In 1667, Thomas Wheeler, the first of his family to come to America, was granted 4,000 acres in Stonington, Connecticut. This made him the largest landowner in the area.
Today, all that remains is the family's quarter-acre burial ground in what is now the Stonington Acres subdivision.
"This is what's left," said Dick Wheeler of Ledyard, gesturing across the approximately 86 grave sites, most of which date back to the 19th century.
Wheeler and his son Steven, also of Ledyard, for ten years have painstakingly restored the family burial ground. Today, stone walls with a wrought iron gate surround the quiet, tree-shaded cemetery with its well-preserved gravestones and small white sign.
Read more of this story by Joe Wojtas of the Day of New London, in the Newsday Newspaper for July 27, 2008.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct-fea--familyburialg0727jul27,0,6107601.story
(genemisc)
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