Payne Cemetery, Waterbury CT

224-20
Payne Cemetery
Copied by Andrew Bell
Dec. 6, 1934

Payne, Thomas J., died Nov. 22, 1858, age 58 yrs.
Stone - Broken          - age 78 yrs.
            - Martha A. his wife, died Jan. 1872 (On same stone)

The New York Times dated Nov. 25, 1858 included the following on page 4:
Accidents from Fallimg Buildings.
The telegraph has reported the fall of a building and consequent loss of life at Waterbuty, Ct. The Waterbury Journal gives fuller particulars. The accident occurred about 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The roof fell to the ground with a tremendous crash, burying several men in the ruins. Mr. Thomas J. Payne, a respectable farmer living in the east part of Waterbury, was instantly killed. Mr. G.W. Ese???, a machinist, belonging in Hartford, was on the ground at the time of the accident, and had his left arm broken in three places by the falling mass. G.S. Ackerman, of Troy, had his left shoulder put out, and was badly bruised. Frank Mayett, also of Troy, had his face badly cut, and received a very severe bruise on the back part of his right hand, and was very roughly handled generally. The weight of the mass which fell is roughly estimated at about 82,000 pounds. The cost of reconstructing it cannot fall far short of $3,000. Nearly every section of the trusses was broken, rendering them useless. A similar accident occurred, Nov. 23, at Barton's Building, in Rochester. Five men were injured.

According to the Hale notes, this cemetery was located near the residence of Mr. Charles J. Debisschop at the time of their visit. There were 3 stones found in this cemetery (as of December 6, 1934).

In an effort to further pinpoint the location of this cemetery, I first consulted the 1930 U.S. Federal Census. The home of Charles J. De Bishop (age 47, head of household) was listed as 1442 Hamilton Avenue (part of the 5th Ward). Mr. De Bishop was listed as born in New Jersey and descendant of parents both born in Belgium. His line of work was "road construction".

Waterbury Land Records show that 18 and 1/2 acres were purchased by De Bisschop (volume 273, pg. 114) and the boundary to the West was listed as "land of Thomas M. Payne". Review of several property maps did not show a cemetery, but a large 1909 surveyors map of the city of Waterbury (hanging on the wall inside the vault) shows property marked as "J.J. McCarthy" with a rectangular portion noted as "Payne Cemetery". A partial image of the map appears below (click on image to view larger version).

It appears that the lot is now part of the property of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church (corner of East Mountain Road & Prospect Road). After conducting a personal inspection of the property (with permission), there were no obvious headstones, but leaves, brush, and trees made a careful inspection difficult. The Pastor of the Church was vaguely aware that there was a cemetery someone on the property and also seemed interested in pinpointing the location of the gravesites. Stay tuned for future updates.

Other leads still being worked on....
The 1850 U.S. Federal Census for Waterbury (New Haven) Connecticut shows:
Thomas M. Payne (age 25) living with a Lucinda Payne (age 22), assumed to be husband/wife
Thomas J. Payne (age 49) farmer, living with Nancy Payne (age 49), assumed to be husband/wife and the following children
Alonzo(?) Payne (age 16), male, farmer
Maria Payne (age 10?), female
Edward Payne (age 3), male
(Neighbors included Samuel Bronson, Hotchkiss, Farrell, Baldwin,

By 1860, the Payne family members in Waterbury included:
Charles Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 30 1829 Connecticut Male
Rebecca Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 50 1809 Connecticut Female
William Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 53 1806 Connecticut Male
Ellen N Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 13 1846 Connecticut Female
Thomas W Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 35 1824 Connecticut Male
Lucinda Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 32 1827 Connecticut Female
Emmeline D Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 4 1855 Connecticut Female
Nancy M Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 60 1799 Connecticut Female
Maria Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 21 1838 Connecticut Female
Edward Payne Waterbury, New Haven, CT 13 1846 Connecticut Male

By 1870, the Payne family members in Waterbury included:
Charles Payne, age 7 born about 1862 Connecticut White Male
Cornelia E Payne, age 39 born about 1830 Connecticut White Female
Delia Payne, age 14 born about 1855 Connecticut White Female
Edward Payne, age 9 born about 1860 Connecticut White Male
Henry Payne, age 37 born about 1832 Connecticut White Male
Irving Payne, age 2 born about 1867 Connecticut White Male
Jane Payne, age 35 born about 1834 Connecticut White Female
Joseph F Payne, age 51 born about 1818 Connecticut White Male
Lucinda Payne, age 42 born about 1827 Connecticut White Female
Lucy Payne, age 5 born about 1864 Connecticut White Female
Lydia Payne, age 43 born about 1826 Connecticut White Female
Mary H Payne, age 49 born about 1820 Connecticut White Female
Nancy Payne, age 70 born about 1799 Connecticut White Female
Stephen H Payne, age 53 born about 1816 Connecticut White Male
Thomas Payne, age 20 born about 1849 Ireland White Male
Thomas M Payne, age 5 born about 1864 Connecticut White Male

Of the 1870 records listings, two were of particular interest:
Payne, Lucinda (age 42), female head of household, keeping house
    - Delia (age 14), female, at home
    - Thomas M. (age 5), male, at school

Payne, Nancy (age 70), female head of household, keeping house

If you have a special knowledge of Waterbury Cemeteries or any other area cemeteries, please contact us so we can record and share your information with others.