Old Center Cemetery
1) BOULDER: This was erected by the Sarah Whitman Hooker Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1923. While it is dedicated to the memory of French soldiers who died while encamped in West Hartford, recently it has been discovered that such "Ws, under the leadership of General Rochambeau, may never have been encamped there. Although a camp has been identified on old maps of the town, there may have been a French soldier who died at the camp when it later functioned as a hospital site.
2) CAPTAIN STEPHEN KEYES (1788): Keyes came to the West Division from Pomfret in 1784 with his wife and one of his daughters. He served as commissary captain in the Third Connecticut Regiment during the American Revolution and was one of the West Division's few slave owners. His stone, which is quite extravagant, may be a self-portrait, common among the wealthy. It was around 1800 that gravestones began to laud the individual in terms of his or her worldly accomplishments.
3) NOAH and MERCY WEBSTER (1813 / 1794): The parents of Noah Webster, Jr., Noah and Mercy Webster, had five children, including Noah. Noah Sr. was a deacon and served on the Committee of Correspondence during the American Revolution. The house in which the Websters lived is still standing on South Main Street and was probably built by them. Today, the Noah Webster House is accredited by the American Association of Museums.
4) RACHEL WEBSTER (1776): Rachel, the first wife of Abraham Webster (the oldest brother of Noah Jr.), died at age 21 in childbed. Her baby, Abraham, died one week later and is buried in the cemetery as well. After her death, Abraham marched off to join the army. He later remarried twice.
5) BRISTOL (1814): This is the only known African-American with a marker in the cemetery. He was the slave of Sarah Whitman Hooker and Thomas Hart Hooker, and was able to buy his freedom. He later became esteemed in the West Division for his knowledge of agriculture.
