Place:Village Green Cemetery, Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut, United States

The first burial ground at Guilford, Connecticut was at the Village Green, now Guilford's town commons and open space at Broad Street in downtown Guilford. The Village Green surrounded the original location of the Guilford Congregational Church organized in 1643. The current Church ediface is on the north side of Broad Street across from the Village Green. This cemetery was the town's common burial ground until the early 1800s.

"When it was decided to obliterate this cemetery the tombstones were removed; some were taken by relatives, others to the new cemeteries. Many stones were placed around the Congregational Church. These stones have gradually disappeared until now only a small part of the original number remain standing or are available for records." ("Connecticut Inscriptions, New Haven County, Guilford-North Guilford," compiled by Glenn E. Griswold, June 1938.)

While the former existence of this cemetery is included in Hale's Connecticut Cemetery Inscriptions (208-18), the singular reference is "Village Green-stones removed." The initial entries are of the writer's ancestors Thomas Robinson and his wife Mary, latter buried per the Town of Guilford records in July 1668. Others desiring to add memorials at this cemetery can access a digital copy of Griswold's 1938 work via familysearch.org after searching for available records at Guilford then the Cemeteries" line.

Don Blauvelt, Sept. 2013.

Resources

• Find A Grave: 2511466