One way to learn more about a community is to visit the cemeteries where the record of past citizens is told silently but sometimes quite eloquently through the gravestones and other monuments located there. Those wanting to learn about the history of Derby in such a manner will find a rich history dating back to the Uptown Burial Ground which reputedly is the oldest "public burial ground" in the United States. At a time when cemeteries were under the charge of religious institutions, Derby established a public burial ground and hired its first gravedigger in 1683. You can see who is buried there by clicking here.

One caution for the researcher trying to find ancestors associated with Derby is recognition that cemeteries in other parts of the Valley were once part of Derby. Family records may very well refer to a cemetery in Derby that is actually in one of the other Valley towns.

Click on each image for a larger picture.

Olde Uptown Burial Ground

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The oldest of the Derby cemeteries, it is located on Derby Avenue across the street from Founder's Commons. Click here to visit the graveyard and take a video tour!

Mount Saint Peter

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This is Derby's Roman Catholic cemetery located on Rt. 34 (New Haven Avenue).


Oakcliff

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This cemetery located on Hawthorne Avenue has a spectacular overlook of the Housatonic River and is the final resting place of some of the leading industrialists in the Valley. Click here to see a partial listing and photos of those buried in the cemetery. It was compiled in October, 2005, by Eagle Scout Candidate Andrew Lavoie from Troop 3 of Derby, Housatonic Council, and gratefully posted by the Derby Historical Society


St. Michael

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Many of Derby's citizens of Polish descent are buried in this cemetery on Silver Hill road.


St. Peter & Paul

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Though located in Derby, this cemetery is associated with St. Peter & Paul Church in Ansonia.

Three Saints

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This cemetery is only a stone's throw away from St. Peter & Paul and is associated with Three Saints Church in Ansonia.

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