A Visit to Chichester Cemetery
The Town of Bedford, New York, where I live, has a very rich history. So much of that history can be discovered by visiting the more than thirty burying grounds in the Bedford area. Cemeteries are considered by many to be eerie places, full of ghosts, but I find them fascinating. By reading old grave markers, you can find out so much about family lineage and how old or young people were when they passed away. Recently, Betsy Perreten, my stable manager, has gotten involved with a great group of people who also find graveyards intriguing and well-worth saving. They call themselves the Friends of Bedford Burying Grounds and working with volunteers, they perform critical tasks, such as clearing overgrowth and straightening and cleaning headstones. When large repairs are required, a professional conservationist is brought in. Their goal is conservation and preservation of these outdoor history museums carved in stone.
1 Chichester Cemetery is one of at least 30 cemeteries in the town of Bedford. The first interment here was in 1838, but the town took this one over in 1883.
2 These old burial grounds are owned by local churches, the town, or private landowners and unfortunately, many of them have fallen into serious disrepair.
3 For many people, walking through old cemeteries is like walking through an outdoor museum, finding them quiet, restful, and very educational.
4 Bedford is lucky to have a dedicated group of volunteers that call themselves the Friends of Bedford Burying Grounds (FBBG), working to preserve and restore the cemeteries and gravestones.
5 Some of that group - Betsy Perreten - my stable manager, Jenny Weisburger - President of FBBG, Ray Hinkley, Dick Schmidt - Vice President of FBBG, John Stockbridge - Town Historian of Bedford, and Gray Williams - Town Historian of New Castle
6 That day, the group cleaned several of the head stones, which become discolored over time with mold, mildew, lichen, moss, and acid rain.
7 The stones are sprayed with water and scrubbed with a stiff, natural bristle brush. Cleaning takes good old elbow grease.
8 To facilitate reading the inscriptions, baking soda is rubbed over the words, making them quite visible. Jesper C. Brundace died on Oct. 23, 1877 and his wife stated - Dearest husband thou hast left me and thy loss I deeply feel. But tis God that hath bereft me, he can all my sorrows heal.
9 Baking soda revealed that Ella M. - Daughter of Oiver & Myra Miller - died on March 6, 1875 at 19 years 1 Mo. & 1 Day.
10 Today, most headstones are made out of granite, but for a time, marble was the stone of choice. However, unbeknownst back then, marble is damaged by acid rain, wearing shapes and images away.
11 Lichen is a common problem. Although it doesn't appear to damage the stone, it can certainly make reading inscriptions very difficult.
12 Jenny demonstrated how they go about removing lichen, using a simple wooden shim.
13 The lichen comes right off the surface and then the letters can be picked clean. It's important to use forgiving tools that won't scratch or damage the stone in any way.
14 This is a little girl's grave who died in 1883 at the age of 4. Sadly, old cemeteries serve as a reminder at how much infant and childhood mortality there was, as vaccines and antibiotics were non-existent and getting ill was all-too-often the kiss of death.
15 The girl's name was Clara May Miller.
16 The group finds certain historical records to be very helpful. This volume lists all those buried in the town of Bedford cemeteries from 1681 to 1975, although it doesn't specify which burial grounds.
17 There are several Revolutionary War soldiers buried at Buxton Cemetery.
18 Several cemetery maps were found which have also proven very helpful.
19 This three-volume work by Patrick Raftery is a wealth of information about churchyards, family graveyards, and public cemeteries of Westchester County.
20 This comprehensive work combines thorough research and wonderful photography.
21 This important reference provides detailed information about cemeteries that still exist, as well as those that have disappeared.
22 The group uses a local monument repair person to fix simple breaks with epoxy.
23 Sometimes that repair person will craft a new base for an old stone.
24 For more complex repairs, the group plans to hire a gravestone conservator, who uses special mortars, epoxies, and injectable fillers. This type of restoration is costly and donations are greatly appreciated.
25 Quite often, footstones, or other "found" objects were used to shore up a fallen headstone.
26 This stone is somewhat of a mystery. It belongs to a farmer, William Shephard, who died in 1882 at the ripe old age of 90 years!
