The Quaker Cemetery

The Quaker Cemetery is located on Benson Road in the Town of Skaneateles. If one proceeds approximately 1.5 miles south on NY State Route 41A from the village of Skaneateles to Benson Road, the cemetery will be found on the right side of Benson Road just a few hundred feet from the intersection. In the summer of 2002 my GPS recorded a spot in the center of the cemetery as being 1044 feet in altitude, N 42° 55.347', and W 076° 26.304'.

Beauchamp (Inscriptions from Cemeteries in Onondaga County, N.Y., William Martin Beauchamp) listed only three graves in this cemetery. The three he listed were John Dibble, Jeremiah Spalding and Grace Ann Spalding. His facts were useful in completing the data on these three stones. Wood (Onondaga County Cemetery Inscriptions, Clyde B. Wood, 1961) was interesting to compare against my results. He copied his version on 13 August, 1960. I have inserted parenthetically comments on inscriptions which we read differently.

The Skaneateles Historical Society has a fair amount of material on the Society of Friends, but it has no specific information about the burials in this cemetery. If one is interested in Quaker burials in Skaneateles, one should check also Lakeview Cemetery.

The following material was collected by Kenneth Jennings Wooster on Sunday, 4 May, 1997. Some was rechecked on Friday, 9 May, 1997. Due to the difficulty in reading some stones there are uncertainties and undoubtedly several errors. Correction will be gratefully received.

Near the road is a small boulder bearing a plaque which says, '"Quaker Cemetery" donated by Electa Loveless McNamara.' The placing of this boulder and plaque is relatively recent.

It is interesting to note that about half the stones have their inscriptions facing west while the other half face east, effectively placing the stones with their backs to each other. Is this a result of religious belief or of worldly discord?

The cemetery contains four "modern" graves, which clearly are not Quaker.

The "Modern" Graves

01 Henry Gordon John Henry, Cpl, US Marine Corps, World War II, July 31, 1921, June 16, 1985 (This stone is a white marble US Veterans Administration stone.)

02 Henry Ruth W. Henry, 1924 - 1995

03 Wikstrom Arve S. Wikstrom 1907 - 1976 (The grave of A. S. Wikstrom and that of his wife are in an area enclosed by a low stone wall and containing a large central Wikstrom monument.)

04 Wikstrom Helen Louise 1906 - 1968

The Earlier Graves

05 Allen Harriet G., wife of Oliver Allen, died October 10, 1874 aged 71 years

06 Bentley Irwin, son of Geo. H. and Electa(??) Bentley, died April 18, 1863 aged 4 years (Wood had "Becky" rather than "Electa.")

07 Dibble John Dibble died May 24, 18[78] aged 38 yrs [2] mos [6] day (This stone is very near the road in the southwest corner of the cemetery. Information enclosed in square brackets was obtained from Beauchamp. Wood: 38-7-6)

08 Frost Louisa Frost died 9th mo 6, 1871 in her 82nd year (Wood: 83y)

09 Frost Russel Frost died 11th mo 8, 1865 in his 79th year

10 Gaylord Hannah, wife of Silas Gaylord, died March 14, 1863 aged 75 years

11 Gaylord Silas Gaylord died Jan 30 1841 aged 55 years

12 Haight Abby, wife of William Haight, died March 6, 1874 aged 68 yrs 8 mo

13 Haight Arthur Haight _______ Dec 10(??) 1876(??) aged 79(??) yrs (Wood: d- 19 Dec 1876 ae 45y.)

14 Haight Hannah, wife of Titus Haight, died Sept 1, 1873 aged 72 years 0(??) mo

15 Haight John S Haight died July 12, 1872 aged 69(??) yrs 5 mo (Wood agreed on the 69 yrs.)

16 Haight Phebe M., wife of John S. Haight, died Oct 14, 1898 aged 86 yrs 8 mo 11(??) ds (Wood: ae 86-8-14)

17 Haight Titus Haight died Jan 17, 1868 aged __ yrs 8 mo 16(??) ds (Wood: ae 79-8-16)

18 Haight William Haight died Feb 24, 1884 aged 79 years

19 Irish Matilda Irish died July 1, 1893 aged 86 years (This stone is the same style as the seven Haight stones, but it is somewhat apart from them. Wood: d- 4 July 1893)

20 Lawton Abner Lawton died June 20, 1855 aged 71 years

21 Lawton Abram A. Lawton, 1809 - 1896 (This inscription shares a stone with that of Phebe P. Lawton. The stone appears new and is perhaps a replacement)

22 Lawton John Lawton died ___ __ 18__, aged 62 years (Wood: d- 21 Dec 1869 ae 62 y.)

23 Lawton Mary W. Lawton, 1847 - 1901 (this stone appears newer and is probably a replacement.)

24 Lawton Phebe P. Lawton, 1815 - 1891 (This inscription shares a stone with that of Abram A. Lawton. The stone appears new and is perhaps a replacement. Wood has this inscription as "Phebe S." and identifies her as wife of Abram A.)

