Cemeteries

Coley Cemetery

The Coley Cemetery, which is three acres in size, dates to approximately 1760. It is the final resting place of many of Weston's early families as well as Revolutionary and Civil War veterans.

Following the incorporation of Weston in 1787, Fairfield relinquished its ownership of the cemetery. However, it was uncertain whether the cemetery had become the property of the town of Weston or the Norfield Church. Prior to 1900 the cemetery was referred to as the "old burial ground." After 1900 there is a reference to it being called the Kettle Creek Cemetery or Norfield Cemetery. By 1924 it had become known as the Coley Cemetery, which it is still called today. There is no evidence that the cemetery was ever owned by the Coley Family. In 1991 the Board of Selectmen established the Weston Cemetery Study Committee to determine the ownership of the cemetery and recommend a plan for future maintenance. At the recommendation of the Cemetery Committee, the Board of Selectmen accepted a quitclaim deed* from the Norfield Church in 1993, giving the town of Weston full responsibility for the cemetery.

The oldest known stone marks the grave of Tamme Duncan, who died in November of 1767. It has long been rumored that the cemetery contains burial sites of Native Americans and formerly enslaved people. While this is a possibility, no claims have been confirmed by evidence.

According to Bruce and Mary Ann Root, land surveyor and title searcher respectively, who did extensive research as to the boundaries and title searches of the Coley cemetery, there are three stones marked with some characters that do not resemble English. According to 1991 meeting minutes from the Cemetery Committee, Mary Ann Root suggested that the property, which originally belonged to the town of Fairfield, was used to bury "undesirables." The custom of the era being to bury such people ten miles from the town in which they resided.

* A quitclaim deed is a legal document wherein a grantor relinquishes any rights or responsibilities over a piece of property to a grantee

Lyons Plain Cemetery

This cemetery is also known as Emmanuel Cemetery as it is situated directly behind the Emmanuel Church on Lyons Plain. Names include families of Bans, Davis, Crofut, Treadwell, Sturges, Merwin and Lockwood, people who were prominent in town and worked in the mills along the river. The most prominent person in this cemetery is Justice John Harlan from the U. S. Supreme Court who lived in Weston for many years, going back and forth to Washington.

Osborn Cemetery

The Osborn Cemetery, is on Old Farm Road, off Route 57.

Tharp Cemetery

Bob Harper, who worked for Bridgeport Hydraulic Company and lived in a house by the Valley Forge dam, spent many hours researching the area of "Devil's Glen". He tells of an Indian family who lived nearby and worked at Gould's Mills. They were buried in the private cemetery on Kellogg Hill when they died. Their graves were marked by pieces of slate, but without names. However, in a survey done in 1934 by William Banks for the Connecticut State Library, he claims that the cemetery holds the remains of Peter Tharp, Lydia Tharp, daughter of Peter and Mrs. Peter Tharp, Captain Ephraim Lyon and John Fanton.

Devil's Den Cemetery or Godfrey Cemetery

This cemetery is currently on Aquarian land just off of Rt. 53 and Valley Forge Road. Nestled in a flat piece of land in the wooded area lie the remains of 20 souls of which 13 bear the name of Godfrey. Most of these families lived in the Godfrey Road area and north of Valley Forge.

Rollins Cemetery

The Rollins Cemetery was moved to Redding when the Saugatuck Reservoir flooded the village of Valley Forge. There are 19 persons in this cemetery, including Ester and Moses Godfrey, Zalmon Banks, Sally and John and Elizabeth Fanton, Shaz Bradley, son of Captain Bradley and three members of the Hull family. (no photo available)

— These descriptions are based on the work of Charles R. Hale, who, in 1934, and under the auspices of the F.E.R.A. and the W.P.A., compiled a list of Weston's cemeteries and noted the names, dates and inscriptions on the stones.