27 Someone found the stone in the woods, away from the main part of the cemetery and carried it there to be near the other graves. However, a volunteer of the group poked around in the woods and found that the deceased was, indeed, buried apart from the others!
28 With a little digging, the rest of the headstone was uncovered.
29 And so was the footstone! Footstones were used to mark where the deceased person's feet were located, clearly indicating exactly where the body was buried, so as not to dig there again.
30 Now they just have to figure out why William Shepherd was buried so far away from everyone else. Was he a social menace?
31 The grave of an infant girl just 12 days old
32 The top of the stone is badly blackened by acid rain.
33 Dick explained that the black will eventually come off with persistent gentle scrubbing.
34 Another young death at 6 months and 24 days - Darling May, she has left us. Left us, yes, for evermore.
35 Nancy Scofield, who died on March 6, 1866 lived a relatively long life at 79 years, 8 months, and 13 days. She is buried next to her husband Daniel who passed away on March 28, 1872 at 85 years, 6 months, and 15 days.
36 Two great stones in desperate need of TLC
37 Another baby
38 And another
39 Sabrina, the wife of Enoch Sniffin, outlived her husband by 20 years, dying in 1891 in the 91 year of her age. Sabrina's headstone, like Enoch's, has been broken and repaired and also needs a new base.
40 Her footstone also needs to be repositioned. Footstones are often toppled by landscaping crews.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Wow! Martha you never cease to amaze me!!! Please go back to a tv show!
I miss you so much. When I was a little girl my grandparents used to take me
to the local small town cemetery. There they would tell me stories and read
tombstones to me. I LOVED it. I loved being with them, loved the stories and
the beauty and the peacefulness of the cemetery. Haven't shared this with
many people. Thank you, Martha. You are the best!
Enjoy the beauty of this day!
Kathy
Posted by: kathy peterson | October 26th, 2012 at 1:08 am
Thirty cemeteries in one town seem like a lot but I’m figuring they are probably small. We only have two that I know of and one is fairly new. That is very caring of Betsy and the other Friends of Bedford Burying Grounds to want to clean up the markers. Those people died a long time ago and apparently, so have the rest of their families. It appears no one is around to take care of the graves anymore and that’s sad. It makes me want to put flowers on each one of them. Ella M. would be 156 if she was alive today and I bet it’s been a long time since she received any flowers. I get very sentimental over stuff like that. Anyway, I hope they take some ‘after’ pictures so we can see the improvements they made. Since our cemeteries are taken care of by some sort of management, owners or whatever, I decided to make a small donation to this cause and was going to use Paypal but I discontinued my account because of a discrepancy with a seller. Doesn’t matter, I’ll send a check instead to the address I found on the site and many thanks to Betsy and her friends for their kind work. They are so nice to do what they do. Here’s the address: Friends of Bedford Burying Grounds, PO Box 152, Bedford NY 10506. Thanks Martha for this blog. Trish
Posted by: Trish | October 26th, 2012 at 1:36 am
Martha, this is absolutely facinating.
I'm glad someone is taking the time to preserve these cemeteries.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | October 26th, 2012 at 2:09 am
A great lesson in history. I also remember seeing a memorial marker for your Mother on a tree. When the winds of autumn blow into the summer of our life, we remember those who have gone before..
Posted by: ann | October 26th, 2012 at 5:47 am
Love this trip !!
Posted by: James A. | October 26th, 2012 at 6:03 am
Two things happened in my life, this summer regarding cemeteries. 1. My cousins took a trip to Tennessee and located a very old, overrun cemetery where one of my relatives (on my father's side) was buried. One of them was alive during the revolutionary war. They also found his granddaughter buried in the same cemetery. Both headstones were toppled over, but my cousins were able to lift one and put it back on it's stand. The other, unfortunately, was too heavy and held down by a tree. Unfortunately, the entire place was long forgotten. I can only hope some group will come along, clean it up and take care of it, like your group takes care of the ones in Bedford. 2. My father passed away earlier this year, and we were able to intern his ashes in a small, local cemetery in Spring Green, WI. This cemetery, too, is very old and has much history. Since I live in MN, I am able to travel to WI to take care of my Dad and Auntie. I will also keep an eye on the area and clean up what I can. Thank you for sharing this story.
