QUAKER SETTLEMENT CEMETERY INSCRIPTIONS

McCARTHY ROAD, TOWN OF BRASHER

ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY, NY

MAY, 2002

 

(Note: This data was sent to me for inclusion on my webpage by John Austin.  It’s a great addition, but since I haven’t actually walked this cemetery, I don’t have any personal data on it.  I can relay questions though if needed.)

 

    This cemetery is located in the Town of Brasher, just a few miles north of Brasher Falls, NY.  The cemetery can be seen off the east side of the McCarthy Road,  just a few hundred yards past where it branches off of Co. Rt. 50.  It is located off the road about 100 yards, behind a hay meadow belonging to a nearby farm.  Technically, there is a 66 foot wide right of way leading from the McCarthy Rd. to the cemetery, just past the northern border of the meadow, but it has been completely overgrown and access was gained by asking the land owner for permission to cross the meadow.

     Quaker Settlement was active in the 1830’s-1840’s, and after the Quakers moved on, Irish farmers and laborers for the nearby Brasher Iron Works lived in the area.  The cemetery may have had over 100 burials, but only 11 stones could be found in May, 2002 recording the deaths of 16 individuals.  The cemetery is in sandy soil, but has been overgrown with vegetation that is difficult to dig through, and the terrain is very rough as if it had been dug up.  The visible graves are so scattered that it is not possible to discern a pattern of plots and rows.  Quite a few plain stone markers were found, indicating graves (or former graves) but very few actual tombstones were found. The original boundaries of the cemetery are not known, and there may be graves concealed under some of the many small trees which are encroaching on the cemetery, especially on the northern and eastern sides.

   One of the gravestones listed in an older cemetery census could not be found, even after several hours of prodding the soil.  However, 1 stone which was NOT in that census was discovered.

 

CHAMBERLAIN, Polly, “wife of Aaron Chamberlain, died July 19, 1859 ae 60 yrs”. 

 

 The Chamberlains lived with children Horace, Eliza and Elvira in 1850

 

CLAPP, Harriet  “daughter of Reuben and Polly Clapp died Aug. 18, 1842 ae 21 yrs 3 mos ? days. “

 

 There appears to be 2 stones for this girl, almost the same information listed on each, and the most of the name is broken off of one, while the other was broken in two and repaired.  One of the stones had been mostly buried.

 

CORBIN, Timothy  1826-1830 ae 4 yrs.  This is the stone which could not be located in 2002. 

 

HARRIMAN, David  “died Feb. 28, 1860 ae 39 years 2 mos. 2__ days” 

 

KINGSTON, “_________  and ___________ daughters of James and Mary Kingston.  Suffer  little children to come unto me and forbid them not,  for such is the kingdom of Heaven”

 

This is one of the stones dug up and not recorded in th other census. It is extremely worn, with  the names of the two girls at the top completely worn off.  One died June 17, 1863(?) ae 7 yrs 5 mos and the other one died sometime in 1863(?), but was too worn to read.

 

KINNE(Y), Stephen  “died Aug. 8, 1848 ae 76 years and          “

 

                 this is a double stone which also lists his wife Althea.  The number of months in his age was apparently left off

 

            Althea  “his wife died Oct. 7, 1852 aged 89 years.”

 

                  After the death of her husband, Althea moved in with her son Thomas and family and is listed there in the 1850 census of Brasher.  At the bottom it says “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord”.  The Kinne families are listed as “ Kinney” in the 1850 and 1860 censuses

 

 

KINNE(Y), “Mary E. died Oct. 7, 1856 ae 18  yrs.”

                  

                    “Elizabeth A. died Oct. 9, 1860 ae 25 years”

 

these girls are on the same stone which also says “daughters of T. T. and C. E. Kinne” and “They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not long divided”

                     

            Thomas and Eliza Kinne are listed with these girls on p. 820 of the 1850 Brasher census

 

KINNE(Y), Christiana  “wife of Thomas T. Kinne died Oct. 30, 1867 ae 54 years. “

 

 It appears that the woman listed as “C.E.” Kinne on the stone above, is the same as the wife of Thomas Kinne who is listed as Eliza in the 1850 census, but as Christiana in 1860.  So perhaps her full name was Christiana Elizabeth

 

PHELPS, Sally L. “ wife of John Phelps died Sept. 29, 1849  aged 49 years.”

 

 By 1850, John Phelps had re-married a woman named Mary, and they still lived in Quaker Settlement in 1860

 

SAWYER, Marcia  “In memory of Miss Marcia Sawyer died June 2, 1830(?) ae 32 years.”

 

  The date may be 1836 or something else. 

 

WAGSTAFF, “Henry died May 5, 1861 ae 92 yrs”

 

                        “Mary his wife died Aug. 19, 1874(?)  ae 82 yrs”

 

                       “Rebekah their daughter died Oct. 21(?), 1863, ae 39(?)”