Happy Independence Day!

So far, Exploring Cemeteries includes many people who fought for our Independence.  I for one am very thankful to live in the United States of America.  And I am very grateful for all that fought to give us the wonderful heritage that we have.  Have a great Forth of July.  Regards on our Independence Day.  Donna

Col. William S. Smith buried at West Hill Cemetery, Sherburne, NY

West Hill Cemetery on Rt. 80 out of Sherburne, NY is an active and well kept cemetery.  Of historical significance are Col. William S. Smith and his wife Abigail Adams.  Abigail was the only daughter of John Adams that lived beyond age 2 years.  John Adams was our second president of the United State.  And Abigail was brother to John Quincy Adams.

Sign in front of the West Hill Cemetery at Sherburne, NY

Overview of Col. William S. Smith's gravesite.

"Here Lie The Mortal remains of Col. Wm. S. SMITH Who died At Lebanon June 10, 1816 Aged 59 years"

Plague by the headstone of Col. William S. Smith

IN Memory of ABIGAIL ADAMS The Wife of Col. Wm. S. Smith And only Daughter of JOHN ADAMS, The Second President of the United States.  Abigail died in 1813 and was buried at Quincy, MA.

"In the War of Independence, He Fought in Twenty two Battles, served as aide To GEN. WASHINGTON Who always Held him in Affectionate Esteem"

 William Stephens Smith was born November 8, 1755 on Long Island, NY.   While secretary of the Legation at London in 1784, he met and courted John Adam's daughter Abigail ("Nabby") and they married in 1786.
He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 17 district.  He held many offices under President Washington and Adams which you can read about at the link below.

Col. Smith and Abigail had four children:  William, John, Thomas, and Caroline. 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephens_Smith  This is a good bio of Col. Smith.

And a bio of Abigail's life.  Abigail died in Quincy, MA in 1813, so I assume she is buried there.

Many Gardner Headstones found at Pioneer Cemetery at Mt. Vision, NY

I found a number of Gardner graves at the Pioneer Cemetery in Mt. Vision.  I was unable to find anything on Phillip Gardner in the post below.  I checked on Ancestry.com.  There were several Phillip Gardners in the Civil War, but none seemed to coordinate with his stats.  I was surprised to find so many older men signed up for the Civil War in the registry from Laurens, NY.

Phillip and Seth Gardner, Civil War Veterans, Buried at Mt. Vision Pioneer Cemetery

The Pioneer Mt. Vision Cemetery is right by the roadside and is a small cemetery with many gravestones.
It is no longer an active cemetery, but is well cared for.  There are many Gardners in this old cemetery.  In my photo collection, I found two veterans there, Phillip and Seth Gardner.   Since the Civil War took place from 1861-1865, it would appear that Phillip died in the war since the date of his death is Dec. 7, 1863.  Also, he wasn't young at 52 years of age to be at war.  Seth was 44 when he signed up.  I found the info on Ancestry.com. and it stated he was a farmer. 

Phillip Gardner, member of Co. D. 42nd Regt. N. Y. Vol.  1811-1863.

Family stone of Seth and Gulielma (Howland) Gardner

SETH  A.  GARDNER  1818-1889  and  his wife  GULIELMA (HOWLAND)  1816-1897

Lieut. Horatio N. Duroe, Civil War Veteran, Killed in battle at Petersburg, Va. 1865.

Hillington Cemetery is a large active cemetery at Morris, NY.  Many in the Duroe family are buried there up on the hill in the newer part.  Six of the 11 children of Francis and Jane (Jackson) Duroe's children are buried in the family plot or nearby.  Their daughter, Arrianna Duroe Yates is the one nearby.  Their son, Lieut. Horatio N. Duroe was killed in battle at Petersburg, Va. on March 25, 1865 at age 24 years. 

