Hart Family Plot

Legend has it that, in the mid-1800's, Cypress' beautiful wrought iron fence along the sidewalk of College Street was "donated" by Jeanette Hart to the Association in return for the burial of Hart's beloved slave, Sarah, in the Hart family plot. At that time, the Assoication was likely incensed at the idea of a "mixed" cemetery plot. But, in return for the fence, the Assoication acquiesced as long as Sarah's plot was unmarked. The unmarked grave still exists today.

That isn't the end of the story, however. Not far from the unmarked stone in the Hart plot is another stone inscribed with the name "Sarah". The question remains, if Jeanette Hart defied the wishes of the Association, then why is there an unmarked stone in the Hart plot?

One explanation has Jeanette and her two sisters travelling to South America in 1824. Jeanette, unmarried, was said to have enjoyed a full and much publicized romance with Chile's "liberator", Simon Bolivar. While in South America, Jeanette's sister Elizabeth was said to have given birth to a still-born child. Upon bringing the baby home for burial for her sister (reportedly encased in a wine basket for the purpose of preservation), Jeanette buried the child in the Hart plot. The question of which stone - the unmarked stone or the one inscribed "Sarah" - still lingers. In bringing the baby back to Connecticut, Jeanette was said to have enraged her "latino lover" and, as a result, didn't end up marrying him as he originally proposed.