This cemetery is located in the northwest quarter of Lot 61
of the Mile Strip Tract. Hammond's History of
Madison County (1872:365-366) mentions that
the first cemetery in the area was located a mile west of Perryville
on the road to Cazenovia and it may be the Dougherty Cemetery
that is indicated. Hammond says that here "many of the first settlers
were interred, some of whose remains have been removed to the village Cemetery."
What is meant by "the village Cemetery" is not clear although it
is assumed that the Perryville
Cemetery is intended - many of the early settlers in the area of the
Dougherty Cemetery are buried there, but it is not known if any were removed
from the Dougherty Cemetery (there are no clear surface indications of
removals, but the disarray of the cemetery might indicate so).
In 1826 the cemetery is mentioned as an exception from the sale of the western 50 acres of Lot 61. This deed (Deed X:398), dated June 9, 1826, and in which Enoch and Charlotte Dikeman, Czar and Almira Dikeman, all of Fenner, and Guilson and Parnal Dikeman of Constantia, sold to Thomas Steadman, late of Massachusetts, describes the cemetery thus:
- (Excepting) one half acre for a burying ground described in a deed
held by the Trustees of the burying ground association together with the
privilege of going to and from said grounds for the purpose of burying
the dead and visiting their graves.
From the various deeds it is clear that Cornelius Dikeman owned the property until his death in 1826 at which time it passed to his heirs who immediately sold it from the family (Deed X:398). The Dikemans had been in the Town of Fenner (first Cazenovia and then Smithfield) as early as 1805 when Cornelius Dikeman first shows up in the (Cazenovia) Town Road Book (District 1805#43). The extended family, including the households of Cornelius and his three sons Czar, Enoch, and Guilson Dikeman, are listed on the 1810 and 1820 Smithfield census, but not later, indicating that the family left the area soon after the death of their father. Enoch Dikeman lived in Perryville, where he operated a mill until at least 1835, and Czar Dikeman lived there until his death in 1841 but the last resting place of most of the later generations is not known (Czar is buried in Perryville Cemetery).
After leaving the possession of the Dikeman family in 1826 the property surrounding the cemetery was owned by Thomas Steadman (Deed X:398). The next known owners were Mills P. and Lydia Brush who sold the farm to Joseph G. and Jacob S. Blakeslee in 1839 (Deed AW:179). Jacob sold his interest to Joseph later that year (Deed AW:178) and Garret Blakeslee purchased an interest at the end of the year (AW:177). Joseph and Garret Blakeslee in turn sold it to Freeman Cook in 1841 (Deed AW:206). Freeman Cook and his wife Betsey were living on the farm when Freeman died (Deed AZ:538) in April 1843 at the age of 38 (he is buried in the Perryville Cemetery). Betsey, the "relict" of Freeman Cook, sold the farm to David Cook, the father of her late husband, as a quit claim of her 1/3 Dower interest in the property (Deed AZ:538). David Cook and his wife, Lucinda, sold the property to Sergeant Britt in 1848 (Deed BL:190) and Britt in turn sold it to Benjamin G. Kinney in 1852 (Deed BS:506). All the Cooks are buried in the Munger Cemetery. The 1853/1854 Gurdon Evans Map of Madison County, and the 1859 Gillette Map of Madison County, show that Kinney lived at the present Braun farm on the Nelson Road west of the cemetery. J. Geberri is shown at that location in the 1875 Beers Atlas of Madison County, and the Braun family still owns the farm surrounding the cemetery.
The cemetery is located about
500 feet south of Mile Strip Road, on the brow of a point of land which
drops off to a creek on the south and it is bordered by cultivated fields
to the north and west. The cemetery is unkept and overgrown with
apple trees. A few stones are standing, but many are fallen, broken,
and buried. Some have been moved from their original spots.
Although the cemetery is oriented northeast-easterly the rows of graves
run directly north to south, with the heads to the west. The cemetery
fits the land form at the top of the bank and is oval in form, measuring
about 60 feet wide and 90 feet long.
The old lists for this cemetery,
one of which was made by Clezzie
Gallup in 1948, had serious data errors. The stones of Lucy Dikeman
and Harmanus Van Vleck were not found in 1994. Three additional stones
were found in 1994: Lydia Dewitt, Polly Dikeman, and Samuel Phelps.
Covey, Abigail, wife of Amos Covey, died March 16, 1859, age 73 years 10 months.
Covey, Amos, died August 27, 1844, age 92 years, Revolutionary War soldier.
Covey, Amos, Deacon, died March 19, 1853, age 73 years 7 months 19 days.
Covey, Lavina, daughter of Amos and Abagail Covey, died November 12, 1841, age 16 years 10 months 24 days.
Covey, Solomon, died August 9, 1854, age 35 years 5 months 24 days, (stone broken).
Dewitt, Lydia, wife of Cornelius DeWitt, died June 21, 1822, age 33 years.
Dikeman, Cornelius (Sr.), died February 21, 1826, age 71 years.
Dikeman, Cornelius Jr., died May 9, 1813, age 22.
Dikeman, Lucy, wife of Cornelius Dikeman (Sr.), died 1815, (rest of stone illegible), (stone not found in 1994, but foot stone marked "L.D." is found next to Cornelius Dikeman Jr., data from old list).
Dikeman, Polly, wife of Enoch Dikeman, died June 27, 1821, age 29 years 10 months 27 days.
Lownsbury, Thomas, died March 15, 1813, age 43 years.
Lounsberry, William, born 1748, Revolutionary War Veteran (age 92 years in 1840 census) (stone not found in 1994) (burial here reported by Tuttle).
Nichols, Hannah, consort of Samuel Nichols, died November 21, 1827, age 71 years.
Nichols, Samuel, died December 18, 1849, age 91 years 11 months 9 days.
Phelps, Samuel, died October 15, 1826, age 69 years.
Van Vleck, Abigail, wife (1) of Harmanus Van Vleck, died March 24, 1829, age 67 years.
Van Vleck, Harmanus, died February 17, 1839, age 79 years, (stone not found in 1994, but foot stone marked "H.V.V." is found, data from old list).
Van Vleck, Joseph, died April 13, 1826, age 45 years.
Van Vleck, Mary, wife (2) of Harmanus Van Vleck, died September 17, 1831, age 61 years.