to avoid this embarrassment. This is where preservation becomes more a personal experience. This is how I felt when I cleaned up the old Mead plot in Cos Cob.

The wave of the future, in dealing with the problem of neglect of these historic sites, is the creation of cemetery preservation associations, or "friends" organizations. It is a welcomed trend. Cannot some of the residents of Round Hill pool their resources and efforts to maintain and restore Burying Hill? Will residents of Byram band together to help save valuable taxpayer dollars by taking over the care of the Old Burying Ground ay Byram Shore? Since most of the neglected and abandoned sites are family plots, why can't those descended from the forebears who founded this town take care of the historic grave sites of their ancestors?

I have met many Yankee founding family descendants who are very proud of their heritage, and a fine example could be set by working cooperatively, constructively and harmoniously, pooling a variety of talent and teamwork. My dream is to see all of her oldest historic burying grounds preserved in this way. Hartford has a fine example and its independent Ancient Burying Ground Association, which has transformed the old cemetery in the center of the city into one of the most visited and appreciated landmarks in the state. Truly Greenwich can do this too.

These ancient and historic burying grounds of our town are well worth preserving. It is here that the secrets to the past are found discovered, where descendants like myself, and so many of you, can find tangible links to our heritage.

The epitaphs whisper their play on words and poetic verse, the graves of veterans are reminders of the sacrifices made to keep us strong and free, carved weeping willow trees and death-heads attesting to earlier attitudes about life and death, and so much more. A stroll through these places is a trip back in time and places now mostly found in books, a way to link the family past with the present.

I hope that Greenwich residents -especially descendants both here and far from this town- will join in the spirit of the upcoming 350th anniversary of the founding of Greenwich and work as the young people of this town have remarkably demonstrated and preserve the old burying grounds of this town. The neglect beckons us to begin our good works – let time not be wasted.

Jeffrey Bingham Mead is a direct descendent of one of the founding families of the town. He is a freelance writer and a member of the Greenwich Historical Society.

Unlocking the Secrets of the Past

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead

Greenwich Time, Greenwich, Connecticut
1988

The ancient burying grounds of the town of Greenwich are unique repositories of local history. Likewise, the many tablet stones that mark the graves of our forebears are sometimes embellished with intriguing designs and motives carrying symbolic meanings somewhat lost to us in the contemporary world.

These designs of the works of individual farmers and stone carvers or blacksmiths whose identities are anonymous to this day. Nevertheless, the motifs found on a number of gravestones throughout the burying grounds of Greenwich have withstood most of the effects of the elements, leaving meanings and significance for us to ponder.

Historic scholars and layman alike, for many years, have researched and debated among themselves on the meanings of these curious designs found on gravestones throughout the New England states and beyond. A great deal of academic research is been devoted to unlocking the secrets of the gravestone symbols left behind by earlier generations.

This winged-hourglass motif at the Reynold Family Cemetery, at Stanwich Road and Tod Lane in the backcountry, is one of two such examples in Greenwich. 

The late Harriette Merrifield Forbes, a proponent of the serious study of the gravestones and ancient burying grounds of New England, pointed out years ago that "to interpret them properly it is necessary to close our 20th century eyes and look at them with the eyes of the past. Thus we can appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of those designs and perhaps find a lesson for ourselves and a few of them at least."

Image Credit: Worcester Historical Museum

These lessons, conveyed through such stark symbols as brooding death-heads or winged skulls, and through such more graceful images as weeping willows, are distinct motifs that reflect powerful religious beliefs as well as the impassive mind-set of our forebears of the society they lived in.

Few, if any of us, would recognize the type of society Greenwich was in its earliest days, when it was more ecclesiastical and agrarian. Our predecessors passed many hours in the old burying grounds located near their churches and meeting houses. Besides farming the land, they attended services and burials, and their minds were preoccupied with a number of things important to them, such as their own mortality.

The earliest settlers of Greenwich lived under rather harsh conditions comparable to the standard of living found in many impoverished countries around the world today. They suffered immeasurably from the adversities of malnutrition, an unpredictable climate, outbreaks of famine and epidemics, and Indians not too happy with the presence of the new settlers. A bad harvest or drought could spell disaster.

