Founded: 1930

History: The first meeting of Chapter X took place December 20, 1930, at the residence of the honorary president, Princess Poggio Sausa Ruspoli. The first president of the chapter was Marchesa Romerque Ranieri di Sorbello.

Chapter Project: The chapter is compiling the biographies of Americans buried in the Old Protestant Burying Ground (Non-Catholic Cemetery – 1716) in Rome between the 18th century and the present.
Today the chapter is small, but active. Among the members is Flavia Accolti-Gil whose mother was an early member of the Rome Chapter and whose grandmother was a member of the Parent Chapter.

The Protestant (Non-Catholic) Cemetery in Rome, Italy, dates to the early 18th century (1716).
It is site of the graves the English poets Keats and Shelley and of more than 800 Americans, many of them diplomats and creative artists, some of them travelers whose final resting place unexpectedly became Rome. Among them are sculptor William Wetmore Story, painter James De Veaux, abolitionist and painter Caroline Pettigru Carson, artist Frederic Crowninshield, Frank Perley Fairbanks, writer Richard Henry Dana Jr., diplomat George Perkins March, and architect William Rutherford Mead. The funerary art in this shaded sanctuary is worth the visit to the cemetery. Chapter X of The Colonial Dames of America, in Rome, Italy, in an effort to help preserve our American heritage abroad, is developing a free e-book featuring biographies of some notable Americans buried in the Non-Catholic Cemetery.

This e-book is a work in progress but a recent draft is available. As we continue to add biographical information, we welcome data and photographs from contributors.

Contact Sharri Whiting at [email protected] for a inquiries or for a copy of the E-book draft.
The Protestant (Non-Catholic) Cemetery Website