Gravestones, Old Burying Ground, Hartford

Gravestones of the Lawence family, Old Burying Ground, Hartford – Connecticut Historical Society

Diverse communities of belief have shaped the state’s politics, civic life and even the formation of its earliest towns. Iconic white-steepled meeting houses, many from the 1800s or earlier, speak to Connecticut’s settlement by Congregationalist believers and a lengthy period of entwined political and spiritual authority. Calls for expanded toleration, sometimes in the face of violent opposition, have a long history, too: from Baptists and Shakers in the 1700s to African Americans and, in the immigration waves of the 1800s, Jews, Catholics, and others. Such groups founded some of the state’s oldest and best-known hospitals, universities, and philanthropic organizations. Today, diverse beliefs continue to enrich Connecticut’s cultural and spiritual landscape.

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