25 Lawton Wm. Henry Lawton died 4th mo 3, 1879, aged 22 years 8 mo 27 ds (Wood: ae 22y)

26 Lewis Cornelia A., wife of Henry H. Lewis, April 15, 1863 aged 43 years

27 Mabbett Esther, wife of Richard Mabbett, died July 20, 1851(??), aged __ years __ mo (Wood: d- 30 July 1851 ae 63 y wf of Richard)

28 Mabbett Maria Mabbett died Jan 23, 1889, aged 83 years

29 Mabbett R.(??) L.(??) Mabbett died ____, aged 79(??) yrs (This stone was tipped sharply forward making it very difficult to read. Wood read this inscription as "P. L. Macomber d- 30 Feb 1868 ae 79 y." I am rather certain that Wood was in error, as this stone was in the Mabbett group.)

30 Mabbett Richard Mabbett died Aug 19, 1842 aged 79 yrs 1 mo (Wood: d- 19 Aug 1847 ae 79y 11m.)

31 S______ E. S. (This is a crude stone with a non-square top that slopes sharply to the right. The lettering is approx. 3 inches high and is scratched in freehand. Wood did not list this stone.)

32 S______ I. S. (This stone is like the one preceding. The two appear to be different lamina of the same fieldstone. Wood did not list this stone.)

33 Slocum Achsah Slocum 1832 - 1920 (This stone appears to be a modern replacement. (Wood: 1832 - 1920 wf. of John B.)

34 Slocum Hatty, daughter of Ann B.(??) & Isaac(??) Slocum (This is a fragment and barely legible. Only the top portion of the stone is present. Wood: Chatty d- 26 Aug 1864 ae __ dau of John B. and Achsah. I tend to think that Wood is correct on the parents.)

35 Slocum John B. Slocum 1831 - 1896 (This stone appears to be a modern replacement.)

36 Spalding George Spalding ________ 11th mo 1, 1822(??) aged 83(??) years 6 mo 18 ds (Wood: d- 16 Nov 1872 ae 83 y.)

37 Spalding Grace Ann Spalding, Born June 2, 1801, entered into rest Oct 6, 1879 "No more weariness in suffering for thee. But thy memory will be long and tenderly cherished in our hearts." (Beauchamp did not have the quote. He also had the notation "wife Georg," but there is no evidence of such on the stone. He either had independent information or confused Grace Ann with Mary. Wood: 2 June 1801 - 6 Oct 1879, wf of George. I am still puzzled where the "wife of George" comes from. Although old this stone is among the more legible, and I insist that the stone has no such inscription.)

38 Spalding Isaac Spalding died March 19, 1868(??) aged 62 years (Wood: d- 19 Mar 1868 ae 67y.)

39 Spalding Jeremiah Spalding [b. May 14, 1761, d. May 2, 1847] aged 85 yrs 11 mo 19 days (Information inside square brackets is from Beauchamp. Wood did not have the birth date, but he agreed on all other details.)

40 Spalding Mary, wife of Geo Spalding, deceased 8th mo 1, 1846 aged 75(??) years __ mo __ days (Wood read her age as 55 years. He agreed on all else.)

41 ________ Carrie B. ______ (This stone is illegible, but it was one of four in a group which contained Achsah, Hatty and John B. Slocum, so perhaps it is a Slocum stone. Wood identified this stone as a Slocum stone. He read it as "Carrie M." All he managed to decipher from it was that she was a daughter of John B. and Achsah.)

An Addition — January 12, 2001

Shortly before Christmas 2000, I carried on an email interchange with Mattie Adams, mattie1@austin.rr.com. She is a g-g-g-g-granddaughter of George and Grace Spalding. I include here one of her email messages (with very minor editing) that answers several questions and corrects other errors made either by Beauchamp, by Wood, or by me.

