Female Revolutionary War Hero Honored In West Hartford

Town of West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The local DAR chapter recently celebrated its namesake with a special ceremony marking the installation of a new monument in her honor.

On April 28, the Sarah Whitman Hooker Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) celebrated the installation of a grave marker of its namesake in the Center Cemetery on North Main Street in West Hartford.

Led by Chapter Regent Allison Gomes, the ceremony included attendance by chapter members and special guests who had been integral to this project, including Justin Andrews of the West Hartford Public Works Department.

Chapter Registrar Claudia Teitelbaum, who spearheaded the project, told the story of how Sarah Whitman Hooker Collins provided material aid, in her own right, to the American Revolution.

At the request of the colonial government, she and her freedman farm manager housed, fed, and guaranteed the safety of three high-value British prisoners at her homestead, which still stands on New Britain Avenue near South Main Street.

This service included protecting the prisoners from an angry mob who demanded that she release them.

She refused and convinced the locals to disperse.

In addition to describing the historic value of memorializing Hooker's name, dates, places, and service, Teitelbaum told the improbable story of how this project came to fruition.

In June of 2022, she discovered the headstone was a victim of vandalism in 1990 and that only a small, broken, lichen-covered fragment of Hooker’s headstone remained standing.

At that time, there was no indication, other than a Findagrave entry, to reflect who was buried in that location.

Research and lucky accidents in finding local historians gave Claudia the building blocks needed for the application to the Town of West Hartford.

For more information about the Sarah Whitman Hooker chapter, visit https://www.facebook.com/SarahWhitmanHookerChapterDAR/