The information on this page was obtained from "The Lesley E. Voorhees Records," Volume I, pages 145-146. To a large degree, the format of the original document has been maintained, but a first column to number the entries has been added for convenience in referencing. Also, the asterisks are an addition. An asterisk indicates that Kenneth J. Wooster was able to locate that inscription on September 30,1992.
OLD PRESBYTERIAN CEMETERY
This is a small cemetery standing close to the road leading north from Plainville. In May, 1932, it was cleared and put in order, and the stones were reset. Some of the stones had been removed in the past and used to make a foundation for the driveway from the road to the house next the cemetery. The ends of tombstones can be plainly seen from the road to the house next the cemetery, and presumably extend its entire width. The house was formerly a schoolhouse (Dist. No. 6). The cemetery land belonged to Mrs. Emma Brown's father, Mr. Acker; the Presbyterian Church then stood opposite the house where Mrs. Winchell lived and not far from this cemetery. The inscriptions were secured in September 1931, and November, 1932, by Lesley E. Voorhees; all inscriptions carefully verified Nov. 15, 1932.
01 ALLEN Calista L., dau. of Miles and Mary Allen,
died Aug. 12, 1832, ae 13 yrs02 BARLOW * In memory of Gould Barlow who died Nov.15, 1828,
ae 31 yr 2 mo 15 days03 BETTS * Jane Ann Eliza, dau. of Chauncey and Maria Ann Betts,
died Jan 14, 1837, ae 1 yr 2 mo 8 days04 BETTS * Ann Mariah, infant dau. of Chauncey and Ann Mariah Betts,
died Mar 9, 1827, ae 6 mo 3 days05 BETTS Wm. Chaunc., son of Chaunc. and Maria Ann Betts,
died Apr. 6, 1832, ae 4 yr 1 mo 5 days06 BETTS * Nathan Betts, a revolutionary Soldier,
died Mar. 6, 1844 ---
(stone set in cement about the middle of the date, so rest,
if any, is buried. See note)07 BRISTOL Israel Bristol of Columbia Co.,
died Oct. 9, 1825, ae 57 yrs08 BROWN * Henry T., son of Wm. H. and Polly Brown,
died Feb. 13, 1843, ae 8 yr 10 mo 23 days09 CAIN * George, Jr., son of George and Susan Cain,
died July 15, 1832, ae 24 yrs10 DeGROFF * Peter DeGroff, born Mar. 20, 1783;
died Nov. 20, 185511 DeGROFF * Rachel, wife of Peter DeGroff, died May 1, 1837,
ae 47 yr 6 mo 24 days12 EMMONS Francis Emmons, died Jan. 17, 1836,
in his 30th year13 FANCHER Matilda, dau. of Samuel and Clarissa Fancher,
died Aug. 6, 1844, ae 5 yr 2 mo14 FRISBEY Abram Frisbey died Apr. 17, 1848
ae 33 yr 5 mo 14 days15 HART * Simeon D., son of Noadiah and Clarissa Hart,
died Sept. 8, 1831, ae 2 yr 1 mo 5 days16 JENKINS Sarah Ann, dau. of Gideon and Jane Jenkins,
died Aug. 4, 1834, ae 13 yrs17 KENNEDY In memory of Gideon Kennedy who died July 9, 1824,
ae 56 yr 8 mo 15 days18 KENNEDY Sarah Ann, dau. of Dennis and Ann Kennedy,
was thrown from a carriage May 29,
and died on the 31, 1840, ae 22 yr 1 mo 20 days19 KENNEDY In memory of Eunice, dau. of Dennis and Ann Kennedy,
who died Nov. 18, 1834, ae 13 yr 4 mo 16 days
* In memory of Ann, wife of Dennis Kennedy,
who died Nov. 19, 1834, ae 40 yr 7 mo 16 days20 LOCKWOOD George, son of S. D. and C. J. Lockwood,
born Dec. 20, 1848, died Aug. 31, 1851.21 LODER Sacred to the memory of George K., son of
Jeremiah and Clarissa Loder, who died Apr. 20, 1842,
ae 10 yr 6 mo 21 days22 MARTIN * William, son of T. S. and J. Martin,
died Aug. 31, 1845, ae 5 mo23 MARTIN * Margaret, wife of John Martin, died Aug 7, 1859,
ae 40 yr 27 days24 MARTIN Susan, dau. of John and Margaret Martin,
died Oct. 31, 1844, ae 8 days25 MARTIN John Henry, son of John and Margaret Martin,