The gravestone of Gershom Lockwood, Tomac Cemetery. 

Our earliest leaders, including our ministers and deacons, as well as those few people fortunate to be educated, lived in society dominated by the teachings of the Bible. Thus, it was vital for early ministers to rely on these carvings to tell about the blessings of paradise afterlife of heavenly reward. They were used to reinforce the religious outlook of that day and age, so that while the less educated perhaps could not read the messages of the epitaph poems, they were able at a glance to understand the didactic ideas stressed by the clever motifs embellished a gravestone.

The earliest gravestone markers were common fieldstones, such as those found in the rear section of the historic Tomac Cemetery in Old Greenwich. As time progressed, carved gravestones became more commonplace, and early motifs found on some of these markers are quite striking. The death-head, or winged skull, symbolizes the flight of the soul from mortal man. 

A few gravestones featuring winged faces are found at Tomac Cemetery. These include the sandstone markers of Mrs. Ruth Peck, wife of Samuel Peck, who died on "Set'r ye 17th 1745 about 83 years of Age" as well as the gravestone of Mrs. Sarah Palmer, wife of Mr. John Palmer, who died "Sept'r ye 1st 1748 age 64 years." A commonly held interpretation of this motif is that it shows the effigy of the deceased with the soul in flight. 

A winged soul effigy on the gravestone of Nathaniel Lockwood, Tomac Cemetery. 

The coming of the 19th century saw a relaxation somewhat of the Puritanism of the early years of our local history, and gravestones begin carrying motifs that were far less horrid and frightening. Some markers likewise reflected the architectural styles of the Federalist and Greek Revival periods of American buildings. 

Weeping willow motifs on the gravestone of Charity Mead Knapp, Knapp Cemetery, Round Hill. 

Weeping willow trees, symbolic of nature's lament, are found on a number of stones including that of my Revolutionary War ancestor Ebenezer Mead at Christ Church Cemetery, as well as the marble marker of Charity Mead Knapp at Knapp Cemetery in Round Hill, plus a few at the Lewis Cemetery in central Greenwich and elsewhere.

The Masonic Compass, symbol of membership in the Order of the Free Masons, is found on the obelisk of Abraham Close, who died in 1871 and is buried in Christ Church Cemetery. A hand pointing toward the sky and surrounded by a wreath of roses is carved on the gravestone also at Christ Church of Julia Reynolds, who died at age 20 years. This apparently is symbolic of victory and the rewards of heaven.

The gravestone symbols carry pertinent messages. They sought in an artistic way to honor ancestors and teach a lesson for future generations. 

"In the old cemetery," wrote Herschel Miller in New Orleans Magazine in 1969, "indifference borders on desecration, and desecration contributes mightily to the regression of the human spirit, robbing us of spiritual values, much as a child is robbed of respect for his elders."

The longevity of these gravestone markers and the lessons they seek to teach, testifies to the unsinkable spirit of our ancestors and early residents of the town of Greenwich. Visit some of these historic sites and look around you. To our forbears, the motives and epitaphs spoke to their generation of the beliefs they had in the inevitability of a glorious after-life, and may for those who search for it shed some light on our precious heritage, worthy of preservation.


Jeffrey Bingham Mead, who lives in Greenwich, is a direct descendent of one of the founding families of the town. He is a free-lance writer and a member of the Greenwich Historical Society.

A Glimpse of Town's History in Cos Cob's Historic Cemetery

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Greenwich Time: August 17, 1990

The old cemetery at Cos Cob, located within the Strickland Road Historic District, is Greenwich's second oldest burying ground. Though only a few legible headstones remain, this site is steeped in history from the days from the town's early days.

Image Credit: ShowMyStreet.com

It is here that many of the early settlers of the town who crossed the Mianus River in 1672 are said to be buried. A small area featuring the few remaining gravestones is bordered by an iron fence, although it is well known that the large field adjacent to it contains the unmarked graves of the early settlers, their identities forever hidden. The prominently inscribed grave markers are encased in concrete in an early effort to preserve them. This was through action taken years ago by First Selectmen Wilbur Peck, a direct descendent of our towns' founders.

