SOME SMALL CEMETERIES

Town of Warren

Herkimer County, NY

The reading of the Methodist Episcopal Cemetery was done by Mrs. M. M. Hatch of South Columbia, Herkimer County, in the early 1920s. It was noted on the November 1926 typescript of this list that the original Methodist Episcopal Church was entirely gone, including the foundation.

Thank you to Barbara Allen Empey Elmore for contributing this article from the June 22, 1922 Richfield Springs Mercury:

LEST WE FORGET

Pursuant to notice, a meeting was held in Warren, Friday afternoon, June 16,1922, for the purpose of incorporating the "Old Warren" M.E. Church cemetery. Saturday, July 1st was decided upon as "clean-up" day. Naught but the foundations stones of the church built in 1814 remain, but it is well to recall some of those whose voices rose in prayer and praise when its walls were strong and protecting, whose nearby graves are submerged neath a dense growth of unsightly bush and bramble and the way to them utterly inaccessible. Three Revolutionary soldiers are bivouacked here neath an accumulation of debris. Abram (sic) Lighthall enlisted and served as corporal under Col. Abraham Wemple, Col. Goose Van Schaick, Peter Bellinger and in the 1st NY Regiment was at Valley Forge and served through the entire war. There are many incidents on record of the daring and bravery of the Lighthalls, three of whom were in the service, but now-

Their swords are rust
Their bones are dust
Their souls are with the saints trust.

Abraham Lighthall died with the closing hours of 1831, aged 96 years. (His wife died at 110 years in Michigan). Isaac Holmes, born in Williamstown, Mass. in 1751 was a private in the 2nd Mass Regt and was in the battle of Bennington Aug 16, 1777. Mrs Holmes carried her year old child up the mountain side where she remained during the action. In 1793 (?) their daughter Phoebe married Ezekiel Comstock and all came to Warren where Mr Holmes cleared the farm later known as Fern Croft. Isaac Holmes died 17 dec 1843 aged 92. (Wife Ann died illegible but is buried with him) These patriot graves were marked by the Mohawk Chapter DAR in 1912.

Isaac Freeman Jr, born in Woodbridge, Middlesex Co, NJ, Sept 14, 1747, married Elizabeth Elston and served in the 2nd Essex County Militia during the Revolution and came to Warren in 1788. He was a millwright and carpenter and built the first Mill on Fish Creek in 1795 and the locality was called Freeman' Mills.In later years the property was purchased by the Weatherby's (sic). Their 2nd daughter Rhoda married Benjamin Cory Jr who published the first newspaper in Herkimer County, the first west of Albany "The Telescope", of which no known copy exists. Isaac Freeman died in 1824, aged 71, His grave was marked by Henderson Chapter DAR in 1921.

Captain Charles Fox was born in Middletown, Conn. in 1783 and came to Warren in 1805 and was one of the most prominent men of his day and generation. He served his country in the War of 1812. He owned a farm of 600 acres [see note below] and kept a dairy of 100 cows and is accredited the honor of making the first cheese south of the Mohawk. His beautiful headstone is broken and prone.

Near the west gate is the grave of Jesse S Burgess, whose father was a quartermaster in the Revolution. He was an early hotel keeper in Winfield, Brighton, and in 1836 succeeded Robert Benedict for whom the old Richfield Hotel was built. Near him is his son Sgt John H Burgess of the Civil War, wounded 4 times at Salem Heights and again at the Wilderness, Winchester and at Gettysburg.

At an early date Jacob Elwood Sr and Jr kept a general grocery store at Page's Corners. Two of the sons of Jacob Jr, Menzo and Moses, were in Co D 121 Infantry in the Civil War, where Menzo lost his eyesight and the lamp of life went out.

Tunis Vrooman, a prisoner of the Rev. War, died June 30, 1865. aged 100 years. He saw many members of his family massacred in his infancy.

Here are the family plots of Daniel Marshall, Cyrus Williamson, Garrett Wykoff, John Gano, Richard Hopkinson, Samuel Segar, John Hamm and many others.

A Note From the Submitter - "Change Charles Fox from 600 to 200 acres. Further research reveals that the info in the Mercury was incorrect."

Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Allen Empey Elmore

Pooler Cemetery was prepared and donated by Contributing Editor Betsy Voorhees.

The first reading below of the Paul Crim Cemetery was also done by Mrs. M. M. Hatch of South Columbia, Herkimer County, in the early 1920s. It was noted on the November 1926 typescript of this list that the Paul Crim Cemetery was located east of Jordanville leading from Cranes Corners to Henderson on the top of the first hill.

The second reading of the Paul Crim Cemetery is a radically different interpretation. Copied by Mrs. Thomas D. (Corinne Wheeler) Watkins, of the Oneida Chapter of the D.A.R. and dated 1927, it notes that two people who Mrs. Hatch stated were Jacob and Elizabeth Bell were Jacob Crim and his wife Elizabeth. Four other Crim stones are also noted. There could be several reasons for this type of discrepancy, such as: the Watkins reading may have been taken before the Hatch reading yet not presented until later; an older list may have been located and added to Mrs. Watkins' reading: or the cemetery may have been cleaned, and buried or turned-over stones exposed. However, Mrs. Watkins said that the age portion of Adam Bell's headstone was broken off at the time of her own reading and did not indicate that she had supplemented her reading with other sources. Because the S.A.R. marker was not noted by Mrs. Hatch, a cleanup undertaken for the dedication of the marker is a plausible explanation. Or she may have just not noted it on her list.

Since Mrs. Watkins was a member of the Genealogical Research Committee of the Oneida Chapter of the D.A.R., and her name is often attached to Mrs. Hatch's lists, perhaps she questioned this particular reading and turned over some stones to get a better reading. She did not use Mrs. Hatch's death age for Adam Bell. Although considered primary resources, tombstone readings and lists are not infallible. The eyes that read the stones, the memories that estimated birth dates, and the hands that etched those dates are all prone to error. The Watkins reading follows the Hatch reading below.

Mrs. Watkins noted that the Paul Crim Cemetery was situated on the old Paul Crim farm, about two and one -half miles from Jordanville and about one-half mile from Crane's Corners, Herkimer County, N.Y. The S.A.R. marker, for service between 1778 - 1783, stated:

This reading of the Bloomfield Cemetery was made by Mrs. M. M. Hatch of South Columbia, Herkimer County, in the early 1920s. It was noted on the November 1926 typescript that the cemetery was located between Richfield Springs and Jordanville, on the State Road, about 1/2 mile north of Richfield Springs (Otsego Co) in Herkimer County.

Source: These lists were typed from the original November 1926 lists of Mrs. M. M. Hatch, of South Columbia, NY.
Submitted by: Jerry Reed

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