Connecticut Tombstones continued

The fourth tombstone we were looking for was in a rather forlorn little cemetery (about 25 stones) with the tombstones set off from an apple orchard with a ring of boulders. This was Niles Family Cemetery at Groton, New London Co., CT. The GPS helped us locate it. As we were leaving a state trooper stopped and asked if everything was OK. I said yes we were just do a cemetery tour! That didn't phase him at all! The tombstone in this cemetery was for my 6th great-grandparent Nathan Niles (1720-1778). The picture on Find A Grave looked readable but the stone we saw had lettering on it which was obscured by lichen making it difficult to read. I had no tools with me. Also the day was a bit damp, misty and dull. The GPS reading was Lat. N 41.37856 Long. W -72.00386.

The fifth tombstone was located in the Wightman Cemetery, Groton, New London, Co., CT which was just around the corner from the Niles Family Cemetery. This was a larger cemetery and the memorial stone was easy to find. It could be that Rev. Valentine Wightman (1681-1747) my 7th great-grandparent was buried here but this is a memorial stone erected in 1890. He was a pioneer of Religious Liberty and Founder in 1705 and 42 years pastor of the First Baptist Church of Groton. The GPS reading was Lat. N 41.38751 Long. W -71.99512.

The sixth place we visited was not a cemetery but a memorial plaque on the Joseph Loomis House in Windsor,CT. The Joseph Loomis House is on the grounds of the Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT. It is not open to the public as it is occupied by school staff. Joseph Loomis (1590-1658) was my 11th great-grandparent. GPS reading Lat. N 41.84531 Long. W -72.63961.

While we were in the Windsor, CT area we also visited the tombstones of two of Joseph's sons, Samuel in the Woodlawn Cemetery GPS Lat. N 41.97686 Long. W -72.63205, Suffield, Hartford Co., CT and John in the Palisado Cemetery, Windsor, Hartford Co., CT. GPS Lat. N 41.85891 Long W -72.63917.