Backyard burial allowed in some CT towns

WASHINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) -- A Chester woman's fight to keep her husband's remains buried in her backyard has gone all the way to the state Supreme Court, but she isn't the only person in Connecticut whose relatives are laid-to-rest on their property.

Since 1746, the Averill family has had a working farm. On one of the corners of the scenic acreage, there is a family cemetery with gravestones that date back to the late 1770's. The names of the faces of boulders and granite stones may not mean much to most of us, but they mean a great deal to Samuel Averill.

"This was probably my great grandfather," said Samuel Averill, pointing to a headstone.

Samuel is the ninth generation Averill to work on the farm, and he took News 8 on a tour of his property Wednesday morning.

Chester's Elise Piquet has gained national attention from her lawsuit against the town of Chester , fighting to keep her late husband, Christopher Doll, interred on her backyard of 13 acres.

"I heard a little bit of the story, on the news, I'm just kind of surprised," Averill said.

Burials on private land were once common, especially on historic properties, like farms. Now, different towns have different rules about what is and is not allowed. Unlike Piquet's property, Averill's land is recognized as a private family cemetery.

"I grew up knowing we had the plot here, it's just part of the family," Averill said, "it's part of what's here for the farm."

Generations of Averill's have enjoyed the rebirth of the beautiful property every spring. It's land they love so much, they want to stay there, even in death.

"It'll probably be more important for the rest of the family and future generations that I have at least some sort of stone," he said, walking out of the cemetery.

Piquet's case was heard before the Connecticut State Supreme Court Tuesday, and a decision is not expected for one to three months.