The gravestone of Benjamin Mead in Cos Cob. 

The oldest gravemarker with an inscription at this site commemorates Benjamin Mead, who died on Feb. 22, 1746, at the ripe age of 80 years, which was quite an accomplishment in those days. His stone is only one of a handful in Greenwich that is carved from slate. A closer inspection reveals a partial death-head with wings motif, bordered by floral work along either side of the stone. Benjamin was one of the early settlers of Cos Cob, and he is credited as having set aside this land for the cemetery circa 1710.

Home of Benjamin Mead, Orchard Street, Cob Cob. Circa 1697.

His homestead and Orchard Street is a familiar landmark to local residents. I know I expressed popularly felt gratitude that the owner has painstakingly preserved the historical integrity of this classic Yankee New England saltbox homestead in contrast to transient real estate speculators who might have torn it down.

The researchers involved with the Historical Society's Signs of the Times house plaquing program have dated this fine homestead at 1697, making it one of the oldest houses in Greenwich and the oldest Mead family homestead remaining today.

The gravestone of the Obadiah Mead is nearby. It is carved of brownstone and features a badly worn death-head motif with wings and floral designs on either side. This young men, said to be a son of Benjamin Mead, died on April 27, 1759, aged 39 years.

A legend passed down through the generations surrounds Sarah Gardner, a young woman who died in Cos Cob on Oct. 24, 1795 and who is buried at the site. According to historian Spencer Mead, Sarah "was on a trip from New York to Boston by stage when taken sick, and was cared for at the old Brush house at Cos Cob during her illness." 

From Other Days in Greenwich, by Judge Frederick Hubbard. 

The nature of her illness is unknown to us and the Brush homestead was sadly torn down long-ago, preserved only through photographs. 

Her brownstone marker does leave the reader with a thoughtful reminder commonly found in many old burying grounds:

Behold and think as you pass by 

As you are now so once was I 

As I am now so you will be,

Prepare to die and follow me.

The Brush House, by Childe Hassam. Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 

A few plain fieldstone markers protrude from the ground as does a small marble stone, and with them legends of others supposedly buried here. It has been said, for example, the Chief Kos Ko Koba is buried here, some believing other Indians were interred at the site. Many for years thought that from this man Cos Cob took its name, a notion Spencer Mead and others have pointed out to be erroneous, as well as the assumption that the cemetery was an Indian burying ground.

Historian Spencer P. Mead's records of the cemetery. 

Another Mead family member thought to have been buried here is Capt. Sylvanus Mead. He was a veteran of the French and Indian Wars and active in the War of the Revolution on the Committee of Safety, and captain of the company of Rangers. Sylvanus was tragically killed by a group of men known as cowboys, who unmercilessly plundered and relentlessly killed both Americans and British, showing loyalty to no one except themselves. This event happened at the historic Ralph Peck House, which still stands today facing the Mianus River off River Road Extension, in 1780.

The house in the lower right side of this image is off River Road Ext. in Cos Cob. This is the house where Capt. Mead was shot and killed. The Mianus River is off to the right. 

Spencer Mead wrote long ago, the cowboys found Sylvanus at the homestead and "one of them knocked at the door. He called out from within 'who's there,' when one of them answered by firing through the door. The ball struck Capt. Mead, wounding him fatally, and he died the following day."

Some of the homeowners on the west side of Strickland Road may be surprised to discover that graves once occupied the sites of their homes and front yards. These were removed and said to have been reinterred nearer to the Mill Pond when the course of the road was cut through the cemetery many, many years ago, and witnessed by local residents.

Despite the fact that many of the individual settlers graves at the old cemetery at Cos Cob are unmarked, we of the latter 20th century are fortunate to have one of Greenwich's oldest historic sites still us with us. Recognized as an ancient community burial place and maintained by the town government, this second oldest cemetery is steeped in mystery and history and enduring example, offering those who ponder the messages and legacies of its gravestones a crack in a door that opens to the past.