died Apr. 2, 1847, ae 4 yr 10 mo 13 days26 MARVIN * Adelbert, son of B. and M. J. Marvin,
died Oct. 29, 1849, ae 18 mo 3 days27 MARVIN * In memory of John Marvin who died Feb. 8, 1837,
ae 46 yr 11 mo 19 days28 MASTIN * In memory of John Mastin who died Dec. 20, 1834,
ae 15 yr 3 mo 15 days29 MORLEY Julia, wife of Geo. Morley, died July 13, 1825,
ae 25 yrs30 PERINE * In memory of Delana Perine, wife of Henry Perine,
who died Jan. 26, 1820, ae 26 yrs 19 days31 PERINE Delana C., dau. of Henry and Amanda Perine,
died May 17, 1827, ae 4 yr 3 mo 5 days32 PERRINE Daughter and son of John and Sarah Perrine:
* Charlotte died Oct. 18, 1851, ae 4 yr 20 days
* Peter died Oct Oct 17, 1851, ae 1 yr 7 mo33 SLAUSON * Theodore B., son of Z. B. and Almira Slauson,
died Aug. 29, 1851, ae 16 yr 5 mo 8 days34 SLAUSON * Joseph B., son of Z. B. and Almira Slauson,
died Feb. 6, 1833, ae 14 yr 5 mo 15 days35 SMITH In memory of W'd Mary Smith who died Dec 15, 1824,
ae 60 yrs36 SMITH * Polly, wife of Alford Smith, died June 22, 1837, in her 37 year
(this could be 27 yr - looks like a 2 changed to a 3)37 SMITH * Emmeline, dau. of Alford and Polly Smith, died june 31, 1832,
ae 2yr 9 mo 7 days38 SMITH Abijah Smith died June 27, 1828, ae 68 yrs 39 SMITH -------, --- -- A. and J. Smith, died Apr. 4, 1850,
ae 2 yr 11 mo 9 days, "Here lies a spritely boy, ---"40 STRAIT ----- Strait, who died Mar. 25, 1829, ae 24 yrs
(broken tombstone at back door of house next door)41 TATOR Eunice, wife of Lewis Tator, died Mar. 2, 1826,
in her 31st yr of her age
(lies flat and crumbling in path at back of house next door)42 TATOR In memory of Nicholas Tator who died Sept. 20, 1834,
ae 21 yr 1 mo 5 days43 TEEL Susan F., wife of Ira J. Teel, died Sept. 11, 1851
ae 23 yr 7 mo 13 days44 VAN PATTEN * Elizabeth M., dau. of Wm. and P. Van Patten,
died May 14, 1849, ae 4 yr 7 mo 14 days
* Lesley M., son of Wm. and P. Van Patten,
died May 12, 1849, ae 4 mo 18 days45 VOORHES * In memory of William Voorhees, who died Oct. 11, 1830,
ae 53 yrs46 WEST Irene, wife of Nathan West, late of Mass.,
died Mar. 8, 1847, in the 63rd yr of her age
(lies at the front door of house next door)47 WOOSTER Jerusha, wife of L. L. Wooster,
died Mar 24., 1841,
ae 59 yr 7 mo 17 days48 WOOSTER -----, son of D. K. and S. J. Wooster,
died Feb. 14, 1855,
ae 2 yr 5 mo 15 daysAdditional burials:
DR. W. M. Beauchamp and Mr. Ralph C. Hannum both made copies of tombstones in this old cemetery. The following are inscriptions from stones which they found but which I could not locate now. (L. E. V.)
49 MARTIN Mary J., wife of Benjamin Martin, died May 25, 1850,
ae 22 yr 1 mo (Mr. H.)50 MASTIN Charity, wife of John Mastin, died Feb. 2, 1835,
ae 74 yrs (Dr. B.)51 SMITH Joshua Smith died Feb. 19, 1835
ae 68 yrs (Dr. B.)52 SMITH Rhoda, wife of Joshua Smith, died Dec. 19, 1835
ae 61 yrs (Dr. B.)Notes on Old Presbyterian Cemetery
Mr. Hannum gives the following for Nathan Betts - evidently secured before the stone was set in cement the spring of 1932: Nathan Betts, a revolutionary soldier, died Mar. 26, 1844, in the 91 year of his age. Dr. Beauchamp gives the following for Nathan Betts: Nathan Betts, born Aug. 13, 1753, died Mar. 26, 1844, in 91 y.
Rachel DeGroff was a daughter of Adonijah Peacock and Sarah Voorhees, of New Jersey.
Mrs. Dewey A. Gates of Jordan said that Sarah Ann Kennedy who was thrown from a carriage was engaged to marry Willard H. Downer, later of Baldwinsville. The wedding was very near and Sarah Ann was returning home after purchasing her wedding bonnet when the horse stumbled or ran away and she was thrown out.
