This small cemetery is located
about 300 feet east of Ridge Road opposite the former schoolhouse
for District #22, which has been converted to a residence (#5011
Ridge Road). It is poorly kept and is overgrown with brush
and fallen tree limbs making exploration difficult. Besides
missing and damaged marble tombstones, the cemetery is very much
intact, spatially, and archaeologically.
It lies on a low knoll and
is 60 feet square, the east, south, and west edges being seen
as a berm where cultivation came close to a fence line. The
northern edge of the cemetery is 20 feet from the former field
line, perhaps representing the 20 foot right- of-way to the cemetery.
The surface of the cemetery is rather even and no unmarked
grave pits were observed, but many unmarked field stones at the head
of the grave and several at the foot show that there are many
nameless graves. Five whole marble head stones were found,
all of which were fallen and three of which were buried up
to a foot into the ground (thus they are not on some of the former
lists.) The bases of two more marble headstones are found,
but the stones themselves (probably the stones of Lovina and Royal
Robertson) are missing. Fieldstones clearly mark the
location of 18 additional graves and smaller upright stones scattered
amongst the graves indicate that four (4) infants may be buried
here also.
Ridge Road resident Patricia
(Rusty) McGrath related that Chauncey Cook, a former owner of the
site, had told her that the in this cemetery had been removed
some years ago, but I see no evidence of this as the cemetery appears
to be fully intact. In talking with Chauncey Cook's son
David it appears that the cemetery that had been "moved" was in fact
the cemetery of the White family which was located near the barn on the
Cook farm farther up the road. David Cook told me that the stones,
with the name White, had been moved when the barn was built several decades
ago (see the Cook
Cemetery).
The lot on which the cemetery
is located was early owned by Robert Marsh who sold the northeast part
(with the cemetery site) to Oliver Whipple on December 4, 1798 (note
on map at Lorenzo AW-A-42-1, the deed reference is not known).
Whipple's house was located in the vicinity of (just north of or on?) the
present Ray Reed residence on the west side of Ridge Road. Whipple
owned the property, containing 66 acres, until his death in 1850 and it
passed on to his son, Oliver Whipple Jr. Oliver Jr. sold the school
house lot on the west side of Ridge Road to the school Trustees on April
29, 1852 (Deed BS:476) and the property that included
the sites of the cemetery and house to Charles Loucks on April 1, 1859
(Deed CN:310). Loucks sold the property to Benjamin
Conover on March 16, 1867, reserving "the burying ground on said premises
with the right of way thereto" (Deed 110:425).
Through subsequent owners the cemetery was only sometimes reserved.
The succession is as follows: Sarah Conover (from August
6, 1881, Deed 150:346, no cemetery), Patrick Driscoll (from
March 12, 1883, Deed 155:468, with cemetery), John P. Driscoll (February
11, 1911, Deed 231:303, with cemetery), Kathryn J. Driscoll (from
April 14, 1921, Deed 264:277, with cemetery), Charles R. Northrip
(from August 27, 1927, Deed 283:243, no cemetery),
William G. Brayan and Emma C. Lagore (December 15, 1927,
Deed 290:4, no cemetery), Jane White (from March 29,
1945, Deed 341:202, no cemetery), Harold B. and Chauncey S. Cook
(from April 10, 1946, Deed 362:423, no cemetery),
Thomas B. and Doris B. Garsh (from October 8, 1965, Deed
624:661, no cemetery), Wilder Jr. and Patricia Gutterson (from
February 26, 1968, Deed 636:600, with cemetery), Albert W. and Beverly
C. Bluem (from October 2, 1972, with cemetery).
In 1968 (Deed
636:600) the cemetery was described as being 45 feet east to west,
by 80 feet north to south, with a right-of-way 20 feet wide leading to
it from Ridge Road along the north property line.
Historic maps show the cemetery
in 1859 and 1875, and that the house and property were owned by Oliver
Whipple in 1854, O. Whipple in 1859 (there is an error in the map), and
N. Donnelly in 1875. The latest dated burial is 1859 and it is certain
that no other burials were made after that date as Charles Loucks, who
purchased the property in that year, purchased a lot in Evergreen Cemetery
in 1865. Also, when the next owner of the property, Patrick Driscoll,
died in 1911 he required in his will that his executors give him "a proper
burial, and erect at his grave a proper monument" - he is buried in St
Agnes Catholic Cemetery.
Old lists of this cemetery
identify a number of stones that have since been lost and that others were
overlooked. Among those noted on old lists but missing in 1994 are
the stone of Oliver Whipple, the patriarch of the cemetery, as well as
the stones of Lovina and Royal Benson and John Daniels. The location
of the Benson graves may be indicated by two empty slotted gravestone bases
along the western edge of the cemetery. Daniels' grave site is noted
by a footstone marked "J.D." which is still standing in the southeast corner
of the plot and the burial spot of Betsey Elmore, whose stone seems to
have disappeared before the DAR list of 1914, is marked only by a footstone
with the initials "B.E." next to Solomon Elmore's grave.
There are 22 visible "unnamed"
graves in this cemetery, one of which is likely to be Edward Benson, who
died before 1812 and probably before 1810.
Benson, Lovina, wife of Edward Benson, died October ____ (stone broken through date), age 72 years (stone not found in 1994, data from DAR list).
Benson, Royal, died March 28, 1843, age 52 years 10 months 21 days (stone not found in 1994, data from DAR list).
Chapman, James N., son of William and Patience Chapman, died March 3, 1849, age 28 years, (same stone as L. Caroline Chapman).
Chapman, L. Caroline, daughter of William and Patience Chapman, died May 25, 1831, age 17 years, (same stone as James N. Chapman).
Chapman, Patience, wife of William Chapman, died August 22, 1859, (stone broken and age missing).
Daniels, John, died May 16, 1848, age 58 years (stone not found in 1994 - data from DAR list), (footstone with initials "J.D." was found in 1994).
Elmore, Betsey, (footstone "B.E." found in 1994 next to Solomon Elmore - must be his wife Bestey Elmore).
Elmer (Elmore), Solomon, died May 7, 1843, age 73 years.
Whipple, Oliver, died August 22, 1850, age 79 years (in 80th year), (stone not found in 1994, data from DAR list), (the Madison County Whig of December 28, 1850, states that Oliver Whipple "one of the oldest inhabitants of the town" died on December 23, 1850, age 79 years).
Whipple, Priscilla, wife of Oliver Whipple, died September 25, 1848, age 74 years (in 75th year).