Cedar Hill Cemetery — Local services in Hartford

I grew up in the area and would walk or bike to Cedar Hill Cemetery when I was very young. The grounds were designed to be a rural cemetry along the lines of the much larger and more celebrated Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. There are graves of famous people, and mausoleums and burial monuments that are beautifully constructed. Events are held on the grounds to which the general public is invited. I've been to mushroom hunts, butterfly hunts, concerts, behind the scenes tours (you can ring the chapel bell and get a look inside the crematorium), and other events, including the famous and well-attended lantern tour in October that features costumed players representing some of the people buried on the grounds. Whether you love nature, beautiful landscaped grounds, history, or just need a quiet place to get away, Cedar HIll is a place that will meet your...

There is the burial place of a Chinese American who made great contributions to China's modern history in this cemetery. His name is Yung Wing. He was the first Chinese student to study in the United States in modern Chinese history, and also the first Chinese to study at Yale University. He later founded the Chinese Children's Study Abroad Program in the United States. He is known as the pioneer of Chinese students studying abroad. Yung was naturalized as an American citizen on October 30, 1852, and in 1876, he married Mary Kellogg, an American. At Yale's centennial commencement in 1876, Yung received an honorary Doctor of Laws in recognition of his significant contribution to cultural exchanges between China and the...

Another of Connecticut’s beautiful and historic cemeteries, not far from the center of downtown Hartford. Cedar Hill is large and you are advised to stop just inside the gate to get a map of the grounds, even with the map it can be a bit tricky to find the area you may be looking for. After a few visits, the layout will become familiar. Scores of large historic monuments, some with family names you’ll recognize from all over Connecticut. I took time out to clean the markers for each member of Katherine Hepburn’s family, but left her marker untouched because of the little things visitors had placed there — coins, sea shells, and...