LIEUT.  H.  N.  DUROE

A  MEMBER  OF  Co. K. 121 Regt. N. Y. S. V.  Killed at Petersburg, Va. 1865

The mother of Horatio Duroe was Jane (Jackson) Duroe 1817-1907 

The father of Horatio Duroe was Francis J. Duroe 1810-1871

. 

The large Duroe family monument and the names below are on the back.

Siblings of Horatio Duroe, all buried at Hillington Cemetery

Jonathan Starr Jr., Revolutionary Soldier at Hillington Cemetery, Morris, NY

JONATHAN STARR  JR 1764-1838 and MARY D. HIS WIFE 1768-1811

A closeup of the plaque imbedded in the stone monument.

Pvt. Harold Dodge served with the US Army, Buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Norwich, NY

Harold Dodge attended New Berlin Central School with the class of 1956.  He is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery at Norwich, NY.

I'm not sure where he served.

Lt. Tracey Wilson, Pilot, WWII, Died in Training Accident 1943

Lt. Tracey F. Wilson is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Norwich, NY.
The family plot can be found at the very southern part of the cemetery.


On his enlistment for WWII, his name is Tracey F. Wilson.  He enlisted March 13, 1942 in the Air Force. 
Also, the 1930 census lists him as Tracey F. and his father as Tracey B. 

IN  DEATH  A  HERO,  AS  IN  LIFE  A  FRIEND

THE  WILSON  FAMILY MONUMENT  AT  MT.  HOPE  CEMETERY,  NORWICH,  NY.

THE  FATHER  OF TRACEY  F.  WILSON

 

AND  THE  MOTHER  OF  TRACEY  F. WILSON

Col. Cato Freeman, Revolutionary Black Soldier, Butternut Valley Cemetery

While wandering at Butternut Valley Cemetery which is 3 miles north of Garrattsville in the Town of Burlington, I found some well preserved stones that caught my interest.  Little did I realize the historical significance of this family.  Hartwick College has some history online of Cato Freeman.  He is one of 70,000 black soldiers that served in the Revolutionary War.  The link and more information is below the photos.

Sacred to the memory of Col. CATO FREEMAN, Died May 19, 1828, Age 96 Years

PARMELIA wife of Col. Cato Freeman, died April 19, 1838, Age 73 Years

Charlotte F., Wife of Anthony Jackson and daughter of Col. Cato and Permelia Freeman

Parmelia J and Martin F. L., grandchildren of Cato Freeman

Cato's last name may have been Freedom.  "The center also detailed Freedom’s history as a private of the Connecticut Line from 1778, with his enlistment lasting beyond the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. Freedom received an honorable discharge on September 2, 1783, and although he indicated in pension documents that he served in the Third Connecticut Regiment, he also was enlisted in the Fifth Company, Seventh Regiment, commanded by Colonel H. Swift. His enlistment lasted until the peace treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain, and by 1818, he had relocated to Burlington, where he lived on a 33-acre homestead with his wife, Parmelia, and daughters, Charlotte and Aurabia. He died in February 1830, another fact uncovered by the USCTI despite contradicting information on his tombstone."  Below is the link to the Hartwick College article from which I just quoted.
http://www.hartwick.edu/news-and-events/news-archive-new/usct-revolutionary-war-06-22-09 

John Hale, Revolutionary Soldier, Butternut Valley Cemetery

John Hale is the second Revolutionary Soldier at Butternut Valley Cemetery that I'm highlighting.  He was born in Ashford, CT Oct. 12, 1747 and married Mehetabel Knowlton at Ashford April 14, 1772.  The family moved to Otsego County circa 1807.  John died Jan 7, 1810. They had 13 children.  The first 3 were born at Ashford and the remainder at Monson, Hampshire Co., MA.  This information is from "Early Families of Otsego County New York" Volume 1, by Martha Reamy.  Their daughter, Mehetabel Hale married Shubael Reed of Tolland, CT March 30, 1797. They are also buried at Butternut Valley Cemetery with at least 3 of their 9 children.   John Hale was my x4 great grandfather.

