Wolcott History
Wolcott Historical Society

Wolcott Historical Society News - April 2011
 

By Florence Goodman

The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate soldiers opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charlestown, South Carolina. April 12, 2011, marks the 150th Anniversary of the beginning of that War which lasted until 1865.

Our state will be commemorating this anniversary with numerous events over the next four years. The commemoration will serve as a remembrance of this historic event. A quote cut into the stone on the Northfield Civil War monument states, "That the Generations to Come Might Know Them," says it all. We must never forget those thousands of soldiers who gave their lives to war. Who were the soldiers from Wolcott who fought in the Civil War and may have lost their lives in it? This month's edition will remember those soldiers.

If you visit three of our four cemeteries in town, you may come across the following tombstones. These were the soldiers who fought in the War and were buried in our town.

In 1933, Charles R. Hale, the State Military Necrologist, compiled a list of veterans buried in Wolcott cemeteries, as well as other town cemeteries. The list below shows veterans from the Civil War that are buried in three of the four cemeteries in town.

Woodtick Cemetery
NAME COMPANY/REGMENT DATE OF DEATH AGE
BROWN, John P E 1st. Hvy. Artillary Feb. 24, 1908 64
COLE, George H. B Private 98th N.Y. Infantry Aug. 30, 1927 80
DOWNES, Levi B. I 1st Regt. Hvy. Art. C.V. Dec. 2, 1884 45
FRISBIE, David L. C 14th CT. Mar. 2, 1904 63
GARTHWAIT, George W. Sergeant Major of 11th C.V. 88
HARRISON, Mark H. A 23 CT Feb. 12, 1924 81
SLADE, Thomas M 13 CT Mar. 3, 1873 52
UPSON, Lucian E 8 CT Nov. 22, 1894 79

Northeast/Beecher Cemetery
NAME COMPANY/REGMENT DATE OF DEATH AGE
BAILEY, James E 20 Ct. May 3, 1863 No stone
BRADLEY, Moses L 1 Ct. M.A. Feb. 17, 1892 58
CHURCHILL, Francis A 7 Ct. Apr. 28,1864 No stone

Edgewood/Evergreen Cemetery (in the center of town)
NAME COMPANY/REGMENT DATE OF DEATH AGE
ALCOTT, Burritt A. F. 14th CT May 12, 1862 24
ALCOTT, James P. F. 14th CT Mar. 5, 1872 63
ALCOTT, Newton A. F. 14th CT April 15, 1881 45
BRONSON, John E. 8th CT Nov. 25, 1866 31
BROWN, William E. G. 10th NM July 15, 1913 85
HARRISON, Frederick F. 7th CT July 13, 1864 ---
MOULTHROP, Elihu I, 20th CT Nov. 27, 1890 ---
MOULTHROP, Sherman I. 9th CT July 29, 1882 69
NORTON, Burritt M. M. 15th CT June 7, 1864 16
SPERRY, Samuel G. 7th CT Feb. 22, 1887 ---
TUTTLE, Lucius --- Nov. 25, 1929 89

Not all of the soldiers from Wolcott who were drafted or joined in to fight in the War between Union and Confederate armies are buried in our cemeteries. Reverend Samuel Orcutt lists the following additional men, whose names are not found on Hale's list. It may be that these men were buried in other town cemeteries or died in the War and their bodies were not recovered. Orcutt lists the following men as also serving in the War: Henry Alcox (Alcott), Eugene Atwood, Albert A. Andrews, Martin L. Andrews, Philo Andrews, Samuel M. Bailey, Pliny Bartholomew, John P. Butler, Charles E. Byington, Dwight Beecher, Benjamin F. Chipman, Orrin Harrison, Theron S. Johnston, Evelyn E. Moulthrop, Newell Moulthrop, David M. Manning, Samuel A. Merriman, John Mahon, John Milligan, Amon L. Norton, Lucius F. Norton, John Owens, Charles H. Robbins, William B. Rose, Joseph H. Somers, John Smith, James Sweeney, Alvah P. Tolman, Thomas P. Tompkins, Orrin Taylor, George E. Todd, Henry Todd, Rev. Henry E.F. Upson, Leroy Upson, George S. Wiard, William Wiard, and William Wray.

Orcutt states that the above list "are all Wolcott born citizens and of all substitutes for such citizens" and served in this War.

In the early 1900s, public sentiment was such that towns began erecting monuments to honor those men and women, who had served in past wars. A granite monument depicting a Civil War soldier was erected in the center of the Town Green in 1916. This monument was dedicated to the veterans of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War and was presented to the town by Leverette D. Kenea of Wolcott; thus it is referred to as the "Kenea Soldiers Monument."

If you would like to view the tombstones of some of Wolcott's Civil War veterans, visit one of the three cemeteries listed above. You will need to walk through the old section of the cemetery and peruse the names on the old stones. Also, if you are interested in partaking in some of the "Commemorative Kick-Off Events" in Hartford or at Central Connecticut State University, just Google CCSU's website or the Conneticut Civil War Commemorative website.

(Information for this article was taken from The History of Wolcott, Connecticut from 1731 to 1874 by Reverend Samuel Orcutt, from CCSU website: Connecticut Commemorates The Civil War 1861-2011, from the CT State Library website, An Introduction to The Charles R. Hale Collection).

Our Schoolhouse Museum is open by appointment only; you may visit the Museum by calling Loretta Leonard at 203-879-4310 or Flo Goodman at 203-879-9818. Our meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at the Old Stone School on Nichols Road at 6:30 P.M. unless snow cancels them in the winter season.


Kenea Soldiers Monument on the Green

Kenea Soldiers Monument on the Green in 1920.


Kenea Soldiers Monument on the Green

Kenea Soldiers Monument on the Green now.


To view past installments of the Wolcott Historical Society News, click here.

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