New London — James Glass and his wife, Felicity, crouched near a row of tombstones at Cedar Grove Cemetery under the sunny sky on Saturday morning to take a closer look at the name etched on one of the faded, 19th-century stones.

The tombstone bore the name of Mary M. Glass, one of James' ancestors who traveled in the mid-1800s from Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic to New London.

Buried nearby in the quiet cemetery were more family members who left the tiny outpost— known as the most remote inhabited island in the world — to become part of New London's whaling history.

James, a resident of Tristan da Cunha, was visiting New London on Saturday to learn more about his ancestors buried in the New London area and meet his cousins living in the United States for the first time. 

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," his cousin, Arlene Chopp of Gales Ferry, said.

The Glass Family

James said he is a descendent of William Glass, who served in the British Army and is considered a founder of Tristan da Cunha, which actually comprises four islands.

Originally from Kelso, Scotland, William Glass came to Tristan da Cunha in 1816 as part of a garrison to stand guard in case the French tried to rescue Napoleon from the island of St. Helena, James said. After his service, William decided to stay there.

During the whaling period, whalers stopped at Tristan da Cunha for meat and fresh water, James said.

Some of William's sons grew up to become whalers, themselves — including Robert, who became a captain, and William Glass, both of whom are buried in Cedar Grove — and some of his daughters married whaling captains, and many of the children settled in the New London area, James said. After the death of his father, Robert brought his mother, Mary, over to the United States.

"The Glasses have always been excellent seamen," James said.

Life on Tristan da Cunha

James is director of fisheries for Tristan da Cunha, which today exports lobsters to Japan, Australia, Europe and the United States.

His journey to the United States, which he is visiting for both work and family, began when he left Tristan da Cunha on May 3 to travel seven days by boat to Cape Town. From there, he traveled by plane to Dubai, then London and then New York, before stopping in New London to visit family.

From New London, he will head down south to visit more family, and then fly to Santa Barbara to study a lobster fishery within a U.S. Marine Protected Area. James said Tristan da Cunha has a goal to implement its own marine protected area by 2020.

He's traveling with his wife and their 10-year-old grandson, Kieran Glass, who participated in World Oceans Day on June 8.

James described Tristan da Cunha, which is about 2,000 miles from South America and more than 1,500 miles from South Africa, as lush and green, with a nice and peaceful atmosphere. He said there is no known crime and only one police officer on the main island, a close-knit community of about 268 people.

People there enjoy swimming in the ocean — but don't play any serious sports, he said. While the community has a good hospital with two doctors and about five nurses, if a resident needed surgery like a knee or hip replacement, it would mean a seven-day boat trip to Cape Town. 

Tristan da Cunha has one school with 34 children, and children are educated in the British curriculum until age 16. If children wish to go to boarding school or pursue higher education, the Tristan government will pay for the education, James said.

"Everyone is employed," he said. "We don't have any social services. We try to find work for everyone."

James himself serves in many roles, including director of fisheries, conservation officer, a member of the island council and Eucharistic minister for the Catholic Church.

"Everybody in Tristan has more than one hat," he explained.

During Saturday's visit to the cemetery, James took photos and was joined by some of his cousins living in the United States, including Richard Pero, Sandy Chopp-Percy, Arlene Chopp and Robin Ryan and her husband, Gene Ryan.

Robin Ryan said she always had wanted to meet relatives from Tristan da Cunha, but it always had seemed unattainable, until Saturday.

James also was moved by the experience.

"It's a bit emotional, because it's a lot of history," he said after visiting the graves.

k.drelich@theday.com