 MEHETABEL wife of MR. JOHN HALE, died July the 22nd 1825 in the 75th year of her age.

The Reed monument with the Brick School House in the background.

Close up of Shubael Reed and wife Mehetabel (Hale) Reed side.

The headstone for Mehetabel (Hale) Reed, Consort (wife) of Mr. Shubael Reed.

Abial Cook, Revolutionary War, Woolley Hill Cemetery

Woolly Hill Cemetery aka Quaker Cemetery aka Chase Cemetery which is near Garrattsville, NY is a very old cemetery which is poorly attended.  Climbing through brambles, weeds, branches etc. isn't easy.  Interestingly, the ground itself is nearly all moss.  Some stones are still fairly clear, but of course many aren't.
Abial Cook was the Revolutionary Soldier that I was aiming for and he and his family were way to the back.

His older headstone gives his name as Abial.  The military plague may have the wrong spelling?? 

ABIAL COOK, died July 8, 1849.  Aged 86 yrs.

MARGARET, Wife of Abial Cook, died Feb 15, 1825, aged 51 yrs.

View of the back part of the cemetery where the Cook monuments are located.

Clayton C. Gregory and Myers W. King, WWII Veterans

The next two WWII veterans are buried in Otsego or Chenango County Cemeteries.

Clayton C. Gregory--World War II

 Clayton C. Gregory

 1910-1985

Clayton C. Gregory, 75, of Eden Park Nursing Home and formerly of the Ropewalk apts., Oneida St. died Tuesday, August 13, 1985 at the Home.

He was born in Mr. Vision, NY, son of Smith B. and Anna Nellis Gregory. He graduated from Hartwick High School and the Utica School of Commerce. Mr. Gregory served in WWII in the Signal Corps and was stationed in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.  He is buried

 at Hartwick Village Cemetery in Otsego County.

 Myers William King
1921-1973 
Myers William King, 52, of Bush Hill Road, Bainbridge, dies Wednesday, Aug. 29, at The Hospital, Sidney, as the result of complications following a car accident of August 18th.  Funeral services were held at the F. J. Terhune Funeral Home, 58 West Main St., Bainbridge, on Saturday at 11 a.m.  The Rev. James J. Umbra, pastor of the United Methodist Church of Bainbridge, officiated.  Burial was in West Bainbridge Cemetery.  He was born February 25, 1921, in Englewood, N. J., son of Myers and Frances (Ellick) King.  He was veteran of WWII in the Army Airforce.  He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Donna King of Bainbridge; three daughters, Mrs. George (Norma) Lewis of Downsville, Mrs. Patrick (Frances) Bolia of Tampa, Fla. and Beth Anne King of Bainbridge;  three sons, Myers Allen King, Ronald King of Tampa, Fla. and Richard King of Bainbridge; also six grandchildren.  (Mike was my first husband and the father of my oldest daughter, Beth Anne King).  West Bainbridge Cemetery is in Chenango County.

One of the earlier military stones instead of metal plaques.

Myers is buried at West Bainbridge Cemetery.

The stone reads: MYERS W. KING JR.
                            NEW YORK
PVT. ARMY AIR FORCES
WORLD WAR II
FEB 25 1921        AUG 29 1973

Willcox Cemetery near Earlville, NY Veterans honored.

 Willcox  Cemetery  located on the back river road between Symrna and Earlville is a small cemetery and well cared for.  It is still an active cemetery.  There are many veterans buried there including many in the McKee Family.   Below are the ones I have photos to honor.

As you will note Burton and Glendora McKee were husband and wife.

Kirk was a locally well known and honored WW I veteran.

Kirk and Stella McKee were lovely people that I knew.  They had many foster children.

Vera Alice McKee.

Robert Mesko is related to the McKee's.

Donald E. Stone was Jerry L. Stone's father.

Jerry also worked in the Chenango County Sheriff's Dept.

Headstone for Freda and Jerry Stone.  Freda was a nurse and is still living.