Jeffrey Mead is a direct descendent of one of the founding families of the town.

Researching a Unique and Old Heritage

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Greenwich Time, Greenwich, Connecticut
October 1, 1986

Over the centuries of time and history people from all over the world have been persistently curious about their ancestry and origins. Indeed, it is really not uncommon to wonder about who we are as individuals and why it is that each of us is so unique from so many around us.

Looking at our personal heritage often must entail a special understanding of historical events. This years' rededication of the Statue of Liberty has special meaning for millions of Americans, and it has rekindled for many a special renewal of interest about our ethnic and cultural heritage. It is about that part of our past involving the journey taken by those before us, often a great risks, to discover for themselves freedom and opportunities in the United States.

As a field of study, genealogy can open many previously locked doors to one's family history. The study of family lineage is no longer of mere past time exclusively for the well-to-do or the "blue-blooded." Researching one's ancestral roots is an evolving and fascinating adventure for many individuals of all ethnic origins and personal backgrounds.

In United States a large body of genealogical information has been preserved since the days the first settlers came to this continent several centuries ago. With genealogy as an essential part of the faith practiced by the Mormon people of Utah, for example, the Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has assembled in Salt Lake City, Utah, the worlds largest collection of materials dealing with family lineage and genealogies. 

Many family trees, including those of old New England families such as my own, go back as many as 12 generations or more. We are fortunate that records in this country have been preserved, documented and studied. For those interested even for sentimental reasons the search for one's roots is a special personal trip back in time well worth the time and effort involved.

The privilege of membership in patriotic associations is based on authenticated genealogical study. The interest in tracing lineage in this country has been traditionally associated with ancestry as a relates to events in the history of the development of the United States. The 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence led to the establishment of a number of patriotic societies, including the Sons of the American Revolution in 1889, the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1890, the Colonial Dames of America, also in 1890, the Society of Colonial Wars in 1893, and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, both 1894.

Do you know or have an attorney? Many legal professionals can tell you from personal experience that they are not averse to consulting a genealogist. Sometimes they are forced to, as in cases where a list of the deceased person's next of kin is required, and when a person dies intestate. Thus it is the task of a genealogist to trace a family history and discover the identity of nearest relatives.

Where does a genealogical study begin for the individual? It often must start at home and progress from the memories of recent ancestors to earlier ones. The collecting of old family records, such as diaries, letters and other documents, often tie together family relationships and their family records. Grandparents and other elders are invaluable in this aspect of tracing your family tree.

It is virtually inevitable that your investigation will require a visit to town halls and other government offices, as well as churches. Land grants, burial permits, birth and death certificates furnish more valuable information.

The most rewarding phase of the study of genealogy is the insight it gives to the diligent researcher. You can discover that in the course of history, whether it be local, national or even international, that your ancestors were part of the matrix of events and participated in movements in a given period of time. Some perhaps fought in wars, others excelled in business. 

I implore all readers to seek help and join our Greenwich Historical Society at the Bush-Holley House. Through the efforts of our distinguished Society genealogist, Meriwether Schmid, and others, the doors to the past with some effort and time can be opened for people seeking a treasure trove of personal history through the study of family lineage.

Jeffrey Bingham Mead, who lives in Greenwich, is a direct descendent of one of the founding families of the town. He is a free-lance writer and a member of the Greenwich Historical Society.

History Buried Among Town's Forgotten Tombstones

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Greenwich Time, Greenwich, Connecticut
January 25, 1987

Dotted throughout the various neighborhoods of the Town of Greenwich exist many historic burial grounds. Along with the old homesteads that have been preserved throughout the years, the cemeteries are the last remnants, in some instances, of the vast farms that covered Greenwich in earlier ages.

A portion of the Old Cemetery in North Greenwich off Riversville Road. October, 2014.

Many homesteads from those earlier years had some kind of burial ground, with stone monuments framed by a stone wall or fence of some kind. They were situated in meadows exposed to the sunlight, but also in orchards or near gardens, or overlooking a stream or pond. While this custom for the most part no longer exists, the tradition of a family burial ground was quite common and acceptable in the early colonial days, when it all began, until this century.

