Stanley-Whitman House Receives Second Consecutive Grant for Revolutionary War Research

FARMINGTON, CT — Stanley-Whitman House has received a $2,500 Historic Donations grant from the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut to support a 2026 archival research and publication project documenting American Revolution patriots buried in Farmington’s Memento Mori and Scott Swamp Cemeteries.

The award follows a formal invitation to apply and represents the second consecutive year of support from the Society for Revolutionary War research and interpretation at the museum. The grant will support the printing and distribution of a researched publication identifying verified Patriot participants whose graves survive in these two historic burial grounds. Both cemeteries are overseen and stewarded by the Stanley-Whitman House under the auspices of the Farmington Village Green and Library Association.

Memento Mori Cemetery, established in the 17th century, is one of the earliest burial grounds in Farmington. Its gravestones are primarily locally quarried schist, sandstone from the Portland quarries, and later marble. Unlike many coastal New England cemeteries known for slate markers, Memento Mori reflects the materials and trade networks of the Connecticut River Valley. The stones themselves are primary historical documents. Their material, inscriptions, and workmanship preserve information about geology, craftsmanship, religious belief, economic exchange, and family relationships across the colonial and early national periods.

Scott Swamp Cemetery, though later in origin, likewise contains the graves of individuals whose lives intersected with the Revolutionary era. Together, the two cemeteries provide tangible evidence of military service, civic leadership, and local participation in the War for Independence.

The forthcoming publication will follow the museum’s award-winning volume, Memento Mori: Farmington, Connecticut – Remember Death, which received a First Place New England Museum Association (NEMA) Publication Award and Awards of Merit from the Connecticut League of History Organizations. That earlier book presented researched biographical vignettes of individuals buried in Memento Mori Cemetery. The new volume will focus specifically on Revolutionary War-era individuals interred in Memento Mori and Scott Swamp Cemeteries, consolidating military service records and archival documentation into verified profiles.

Among those buried in the cemeteries are Lt. John Mix, an early member and Secretary of the Connecticut Society of the Cincinnati, and William Judd, also associated with the Society. Their graves illustrate Farmington’s direct connection to Revolutionary service and postwar civic institutions.

The publication will draw on military service records, cemetery inscriptions, the Charles R. Hale Collection, and archival materials held by the Stanley-Whitman House. Its purpose is to consolidate dispersed documentation into an accurate and accessible historical record. An initial limited printing of approximately 300 copies is planned.

“As stewards of Memento Mori and Scott Swamp Cemeteries, we have an obligation to ensure that the individuals buried there are documented accurately,” said Andres (Andy) Verzosa, Executive Director & Curator of the Stanley-Whitman House. “This publication builds on our previous work and focuses specifically on verified Revolutionary War service.”

The project builds on the Veterans Day Roll Call of the Revolutionary Dead, first held in November 2025 in collaboration with the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (CTSSAR), Wadsworth Branch No. 7. During that ceremony, the names of documented Revolutionary War participants buried in the two cemeteries were read aloud. The Roll Call is intended to continue as an annual observance.

In 2026, the Stanley-Whitman House will continue the ceremony in partnership with CTSSAR, Wadsworth Branch No. 7, and welcomes participation from the Ruth Wyllys Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). The research supported by the Society of the Cincinnati grant will provide the documentary foundation for that annual commemoration.

This work is part of the museum’s FarmingtonCT250 initiative, a multi-year effort to document and interpret Farmington’s Revolutionary generation in advance of the 250th anniversary of American independence. The initiative emphasizes research, cemetery stewardship, and responsible public interpretation.

Founded in 1935, the Stanley-Whitman House is a National Historic Landmark located at 37 High Street in Farmington. The museum interprets 17th- through 19th-century Farmington through exhibitions, public programs, educational partnerships, and stewardship of historic sites, including Memento Mori and Scott Swamp Cemeteries.

The publication supported by the 2026 grant is expected to be completed later this year.

For additional information about programs or the FarmingtonCT250 initiative, visit www.s-wh.org.