The Cemetery Identification Group (CIG), working under the guidance of the Westport (Massachusetts) Historical Commission is a community based volunteer group formed in September, 2005. CIG's purpose is to identify, record, and protect Westport's historic private cemeteries through registration with the State and the town, and to incorporate the cemetery location and layout into the Town of Westport's Geographic Information System (GIS) and assessors' records. Briefly, a GIS is a computer application used to store, view, analyze, and edit geographic information especially maps. To further identify the cemeteries, engraved stone markers or inscriptions on the stone walls are being placed at those cemeteries where possible.
This project was initiated by Betty Slade, with inspiration from Pete Baker and volunteers from the Westport Point Neighborhood Association. Paul Pannoni became co-chair of the CIG with Betty Slade early on and organized the survey and website work. In addition to Town officials, especially to Westell Norman in the Westport Cemetery Department and Sharon Potter in the Assessors' Office, many local businesses and individuals provided extraordinary assistance to this project. Funds received from the Community Preservation Act, Ms. Beverly M. Temple, Westport Cultural Council and the Lions Club were used to prepare the documentation necessary for registration with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, to input gravestone inscriptions and other data, to engrave and transport stone markers to cemeteries and to design and develop the website. Liz Collins and Margot Desjardins and George Brown contributed stone markers. Leo Marshall contributed a truck with a winch. Lennie Potter provided heavy equipment and his son, Jimmy and nephew, Tommy Perry, helped. Albanese Monuments,especially Ricky Perzentz, contributed countless hours in inscribing the stones. Lucy Tabit and Sarah Baker continue to work with us on the photography of the stones at the public cemeteries. Dawn Manchester is reviewing the website for errors and to add information on maiden names, marriage dates, and family relationships. We also appreciate the information that people around the US are providing to us to add to the website. Mapping, done by Rick Tabit, is supported in part by a grant from the Westport Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Special Thanks. We owe special thanks to Garry Harstad who diligently and patiently worked long hours to design the cemetery modules and the program necessary to launch the cemetery website. We would be remiss in our duties should we neglect to mention the work done by Tim Gillespie who assisted us in organizing and presenting the data collected for public use. David Vieira, a local hands-on computer expert, helped us format the cemetery data. Greg Stone, the Town of Westport website manager, was instrumental in obtaining town support for the project and providing background assistance to link the newly found cemetery information with the existing town website. We want to thank Andrew Isidoro, a Westport High School honors graduate, who helped us from start to finish with this project.
Data Collection. Approximately nineteen data elements have been identified for 102 Westport burial grounds as of March, 2008. In April, 2007 these data were archived by the Massachusetts Historical Commission in the Inventory of Historic and Archaeological Assets of the Commonwealth. Information on the cemeteries will be available on hard copy and DVD at the Westport Historical Commission, Westport Public Library, and the Westport Historical Society.
In addition to overall cemetery data, information on the known interred in these cemeteries has been recorded. In some cases, even if a stone is not found, information from vital records is available.
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