Gravestone of Joshua Knapp. Knapp Family Burying Ground, Round Hill.

It is with remorse to report that many of the sites are neglected, forgotten and rudely vandalized. One finds upon visiting some of these places years of accumulated leaves, an abundance of tall grass, weeds and wild shrubbery, fallen trees and dilapidated fences. Some have their monuments fallen or tipped over. Indeed, the historic cemeteries at Burying Hill in Round Hill, the Ferris Family – Taconic Road burial ground in the backcountry and an old cemetery on Pecksland Road in Glenville are just three examples of a number of places that resemble a New England jungle. Some of the sites are more accommodating to the many species of wild animals that live in the area rather than to those interred there.

Back in the early part of the century, Spencer Mead the historian described one site he visited as being "so overgrown with tall grass and shrubbery in the summer that it was necessary to wait until late autumn before exes to the burial was possible." It is sad to find some burial grounds today that still fit this image.

This section of Union Cemetery contains the family plots of Greenwich's early African Americans. 

It is important today for town residents, government and historical associations to recognize that these burial grounds constitute historic sites as the last resting places of many of the citizens of Greenwich's early years, including those who founded the town more than three centuries ago, and are worthy of sustained efforts at preservation.

When one visits these historic cemeteries, the tombstones are inscribed with the names of many folk who were the first settlers and early inhabitants of the town. Quite a few of these individuals figured in some fashion in the history of the community. Such family names found at these places include Adams, Bonnell, Brush, Bush, Coe, June, Mosher, Ferris, Husted, Howe, Holmes, Hitchcock, Ingersoll, Lockwood, Mead, Merritt, Peck, Reynolds, Rundle, Timpany, and many others.

A portion of Tomac Cemetery, Old Greenwich. October, 2014. 

The oldest burial ground in Greenwich is the Tomac Cemetery in Old Greenwich, where many of the first settlers of buried. The second-oldest one is on Strickland Road in Cos Cob at Mill Pond Park, surrounded by a green fence. This place was known as an old Indian burial ground, although the graves of Sarah Gardner and Benjamin Mead of Cos Cob are found here as well.

Most of the oldest monuments are mere flat stones. Sandstone was used a century, more or less, after the first settlement here was established. This was followed by the use of marble, which is still used today.

Reynolds Family Cemetery at Stanwich Road and Tod Lane. October, 2014. 

Some of the symbols and motives on the monuments are interesting. A few of the earliest tombstones have hideous death-heads and winged skulls. This apparently symbolized death and the heavenward acscent of the soul. Likewise are found variations of common Jack-o'-Lanterns, empty hour glasses, and coffins and bones. Surely this conjures up the gloominess of the Puritan mind. Fortunately, as time progressed, some stone monuments appeared with some artistic representations of foliage, fruit and religious symbols. The Lewis family cemetery on Lafayette Place in central Greenwich feature some outstanding examples of this.

The Old Cemetery at Clapboard Ridge. October 2014. 

Lettering was just as important. While the elements have erased forever some of the information found on the monuments of a few of our early settlers years, many have survived and are quite readable. Most of the stones are inscribed with the name, birth and death dates of the deceased as well as their age at the time of death. Some also have biographical information.

Gravestone of Rev. Platt Buffett, Lewis Family Burying Ground off Lafayette Place, Greenwich. 

By far, however, one of the most curious aspects of these historic burial grounds are the epitaphs found on a number of the stone monuments. Products of the Puritan mind, these inscriptions reflect personal thoughts of the deceased individuals. One carved on a stone reads as follows: "Pray look at me as you pass by, as you are now so once was I. This is to let you see what care of my child has took for me."

Another, from the grave of Charles Coe, interred at the historic burial ground on Pecksland Road, who died in 1800, aged a mere 18 years and 27 days, reads: "Alas how frail is mortal man, see here my life is but a span."

From a stone monuments, dated 1795, an epitaph that would startle any child: "Stop, careless youths as you pass by, as you are now so once was I. As I am now so must you be, prepare for death and follow me."