Posted by: Gretchen Carroll | October 26th, 2012 at 7:17 am
I find the lettering and the art work (puppy on baby George's headstone!) amazing. Wonder if there are rules and regulations about visiting cemetaries? How do you know if it is public or private?
Posted by: Jayne Rogers | October 26th, 2012 at 7:44 am
Count me as one who finds cemeteries peaceful and interesting, full of history. Good for you Betsy getting involved with the Friends of Bedford Burying Grounds, so many of our older cemeteries are in a state of neglect. I'm curious as to why William Shepherd was buried away from everyone else, intriguing!
Posted by: Cindy F | October 26th, 2012 at 8:26 am
Martha, thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | October 26th, 2012 at 8:54 am
My parents live right next to a cemetery. (They always joke that they have the quietest neighbours!) My mom shares your interest in cemeteries and she has become quite an expert on the little burial site she lives beside. Some of the stones date back to the 1800s, including several markers for children and a mother who died of "fever." Cemeteries are great resources for tracing family history or learning about your community's past, how families lived (and died) and how they wanted to be remembered.
Posted by: Andrew Ritchie | October 26th, 2012 at 9:49 am
Hi Martha, The town of Bedford, NY certainly does have an amazing historical history and I'm sure you love living there and i enjoy every tour you take us on all around Bedford! I recall seeing other blogs about cemeteries around Bedford and this latest tour of Chichester Cemetery is fascinating! The history of it all is outstanding and how great that Betsy and her friends like to visit there and do all they can to restore the burial grounds and the gravestones that go back all the way to 1838 and 1883 for Chichester Cemetery! These photos are fabulous and it is great to be able to read some of the gravestones and to see how much better they all appear after being restored! Acid rain must be awful-what causes that? I get lichens on my old pear tree branches, but the pears still come out OK! Thanks again for this great blog and teaching us great things every day! Sure hope you have another great day and a marvelous weekend! Off to see The Daily Wag about "A Visit to the Japanese Maple Grove!" Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | October 26th, 2012 at 9:56 am
I made a cup of tea and turned on the TV to watch Martha Stewart on the Hallmark channel and WHAT? YIKES---panic! What no more Martha Stewart on TV????...You've landed on your feet so many times I expect to see you soon....other than the cooking show...but I'll watch it, too. You have given so much of your self to all of us...thank you. I've enjoyed your vision these many years. Kudos, Martha, Kudos!!!! I so appreciate the high bar you've set for all of us. A loyal fan..
Posted by: mary | October 26th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
Thank you Martha, Betsy and FBBG for bringing this situation to the attention of a larger audience. Hopefully it will inspire more people to become involved in such projects in their communities.
Posted by: Leard | October 26th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
You are certainly missed on TV. I hope at some point you will be back. When I was a little girl my grandmother would take all the grandchildren up the hill to the cemetary. We would walk around and read the headstones...lunch by the war memorial and play on the canons that served as monuments to the fallen soldiers. It was always a wonderful day and usually full of surprises like the day that I caught a wild rabbit. I eventually had to return the little one to his rightful family. But we always looked forward to our walks and spending time with our grandmother...priceless.
Posted by: Lee | October 26th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
I am on the board of my church's small historic cemetery. It is certainly an interesting business that many do not think about. I too find the children's graves sweetly melancholy. I find it heartening that, even when infant and child mortalitiy was so much higher, these little ones were so obivously loved and mourned.
Posted by: Angela Kelman | October 26th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Wondering if you are preparing for this late storm "frankenstorm" I know last year the early snow caused lots of damage for you farm. Better safe than sorry. Hope all are safe and have little damage. Feel like I know each and everyone of your staff so will bethinking of you all this week.
Linda Roberson
NC
Posted by: Linda roberson | October 26th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Thanks so much for sharing, Martha. I was raised in Westchester and have a long lineage back to early settlers of Putnam & Westchester. Our family has a small burying ground in the woods of Putnam Valley; very small with only twenty-something graves. A beautiful place for learning and reflecting.
Posted by: Stephen Webb | October 26th, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Preserving old cemetery, this is the first time I know. I think this is a wonderful job to do.