... my source is the infamous The Spalding Memorial, by Charles Warren Spalding, A.M., published in Chicago in 1897. ...

#36 George Spalding was born April 29, 1789 and died Nov 16, 1872, so I believe that "aged 83 years" is correct. However, I believe that your "1822" might be "1872".

#37 Grace Ann Spalding was the 2nd wife of George Spalding (#36), whom he married in 1848. His 1st wife was Mary Westgate (#40). ...

#38 Isaac Spalding's date of death is correctly stated, "March 19, 1868", however his birthdate was March 18, 1801. Therefore, the stone should read "aged 67 years". I believe that the "7" may have again been read as a "2". This is the brother of George Spalding (#36)

#40 The Spalding Memorial states that Mary Spalding was born April 29, 1781, and died Aug 1, 1846. So it would seem that she'd be "65", rather than "75."

I am the fortunate holder/owner of a cherished letter that George Spalding and Grace wrote to his grandson (and my g-g-grandfather!), just before George Spalding's death in 1872. It will be published in the proposed expanded Spalding Memorial. Publication date unknown.

Hope this helps.
Mattie

...

Another Addition — January 26, 2013

On 26 January 2013 I received an email message from Susan Spaulding, sspaulding816@verizon.net.

I am working on the family history for my family, The Spaldings/Spauldings. My husband is a Spaulding descendant from Edward Spalding in Braintree, Mass.
My husband is a very distant relation to the Spauldings listed in the Quaker Cemetery (he's from another Spaulding descendant). I have found several sources with a different date of birth for Jeremiah Spaulding, to include DAR records, an SAR record, "The Spalding Memorial" by Charles Warren Spalding. These records suggest his DOB as 03 Feb 1771.
Susan Barrow Spaulding
...

woosterk@cortland.edu
Copyright © Kenneth Jennings Wooster
All rights are reserved.
File created: May 15,1997.
File modified: January 12, 2001; December 29, 2002; February 2, 2003, January 26, 2013.

		The "Modern" Graves
01	Henry	Gordon John Henry, Cpl, US Marine Corps, World War II, July 31, 1921, June 16, 1985 (This stone is a white marble US Veterans Administration stone.)
02	Henry	Ruth W. Henry, 1924 - 1995
03	Wikstrom	Arve S. Wikstrom 1907 - 1976 (The grave of A. S. Wikstrom and that of his wife are in an area enclosed by a low stone wall and containing a large central Wikstrom monument.)
04	Wikstrom	Helen Louise 1906 - 1968