Gravestone of Benjamin Mead, Mead Burying Ground in North Greenwich off Cliffdale Road. August 2014. 

In the backcountry, one of the Mead burial grounds, this one on  Cliffdale Road is yet another Benjamin Mead who died in the year 1815 and left the following epitaph: 

My fresh shall slumber in the ground 

Till the last trumpet sounds. 

Then burst to chains with sweet surprise 

And in my Savior's image rise."

The Historical Society of Greenwich, with the assistance of dedicated volunteers, should assume the care and the jurisdiction of many of these forgotten places for cleaning up the burial grounds. Together with the creation of the Historic House Registry, the restoration, sustained preservation and protection of many of these sites will be assured. This indeed is a project open to all people from all walks of life. After years of neglect, ignorance and vandalism, our shared efforts at such a worthwhile cause for both individuals and families to be involved in will at last stand as a proper memorial to the early settlers of Greenwich.

Jeffrey Bingham Mead, who lives in Greenwich, is a direct descendant of one of the founding families of the town. He is a free-lance writer and a member of the Greenwich Historical Society. 

A Family's History Told in Tombstones (Davis Family Burying Ground)

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Greenwich Time. Looking Back: January 16, 1994

The Davis family burial ground, at the end of East Bruce Park Ave., is a small plot bordered by a chain-link fence and shaded by dogwoods and other trees. The gravestones here are all carved from marble and brownstone. All are lying flat; this was done years ago, the work of vandals who toppled the gravestones.

Back of the years before the Revolutionary War, Davis Avenue was the main route to the old grist mill at Davis Landing (in what today is Bruce Park). Scores of Greenwich residents brought their grain to be mashed here for almost 200 years.

The Old Mill at Davis Landing. Image credit: Other Days in Greenwich, by Frederick Hubbard. Page 301. 

Thomas Davis came to town from Oyster Bay, Long Island. He purchased the mill on April 23, 1761. By 1761, the mill was taken over by his sons Elisha and Stephen.

Thomas died around 1780 and was buried in the family plot in an unmarked grave.

During the Revolutionary War, Elisha was caught selling flour to the British off the Greenwich coast using a small sloop named Miller's Damsel. He was declared a Tory who joined the enemies of United States. As such, Elisha's share of the mill was confiscated by the state government, then acquired by his brother, who remained loyal to the new republic. Stephen died in 1797 and, like his father, was buried in an unmarked plot. His son, Josiah Davis, had died earlier, in 1794, and his grave is designated by brownstone marker.

Elisha returned to Greenwich in 1802 and purchase the mill from Stephen's heirs. He died on March 29, 1818 at the age of 76. His stone was stolen or removed years ago. A beautiful homestead near the millsite was built by him at Indian Harbor.

Esther, daughter of Elisha Davis, married John Ryker of New York and died in 1854 at age 76. The Ryker name, incidentally, is the same associated with Rikers Island in New York City. Nearby Esther's plot is the grave of Julia Hubbard, granddaughter of Elisha Davis, who died in 1828 at the youthful age of 21.

One of the epitaphs found here is inscribed on the tombstone of James Ryker, 54, who died Feb. 3, 1862:

In this long grave so deep and cold 

Doth my husband's form infold 

His spirit far away has flown 

And I am left on earth alone.

The Davis Mill, itself, was an interesting structure. It was made from timber harvested and hewn from native forests. At low tide, the stone foundations of the old mill are still visible.

The old mill deteriorated over the years and was demolished in 1889. But the millstones were saved and exist today as a monumental nearby. It was dedicated on Sept. 17, 1938 by the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

The site of the Davis Burying Ground. Image credit: ShowMyStreet.com

The area around the Davis Burying Ground today includes a condominium complex and family residences. The railroad and Interstate 95 separate the family plot and Brother's Brook, the mill site at Davis Landing and the homestead.

It's easy to visualize this historic spot, the gentle waters of Long Island Sound nearby and the north shore of Long Island from where the Davis clan came.


Jeffrey Bingham Mead, who lives in Greenwich, is a direct descendant of one of the founding families of the town. He is a free-lance writer and a member of the Greenwich Historical Society.