Old East Cemetery

There is a boulder monument with a Daughter of the American Revolution (DAR) plaque attached to it at the Old East Cemetery. The plaque lists four Revolutionary War veterans: Jesse Clark (d. 1837), Asa Hollister (d. 1839), Ichabod Backus, and Oliver Hatch (d. 1839; according to Landmarks of Tompkins County (1894), Hatch served in the Revolutionary War for seven years and settled in Groton in 1795.). Research by Groton Town Historian Rosemarie Tucker has discovered that Nathan Davis, a fifth veteran of the Revolutionary War, is also buried in this cemetery. There may be others.

The cemetery was once part of the Congregational Church which had been located on what is now the northwest corner of Salt Road and current NYS Route 222. The first burials were in 1806 and the last was in 1881. Many of the gravestones are broken, but some of the oldest slate and marble headstones are intact, with the traditional carvings viewable.

For more information about those buried in this old cemetery, the history of the cemetery, and the history of the former Congregational Church, contact Rosemarie Tucker at roseingrotonny@gmail.com.

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