About 400 people are buried in Westlawn Cemetery, primarily from the 1700s and 1800s, many of whom were members of Westford’s First Parish Church. It is the final resting place for many of the town’s founders, veterans, industrialists, and farmers, with notable family names like Prescott, Robinson, and Fletcher.
Colonel John Robinson (1735-1805) is the most distinguished burial, Westford’s highest-ranking Revolutionary War officer. He led Westford Minutemen to the North Bridge in Concord on April 19, 1775, participating in “the shot heard ’round the world.” Robinson also fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Alongside him are about 15 other Revolutionary War veterans, marked by iron Maltese crosses placed by the Sons of the American Revolution in 1902, veterans from the French and Indian War, two soldiers from the War of 1812, and nine Civil War soldiers.
Robert “Bob” Oliphant, a local historian in Westford, originally hails from Oberlin, Ohio, where he studied metallurgy and materials science in college. He discovered his passion for genealogy during this time. After moving to Westford with his wife, Bonnie, and their three sons eight years post-graduation, he became involved in local history. He has served on the Westford Historical Commission, the Westford Museum and Historical Society board, and various town committees. Oliphant authored The Westford Gazetteer, conducted research for the Westford Historical Society, wrote the “Museum Musing” column for the Westford Eagle, and submitted weekly transcripts from Westford Wardsman to the Westford Historical Society webpage.
