Cedar Hill Newsletter

The bronze figure atop the Jewell Monument holds an anchor, a Christian symbol of hope possibly alluding to Hebrews: 6:19: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

With your support, the cemetery undertook extensive tree trimming, removal where needed, and planted over 100 trees in the past nine years. This critical work will continue thanks to your donations.

Horace Wells (1815-1848) studied dentistry in Boston prior to establishing his practice in Hartford in 1836. Eight years later he attended a nitrous oxide exhibition and noticed that a participant had cut his leg, but feeling no pain, was unaware of it. He immediately grasped the implications of his observation and was determined to explore the possibilities of nitrous oxide.

Charles T. Wells arranged to have a monument erected at Cedar Hill Cemetery in honor of his father, Horace Wells, in 1909. Horace, the discoverer of anesthesia, and his wife Elizabeth were originally buried in Hartford’s Old North Cemetery and were moved here in 1908.