William Martin was a son of Thomas S. Martin and Jane DeGroff. There is an inscription found for him in the new Lysander cemetery a few miles away; it is difficult to know whether the body was removed. The Lysander inscription reads William Martin, born Apr. 2. 1845, died Aug. 13 (instead of Aug.31), 1845.
Margaret, wife of John Martin, was a daughter of Peter Degroff and Rachel Peacock who are buried in this old cemetery. Margaret and John had five children, four of whom died in infancy and are buried in this cemetery: Susan and John Henry have stones with full inscriptions; parts of two other stones with incomplete inscriptions may be for Harriet Louisa, born June 10, 1840, died Nov 22, 1840, and Peter Lesley, born Feb. 17, 1845, died Apr. 6, 1847. The youngest child, Ellen May, married and lived in Michigan. After Margaret Martin's death, John married Sarah Jane Perrine and moved to Wisconsin.
Dr. Beauchamp gave John Mastin's age as 75 yr 3 mo 15 days, but I am sure he was 15 years old. He was the son of John Mastin and Margery Kennedy, both of whom are buried in the Plainville Cemetery.
These Perine inscriptions are found in the Lysander Cemetery: Delana, wife of Henry Perine, born Jan. 17, 1794, died Jan. 26, 1820. Delana Carter, dau. of Henry A. and Amanda Perine, born Feb. 12, 1823, died May 17, 1827.
Voorhees material ends here.
On the stone for Delana Perine, wife of Henry Perine (#30), I found also the inscription, "Alas, her sun went down at noon."
In the copy of "The Voorhees Record" at the Onondaga Historical Association, next to entry for Theodore B. Slauson (#33) someone has neatly written, "suicide."
A brief history of "The Second Presbyterian Church of Lysander" (apparently named that because the first was in Baldwinsville), founded October 19, 1820, can be found on pages 324-325 of "History of Onondaga County, New York," 1878. "Onondaga's Centennial," Vol. I, 1896, also has a brief history on page 757. The date given in this second book for the forming of "The Second Presbyterian Church of Lysander" is October 20, 1820. The "First Protestant Dutch Church" organized on March 1, 1828, and the two congregations built a church building together. By 1833 they had had a falling out, and after some litigation the building was awarded to the Dutch Reformed group. At this point the Presbyterians built a church of their own. I presume that that was the one near this cemetery. By 1877 both congregations had lost membership and they merged under the name "The Congregational Church and Society of Lysander." Was it at this time that the building owned by the Presbyterians (and its cemetery) were abandoned?
AN APPEAL: If you have any idea where
one might find the records of baptisms, marriage and deaths from "The Second
Presbyterian Church of Lysander," I would very much like to hear from you.
PARTIAL SUCCESS: One reader of this page
kindly alerted me to the fact that the Bird Library at Syracuse University
had been given some of the records from the Dutch Reformed Church. I discovered
the following at Bird:
1. Acts and Proceedings of the Consistory of the First Reformed Protestant
Dutch Church of Lysander, Vol. 3, March 15, 1866 - April 14, 1877
(In addition to minutes of meetings, this book contains a registry of
marriages, membership, etc. for the eleven years covered by the book.)
2. A volume containing the business proceedings of the Congregational
Church in Lysander from its inception on May 3, 1877 to 1965(?).
3. A volume containing the church register of the Congregational
Church for the same period. (The list of members begins with a listing of
those who came from the Dutch Reformed Church and those who came from the
Presbyterian Church.)
4. Manual of the Congregational Church of Lysander, N.Y.,
(This small paper manual is interesting especially because it contains
an alphabetical list of the members of the Congregational Church on
May 3, 1877, a chronological list of the members of the Presbyterian
Church from 1820 to 1877 and a chronological list of the members of
the Dutch Reformed Church from 1828 to 1877.)
STILL LOOKING: It would be nice
to locate the first 2 volumes of the records of the Dutch Reformed Church.
But I especially want to see the Presbyterian Church's record of the
baptisms, marriages and deaths between 1820 and 1877.
On August 23, 2005 I received an inquiry from Bill Elliott, wilbereelliott3@aol.com, concerning the Old Presbyterian Cemetery. His ancestors lived in the Cross Lake area of Lysander. Bill said in his message, "I have searched all the available cemetery records online, plus I hired a local researcher there in Baldwinsville to check into other areas for cemetery lists. I believe that my ancestor, Jonathan Elliot (b. ca. 1782 d. abt. 1833) was most likely buried in the old Plainville [sic, I believe he meant "Presbyterian." KJW] Cemetery, since this is the closest public burial grounds near their lot (#91 in Lysander). I saw several of Jonathan's neighbors buried there, but no Elliot."
It seems to be a reasonable assumption that Jonathan Elliot is another who is buried here but whose tombstone may have been removed.
