East Granby Resident Restoring Ancient Smallpox Cemetery

East Granby resident Tom Howard, a historian and genealogist has a simple reason for why he’s so interested in having the ancient smallpox cemetery on the hill north of Hatchet Hill Road restored.

He identifies with the people who are buried there.

“I’m a grandfather and I have four grandchildren,” Howard said in a recent interview.

So Howard, who established the East Granby Smallpox Restoration Fund in 1997, has been working to re-install the headstones of grandfather Joshua Holcomb IV and four of his grandchildren who died between 1783 and 1793; Joshua Holcomb and his granddaughter Ruth presumably died of smallpox within two days of one another.

The headstones were removed from the cemetery in 1939 and put in a workshop stone wall in Bloomfield, Howard said.

Howard, who hopes to have the cemetery - a history of which can be found here - restored this June and a dedication ceremony thereafter, is looking for help on two fronts.

First, the total cost of headstones and landscaped boulders is about $6,000; the headstones, which cost about $4,700, have been finished and await installation.

Money - about $1,000 - is still needed to pay for, among other things, a ground-penetrating sonar scan to accurately place the stones, signage and additional stone carvings and reproduction of the cemetery’s history. For those interested in donating to the Smallpox Cemetery Restoration Fund, checks may be sent to 1st National Bank of Suffield,c/o The Manager, Center Shops, East Granby, CT 06026.

The East Granby Historical Society recently announced that it donated $350 toward the effort.

“That put us over the top in terms of the cost of the stones,” Howard said. “That was a big help.”

In addition, Thomas is also also still looking for direct descendants of Deacon Joshua Holcomb IV, his son Caleb Holcomb and Adonijah Ford whose children are buried with their grandfather - the purpose of which is to get permission to put the stones back.

“We do have one and I got another from Georgia recently, but we need to get letters to the first selectman to indicate they are in favor of installing the new memorials in the cemetery,” Howard said.

Town officials, for their part, have been encouraged by Thomas’ effort.

“The town is thrilled Mr. Howard has taken a historical interest in small, but notable site here in East Granby,” First Selectman James Hayden said recently. “I think it’s a great idea and we’re extremely supportive of his effort.”

Hayden said that he and Howard went to the cemetery last week to take measurements of the presumed locations of the graves and to check out the site.

“It’s pretty neat,” Hayden said.

Howard said that he is excited to be so close to completing the effort.

"It's terrific and it's a relief," he said.

For more information, call Howard at 860-658-0232 or by e-mail at thomas.f.howard@snet.net.