		The Earlier Graves
05	Allen	Harriet G., wife of Oliver Allen, died October 10, 1874 aged 71 years
06	Bentley	Irwin, son of Geo. H. and Electa(??) Bentley, died April 18, 1863 aged 4 years (Wood had "Becky" rather than "Electa.")
07	Dibble	John Dibble died May 24, 18[78] aged 38 yrs [2] mos [6] day (This stone is very near the road in the southwest corner of the cemetery. Information enclosed in square brackets was obtained from Beauchamp. Wood: 38-7-6)
08	Frost	Louisa Frost died 9th mo 6, 1871 in her 82nd year (Wood: 83y)
09	Frost	Russel Frost died 11th mo 8, 1865 in his 79th year
10	Gaylord	Hannah, wife of Silas Gaylord, died March 14, 1863 aged 75 years
11	Gaylord	Silas Gaylord died Jan 30 1841 aged 55 years
12	Haight	Abby, wife of William Haight, died March 6, 1874 aged 68 yrs 8 mo
13	Haight	Arthur Haight _______ Dec 10(??) 1876(??) aged 79(??) yrs (Wood: d- 19 Dec 1876 ae 45y.)
14	Haight	Hannah, wife of Titus Haight, died Sept 1, 1873 aged 72 years 0(??) mo
15	Haight	John S Haight died July 12, 1872 aged 69(??) yrs 5 mo (Wood agreed on the 69 yrs.)
16	Haight	Phebe M., wife of John S. Haight, died Oct 14, 1898 aged 86 yrs 8 mo 11(??) ds (Wood: ae 86-8-14)
17	Haight	Titus Haight died Jan 17, 1868 aged __ yrs 8 mo 16(??) ds (Wood: ae 79-8-16)
18	Haight	William Haight died Feb 24, 1884 aged 79 years
19	Irish	Matilda Irish died July 1, 1893 aged 86 years (This stone is the same style as the seven Haight stones, but it is somewhat apart from them. Wood: d- 4 July 1893)
20	Lawton	Abner Lawton died June 20, 1855 aged 71 years
21	Lawton	Abram A. Lawton, 1809 - 1896 (This inscription shares a stone with that of Phebe P. Lawton. The stone appears new and is perhaps a replacement)
22	Lawton	John Lawton died ___ __ 18__, aged 62 years (Wood: d- 21 Dec 1869 ae 62 y.)
23	Lawton	Mary W. Lawton, 1847 - 1901 (this stone appears newer and is probably a replacement.)
24	Lawton	Phebe P. Lawton, 1815 - 1891 (This inscription shares a stone with that of Abram A. Lawton. The stone appears new and is perhaps a replacement. Wood has this inscription as "Phebe S." and identifies her as wife of Abram A.)
25	Lawton	Wm. Henry Lawton died 4th mo 3, 1879, aged 22 years 8 mo 27 ds (Wood: ae 22y)
26	Lewis	Cornelia A., wife of Henry H. Lewis, April 15, 1863 aged 43 years
27	Mabbett	Esther, wife of Richard Mabbett, died July 20, 1851(??), aged __ years __ mo (Wood: d- 30 July 1851 ae 63 y wf of Richard)
28	Mabbett	Maria Mabbett died Jan 23, 1889, aged 83 years
29	Mabbett	R.(??) L.(??) Mabbett died ____, aged 79(??) yrs (This stone was tipped sharply forward making it very difficult to read. Wood read this inscription as "P. L. Macomber d- 30 Feb 1868 ae 79 y." I am rather certain that Wood was in error, as this stone was in the Mabbett group.)
30	Mabbett	Richard Mabbett died Aug 19, 1842 aged 79 yrs 1 mo (Wood: d- 19 Aug 1847 ae 79y 11m.)
31	S______	E. S. (This is a crude stone with a non-square top that slopes sharply to the right. The lettering is approx. 3 inches high and is scratched in freehand. Wood did not list this stone.)
32	S______	I. S. (This stone is like the one preceding. The two appear to be different lamina of the same fieldstone. Wood did not list this stone.)
33	Slocum	Achsah Slocum 1832 - 1920 (This stone appears to be a modern replacement. (Wood: 1832 - 1920 wf. of John B.)
34	Slocum	Hatty, daughter of Ann B.(??) & Isaac(??) Slocum (This is a fragment and barely legible. Only the top portion of the stone is present. Wood: Chatty d- 26 Aug 1864 ae __ dau of John B. and Achsah. I tend to think that Wood is correct on the parents.)
35	Slocum	John B. Slocum 1831 - 1896 (This stone appears to be a modern replacement.)
36	Spalding	George Spalding ________ 11th mo 1, 1822(??) aged 83(??) years 6 mo 18 ds (Wood: d- 16 Nov 1872 ae 83 y.)
37	Spalding	Grace Ann Spalding, Born June 2, 1801, entered into rest Oct 6, 1879 "No more weariness in suffering for thee. But thy memory will be long and tenderly cherished in our hearts." (Beauchamp did not have the quote. He also had the notation "wife Georg," but there is no evidence of such on the stone. He either had independent information or confused Grace Ann with Mary. Wood: 2 June 1801 - 6 Oct 1879, wf of George. I am still puzzled where the "wife of George" comes from. Although old this stone is among the more legible, and I insist that the stone has no such inscription.)
38	Spalding	Isaac Spalding died March 19, 1868(??) aged 62 years (Wood: d- 19 Mar 1868 ae 67y.)
39	Spalding	Jeremiah Spalding [b. May 14, 1761, d. May 2, 1847] aged 85 yrs 11 mo 19 days (Information inside square brackets is from Beauchamp. Wood did not have the birth date, but he agreed on all other details.)
40	Spalding	Mary, wife of Geo Spalding, deceased 8th mo 1, 1846 aged 75(??) years __ mo __ days (Wood read her age as 55 years. He agreed on all else.)
41	________	Carrie B. ______ (This stone is illegible, but it was one of four in a group which contained Achsah, Hatty and John B. Slocum, so perhaps it is a Slocum stone. Wood identified this stone as a Slocum stone. He read it as "Carrie M." All he managed to decipher from it was that she was a daughter of John B. and Achsah.)