Nichols Village Cemetery (also known as Nichols Farm Burial Ground, 1850) was established in 1850. It is not to be confused with Nichols Farms Burial Ground, Ye Old West Yard 1806 which is about a block away. Nichols Farm 1850 is on the appropriately named Cemetery Road, off of Shelton Road, in Trumbull, Connecticut. Although inscriptions are quickly fading, you can still find a few stones dating to the 1850s. Some surnames that you will find in abundance include Ambler, Curtis and Curtiss, Fairchild, Hawley, Nichols, Peet, Plumb, and Smith. There are numerous veterans interred within Nichols Village, particularly of World War II. Three people of note also rest here: James Walker Beardsley, (murder victim) who donated the land for Bridgeport's Beardsley Park; George Sherman, Chieftan of the Golden Hill Indians; Wayne Richard Moore, Olympic gold medalist. Their stories are detailed with their monument photos later on this page. Nichols Village Cemetery still hosts modern burials. On one of the gate posts are two plaques. The first reads: "To honor ED PARKER, our V-Pres. Emeritus. For 63 years he served this cemetery". The second reads, "To Honor HERB WRY our President Emeritus who served this cemetery for 45 years".

Estimated number of interments, as of January 2024: at least 1831.

Photos taken 12 April 2010 and 18 October 2024.

Memorial for Sarah Medora Pierson, daughter of WIlliam R. & Augusta A. Pierson. Sarah died 20 August 1854, aged 2 years & 8 months. 

I never saw a stone in this shape at other cemeteries, but Nichols Farm has two. Oddly enough, all four children died within days of one another. 

Caroline E. (died April 1856) and Franklin A. Nichols (died March 26, 1856). 

Homer E. (died April 1856) and Seymour P. Hawley (died April 18, 1856). 

The gate of the Fairchild plot. This area includes a memorial to Colonel Lewis Fairchild, born July 10, 1774, died March 8, 1850. "Buried in the West Yard." (Possibly referring to Nichols Farms Burial Ground, Ye Old West Yard 1806). 

Too faded to read, but research shows this memorial is for Lillian Lee French. She died in September 1875, aged 3 years. 

Arba J. Sanford, son of James A. & Minnie A. Sanford. He died 20 January 1890, aged 1 year. 

Monument for James Walker Beardsley. Beardsley was a successful farmer and he served one term in the Connecticut State Legislature as a representative for the town of Monroe (where he was born). In 1850, he moved to the Walker homestead in Bridgeport. From 1878 until his final will in 1892, Beardsley deeded to the City of Bridgeport tracts of land equaling approximately 103 acres for the purpose of establishing a park. Beardsley Park was established, and famed landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted (who designed New York City's Central Park) created the layout for Beardsley Park. The city of Bridgeport dedicated a life-size statue of Beardsley at the entrance to the park in 1909. Beardsley Zoo was added to the premises in the 1920s; it is the only zoo in the state. Beardsley Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

On the evening of 23 December 1892, 72-year-old James Beardsley was a victim of a home invasion. Reportedly, the intruders were under the impression that Beardsley had a large sum of money in the home. (He did not.) Beardsley was attacked and died of his injuries a week later. His murder was never solved. Beardsley, who never married, is buried with his half-sister, Juliett, with whom he lived most of his life. They rest here in Nichols Village Cemetery, approximately 4 miles from Beardsley Park.

Two monuments for George W. Sherman (1871 - 1938), "Chieftain of the Golden Hill Indians." The Golden Hill Paugussett is a state-recognized Native American tribe, who retain a reservation down the road from Nichols Village Cemetery on Shelton Road in Trumbull. Established in 1659, it claims to be the oldest continuing reservation in Connecticut. 

"Bil Clark

A good fellow

1878 - 1960"

Crofutt. 

Francis (1st Lt. US Air Force, Korea), 1930 - 1995; Judith. 1930 - 2006. 

Memorial for Wayne Richard Moore (1931 - 2015) and his wife, Janice Weyls Moore (1931 - 2023). Wayne Moore was a member of the United States Olympic swim team and competed at the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland. He and his teammates won the Gold Medal in the 4 × 200 Meter Team Freestyle Relay. He later swam for Yale University, winning two swimming titles in 1952 and 1953. Moore also served in the US Army during the Korean War. 

This is a huge stone, but no information is provided other than the surname, Alvord. 

An unusual monument, with no information other than the last name, Oleski. 

View of the Cemetery at the gate.

All photos copyright by the author, 2024. Not to be used or reproduced without permission.

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