Posted by: feliz | October 26th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
I think this is a wonderful endeavour. I have a huge interest in genealogy and touring old cemeteries is a great way to find your roots. I have ancestors from the Eastern US and plan to visit some time in the future to see where they lived and hopefully find where they were buried. A big thank you to this group and the many others that doing this to preserve the departed.
Posted by: C. Anderson | October 26th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
boy martha i miss your show of food and ideas..my grandchildren shared our love for you and your show...i will not be watchinf marie...its just v1 big giggle....i M LOYAL MARTHAFAN FOREVER.....LOVE TO ALL...ALICE
Posted by: alice moody | October 27th, 2012 at 8:14 am
Martha, I enjoyed seeing your tweets on the side of you blog homepage. What happened? Will you bring them back to your blog?
Posted by: KLBrown | October 27th, 2012 at 3:48 pm
I really miss your show on Hallmark. Hope you fair well after the storm.
Best Regards, Thomas
Posted by: Thomas Burger | October 27th, 2012 at 11:09 pm
Fascinating, I love cemeteries ..the history, stones that reflect changing styles, and of course, the peace.
Posted by: Gayle | October 28th, 2012 at 8:31 am
I love your blog Martha and how interesting you make everyday - thank you.
Posted by: Jean N Sozio | October 28th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Martha and all: hope you stay safe, warm and dry, and Alexis too!
Posted by: Marilyn Bartlett in TX | October 28th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Fantastic post.
Posted by: Karen | October 28th, 2012 at 11:53 pm
My husband and I often go to our surrounding cemeteries to have picnics. We find it to be incredibly peaceful and very enriching on so many levels. We reside in a small Kansas town and some of the headstones....made from limestone, are incredibly beautiful and poignant.
Posted by: Terri Elizabeth Clancy | October 29th, 2012 at 10:34 am
Fascinating blog!!!
Posted by: Sophie | October 29th, 2012 at 11:08 am
I love old cemeteries! They are a wonderful place to walk and think - a little outdoor meditation time is a wonderful antidote for life's cares.
Last year, we tackled a similar clean up project in my town's old cemetery. Of course, "old" is relative. Here in Kansas, early 1800's is old - but not as old as the East Coast cemeteries.
As we cleaned up the stones, history unfolded - tales of western expansion, frontier life, missionary work, cholera epidemics, and the like. We have much for which to thank our forebears!
Posted by: Mary Corbet | October 29th, 2012 at 8:45 pm
I am not very happy with the TV channels for taking you off of the air. I do not like what Hallmark has replaced you with, Marie,( Ugh) and Home and Family is just so so but not Martha. I love this article of the cemeteries. As I am looking for my ancestors from New England and am having trouble finding most of them because of them going back to the 1600's so what you postedwas just wonderful even though I don't think I have any ancestors in your particular area.
Thank you.
Posted by: Gwen Ratener | October 30th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Love to see that you promote preservation of Chichester Cemetery. I am in the DAR and do a ton of research and old grave markers have been an issue for me in the past. Learning through your techniques are very enlightening! I never wanted to touch old markers because I didn't know how to handle them but wow, great ideas and I love the baking soda trick! Amazing and so simple! It's a good thing!
Posted by: Kelley Cappellini | November 1st, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Again I applaud you for a wonderful site! In our travels; especially in the south I seem to gravitate to old cemeterys. As a child I lived beside one and remember taking my little plastic guitar and singing to the people there. Now I just wander about in them and imagine what their lives were like and how quiet and peaceful their resting place is. Thanks to the team of folks who took on the job of refirbishing in Bedford!
Posted by: Karen Pappas | November 6th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Always loved your show. You have always been interesting and very informative. Came across your posting these old graves in Bedford. My gg grandfather was a harness maker named Hart in Bedford in the 1800s and I keep trying to find him so I really appreciated your pictures in a special way. Very informative about cleaning the stones! Always wondered how you could do it without doing more damage. I felt like I had a little walk about on land he could have trod upon. Thank you! (as a side note I even taught in Nutley for a while) Hope your show comes back. It is being missed.
Posted by: Carol Hughes | February 18th, 2013 at 10:03 pm