| Cemetery Number | NT010 |
| Town | NEWPORT |
| Cemetery Name | TRINITY CHURCH YARD |
| Find A Grave (Opens in New Tab) |
Go to Find a Grave
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| Graves List | Display Graves List |
| Location | SPRING ST. |
| State | RI |
| Direction | S |
| Pole Number | 14 |
| Distance | 15 |
| Map Number | |
| Page Number | |
| Plat Number | |
| Deed Book | |
| Deed Page | |
| Size in Feet | 150 |
| Size in Feet | 60 |
| Inscriptions | 234 |
| Fieldstones | 6 |
| Tombs | |
| Exist? | YES |
| Last seen date? | |
| Newest | 1900 |
| Oldest | 1704 |
| Vandalism | N |
| Veteran | 13 |
| Pole | M |
| Comment | "History of Newport County, Rhode Island," New York, 1888, ed. Richard M.
Bayles: "The ancient burial place connected with Trinity church, on Church
street, is an object of much interest. Several of the early pastors of the
church lie buried here. Here may be found the ground of the French Admiral
de Ternay, who died in 1780, and of many others who fought in the war of
the revolution. On eight stones are found the arms of five families:
Gidley, Wanton, Bell, Goulding, Gibbs, representing a few of the wealthy
merchants of Newport in the last century."
When Bayles wrote the description above, the cemetery had already been
given a full chapter in George Champlin Mason's "Reminiscences of Newport,"
1884, with good, early information on the gravestones (GCM). Mason provides
many names that have since disappeared; his account is rich in biographical
detail. The inscriptions were recorded again about 1900 by Jonas Bergner
(1859-1936) in a beautiful ms at Redwood Library in Newport "Ye Grave
Stones in Trinity Church Yard." This book contains complete transcriptions
of the inscriptions, very careful pen and ink drawings of armorial
carvings, some light pencil sketches of stones, and names of carvers when
known. Although only the most cursory comparison has yet been made, names
only from Bergner are coded JB.
CETA volunteers drew stones & inscriptions in the late 1970s on cards
in the possession of Edward W. Connelly, director of the project. These
have been used to confirm or amplify inscriptions recorded summer of 1995
by John Sterling with help of passing tourists! These names are input with
the code JES.
For further information on those buried here, consult James N. Arnold's
"Trinity Church Newport, Deaths and Burials," 10:537-544. It is worth
noting that only a small percentage of members of the church are actually
buried in this medium-sized lot. To illustrate this point, consider Ezra
Stiles' record of some 188 deaths of Episcopalians during 1760 through
1764; of 39 remaining gravestones only four are here, most of the others at
the Common Burial Ground (NT003).
Earliest burial is that of Thomas Mallett, January 1704.
GPS coordinates 41 deg. 29' 14.75"N x 71 deg. 18' 47.57"W |
| Condition | good |
| Enclosure | metal fence |
| Gate | iron gate |
| Growth | grass-well kept |
| Terrain | level |
| Cemetery Location |
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| Cemetery Burial Map |
N/A
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