Dartmouth Cemetery trustee Petra Sergent plays a crucial role in maintaining the cemetery’s headstones. Established in 1771 by Eleazar Wheelock, the Dartmouth Cemetery, also known as the Town of Hanover Cemetery, was maintained by the Dartmouth Cemetery Association from 1845 to 1943, according to Dartmouth News. In 1943, the Association ran out of funds and signed the deed to the Town of Hanover, who has managed the grounds since. Every other week in the spring and summer, Sergent — also a member of the Dartmouth Cemetery Conservation Group, formed in 2022 for headstone cleaning and preservation — ventures to the cemetery for maintenance. The Dartmouth sat down with Sergent to discuss the DCCG, the cemetery’s history and the lives of those buried on campus.
Tell me about yourself. How did you get involved with the Town of Hanover Cemetery?
PS: I’m part of the Dartmouth Cemetery Conservation Group and help run the headstone cleaning sessions. I’m also a Town of Hanover Cemetery trustee — a recently established position. I originally saw the symposium announcement and thought, ‘Oh, that looks interesting.’ I love history and historic preservation. I went and I got hooked. Now, whenever I have free time, I come up and clean even if there isn’t a session.
How did the DCCG get started?
PS: People were interested in trying to preserve and clean the headstones so that they’ll be around for future generations to appreciate, so they organized a group.
Can you tell me about the history of the graveyard?
PS: The first burial in 1771 was Eleazar Wheelock’s stepson, Rev. John Maltby — who he had been hoping would take over for him as College President but who unfortunately had passed away before that could happen. There are eight College Presidents buried here — Eleazar Wheelock, John Wheelock, Francis Brown, Nathan Lord, Asa Dodge Smith, Samuel Colcord Bartlett, William Jewett Tucker and John George Kemeny. There are also a lot of people who were affiliated with the College — faculty members and their family members — so if you walk around, you’ll see a lot of familiar names, like the names of streets or dorms.
This was the original cemetery for this part of Hanover. There are 10 cemeteries in total in the town. This one is currently full, but if people already have a family plot they can put in ashes.
The east side of the cemetery is the oldest section, and the student row is there. The railroad didn’t come through town until 1848, so there was no way to transfer bodies back home after they passed away. They were buried here. It’s really sad, but their classmates really went above and beyond to make sure they got headstones that really told the story — particularly why they were so appreciated.
I can imagine that a lot of fascinating people and stories are buried here. Do you have any favorite anecdotes?
PS: Lieutenant Isaac Morey was a Revolutionary War veteran. He was one of the last men out of what became Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia and was promoted for his bravery. He’s one of my favorite stories — I think he was at the Battle of Saratoga with my great grandfather — so I may be standing here today because of Isaac and his artillery. His story brings him alive.
A big birch tree came down last year and hit his headstone and smashed it. I’m going to try to put it back together again because he deserves it.
Are there any other particularly interesting headstones or tombs?
PS: The Sawyer tomb — that’s the only one that’s above ground. I believe they owned a store in town and were relatively well off. His daughter was terrified of being buried alive, so he had this above ground one built. Rauner Library archivist Ilana Grallert explained that to me. She worked at Rauner Special Collections Library and did an enormous amount of research on documenting the people buried at the Dartmouth Cemetery.
Last May, DCCG hosted “Inequities for Pre-Civil War Black New Englanders” — an event highlighting the works of seven undergraduate researchers — as part of their “Research on Death & Dying” series. What do we know about the racial demographics of the individuals who are buried here?
PS: They are mostly white, but there are a few people of color here as well. Jane Wentworth —a formerly enslaved woman from Hanover — and her family are buried here. We cleaned her headstone last summer. She was emancipated by the state in 1784, joined the First Congregational Church of Hanover in 1820 and passed away in 1830. The people she was in church with had this headstone made because they thought so much of her.
Who manages the cemetery?
PS: The Town of Hanover oversees the Dartmouth Cemetery. It is mowed about once a month by the parks and recreation staff, who are wonderful. They help manage the trees and deal with any branches that come down or any other problems that we may run across.
How do you clean the headstones?
PS: We use water sprayers, kitchen scrubbers and a solution called D/2 to clean them. It’s great — really instant gratification. The D/2 solution cleans the headstones and prevents anything from growing on them. It keeps working for over a year.
From where does the DCCG get funding?
PS: It’s all volunteer work, so we only really have to buy supplies — like D/2 — which the College funds.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a part of the DCCG?
PS: Definitely weather. We have a window between May and when the water gets turned off in October to work. So you have to balance your schedule with that — and also making sure that volunteers don’t get burned out on it either. I try to have headstone cleaning sessions organized every two weeks.
What’s your favorite part about doing this work?
PS: I think it’s the historic preservation aspect and also that people’s families trusted us — the future generations — to take care of their families that are here. I haven’t been able to find some of my ancestors — I’ve looked and looked and I can’t find them. They’ve been lost to time, which is very sad to me. I want to help other families have the chance to pay their respects.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Correction Appended (July 26, 2:15 p.m.): A previous version of this article misspelled Sergent’s name. The article has been corrected.
