This cemetery is one of the
more fascinating cemeteries that I have seen. While there are only
24 names to be found on tombstones there are twice as many people also
buried here in "unnamed graves."
Owen Evans, in 1949, reported
that this cemetery was on the Joe Gaiser farm and the land was once owned
by Ruggles Payne, one of the first settlers of the town of Nelson, coming
from Ashfield, MA (Evans mistakenly says CT). Evans wrote that Payne
first lived in a hollow tree until he built his cabin. His only neighbors
in that early time being bears and Indians. He later went back east
and married Susie Daniels who returned with him. They spent the rest
of their lives on this farm and brought up a large family.
The front section of the
cemetery, about 180 feet along the road and 60 feet deep, has recently
been cleared of brush and it appears that it has been kept somewhat clear
for many years. The cemetery is much larger than this, actually extending
well into the woods to the west. In the front cleared part, scattered
among the standard tombstones, there are 23 graves that are noted only
by rough and unmarked field stones (UMFs), and there are another 25 UMFs
in the woods scattered among the large maples and surrounded by myrtle.
The cemetery is situated
at the top of a rise from which much of the surrounding countryside can
be easily seen, and for quite some distance to the northeast. It
is roughly 150 feet deep and 200 feet along the road, but does not form
a regular rectangle, with the south end being at an angle to the other
sides. Large forest trees have grown up in the west (and larger)
portion of the cemetery. I counted 110 annular rings in the stump
of an ash tree that had been cut down within the last decade or so (began
growing c.1880). Myrtle has become a primary ground cover not only
in the cemetery itself but also for several hundred feet to the west and
north (field to the south, road to the east.) The graves are in straight
rows and all rows are parallel except the sixth row which was skewed slightly
from the north-south alignment of the others. The rows are 10 to
16 feet apart and the graves are at a density of 15 graves in 50 feet (individuals
were allotted an average size plot of 11 by 3.3 feet.). The graves
are aligned with the head to the west and the stones (that are marked)
face eastward to the road.
To be sure that all visible
graves were found and properly counted I made a detailed map of the cemetery.
The stones were in quite neat rows and this made it very easy to lay out
transects along the rows of stones. I then marked all stones and
other evidence in the immediate area and mapped everything. The graves
are clustered in the east-central and middle sections of the cemetery but
all other areas of the 33,000 square foot cemetery were checked carefully.
Several stones (headstones and UMFs) were found separated by some distance
from the main cluster of graves, and this indicates that many other unmarked
graves may also be in this cemetery.
Of the stones on an old
lists for this cemetery those of Austin W. Daniels, Mehitable Hudson, John
W. Payne, Charles Smith, and Elizabeth Smith were not found in 1994.
No additional stones were found but the increase in population by recognition
of the UMFs is considerably important.
Benson, Dewitt C., died January 12, 1858, age 23 years.
Childs, Marinda, wife of Almerin Childs, died March 27, 1845,
age 32 years.
Daniels, Alford, son of Rheuben (Reuben) and Jerusha Daniels,
died February 22, 1812, age 25 years, (the face of this shale headstone
is shattered into dozens of pieces).
Daniels, Austin W., son of Elijah and Sarah Daniels, died May
9, 1835, age 17 years, (stone not found in 1994).
Daniels, Elijah, died October 14, 1852, age 73 years.
Daniels, Jerusha, wife of Deacon Reuben Daniels, died March
17, 1821, age 69 years.
Daniels, Reuben, Deacon, died August 25, 1823, age 77 years.
Daniels, Sarah, wife of Elijah Daniels, died September 18, 1869,
age 89 years.
Daniels, Sophina D., daughter of Elijah and Sarah Daniels, died
July 3, 1865, age 62 years.
Hudson, Mehitable, wife of Charles Hudson, died April 13, 1806,
age 48 years, (stone not found in 1994, shale footstone marked "M.H." was
found in 1994).
Payne, Abiel, died August 20, 1849, age 67 years.
Payne, John W., son of W. and S. Payne, died March 28, 1861,
age 4 weeks 3 days, (stone not found in 1994).
Payne, Lyman, died November 15, 1839, age 34 years.
Payne, Rufus R., son of W.L. and Sarah H. Payne, died October
7, 1874, age 8 months.
Payne, Ruggles, died January 24, 1857, age 86 years.
Payne, Sarah A., wife of Lyman Payne, died December 29, 1873,
age 60 years.
Payne, Susannah, wife of Ruggles Payne, died June 26, 1829,
age 48 years.
Smith, Charles, died 1889 (stone not found in 1994, data from
Evans list).
Smith, Elizabeth, died 1878 (stone not found in 1994, data from
Evans list).
Smith, James, died August 30, 1847, age 53 years.
Smith, James N., son of James and Susannah Smith, died August
4, 1841, age 5 years.
Smith, John, died February 4, 1821, age 79 years.
Smith, Lyman P., son of James and Sally Smith, died August 19,
1827, age 5 months.
Smith, Sally, wife (1) of James Smith, died September 28, 1834,
age 40 years.
Smith, Sarah, daughter of James and Susannah Smith, died February
28, 1839, age 4 weeks.
Smith, Susannah, wife (2) of James Smith, died June 18, 1844,
age 35 years..