Visiting More Historic Cemeteries of Bedford, New York
Right before Hurricane Sandy blasted through, I posted a blog about a visit to Chichester Cemetery, one of thirty historic burying grounds in the Bedford, New York area. I also introduced you to a group of volunteers, called the Friends of Bedford Burying Grounds, whose mission is to conserve and preserve these outdoor history museums carved in stone. Chichester is one cemetery that is a work in progress. Today, I would like to show you some others. Two are considerable challenges awaiting help. Another has major historical significance to the Town of Bedford. And the fourth is a burying ground that has been retrieved from the ravages of time and recklessness.
1 Looking through the trees, you can barely make out the headstones still standing in this old cemetery which, by the way, is landlocked on private property. This particular plot, known as Cantitoe Cemetery, was formerly called Westcott Cemetery.
2 Once inside the walls of the graveyard, more and more headstones are detected.
3 It's quite obvious that this burying ground has been neglected for many, many years.
4 The Friends of Bedford Burying Grounds (FBBG) found all of the original maps of the more than 30 cemeteries in Bedford. These maps are very useful in their restoration progress.
5 Many members of the Westcott family are buried here. This headstone is inscribed Julia Ann - Wife of Alfred Westcott - Died Feb. 27, 1909 - Aged 89 years 10 Mo. & 11 days.
6 This headstone was adorned with weeping willow trees, which symbolize mourning and grief.
7 It's interesting to note that when this cemetery was formed, the land was cleared and no trees were growing here. These trees sprouted and have taken over.
8 This mature tree decided to grow right on top of this grave.
9 The tree is actually growing over the footstone.
10 Unfortunately, the headstone of Abigail Miller has not fared well.
11 Many stones have been toppled or broken when trees fall on them.
12 Stones that have toppled are often buried beneath several inches of composted leaves. With a little gentle digging, stones can be unearthed.
13 The group never uses metal shovels or any other hard objects, which will further damage the stones.
14 Eventually, FBBG hopes to have fallen stones, like this one, standing on their bases again.
15 Jenny Weisburger, the president of FBBG, was thrilled to find a very unusual double-wide stone, undoubtedly belonging to a married couple.
16 Without further cleaning, it was impossible to read this inscription, but from the size of the stone, it's a pretty sure and sad bet that a child is buried here.
17 This is the grave of William Sarles, who died in 1851 at 79 years of age. The Westcotts, Millers, and Sarles were three of the original twenty-two settlers of Bedford, who came to the area in the 1680's.
18 A broken footstone covered with blue-green lichen
19 Travis Miller passed in 1859 at the young ate of 36.
20 According to the map, this was once an entrance to the burying ground.
21 This appears to be a forged iron hinge, bored into a stone, where a gate once swung.
22 Cantitoe Cemetery needs a lot of clearing and restoration and FBBG is hopeful that one day that will take place.
23 A further drive down to road let to where Chief Katonah and his wife, Squaw Cantitoe, are buried. The Puritan settlers purchased a tract of land from the Chief for coats, blankets, wampum and cloth.
24 It is believed that Chief Katonah is buried beneath the large boulder and that Squaw Cantitoe and their son are buried beneath the other.
25 Even further down the road, sitting atop this hill, is the old St. Francis of Assisi Cemetery.
26 This burying ground has really been ravaged by time.
27 Very few stones are intact.
28 This giant tree has really taken over.
29 It will be a challenge freeing this stone.
30 Ellen Fletcher, from the County of Galway Ireland, was 57 years old when she was buried here in 1879.
31 FBBG has no plans right now to begin this restoration project.
32 We then visited another cemetery in Bedford Hills where many members of the Dingee family, another original settler, are interred. This one is a work in progress of the FBBG.
33 These headstones had all been toppled, buried, or tossed over the sides of the hill that this cemetery sits upon.
34 Many stones were broken and were epoxied back together before being repositioned to their rightful locations, according to the cemetery map.
35 This missing piece has yet to be found.
36 This headstone was actually shot at and has a hole clear through!
37 Four Civil War veterans and one American Revolution veteran are interred here.
38 More weeping willows on this stone dating from 1849
39 Good work and thank you to the Friends of Bedford Burying Grounds for returning this fascinating history to its rightful place.
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Martha, this is another interesting Blog. Thanks.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | November 8th, 2012 at 12:31 am
I have never seen cemeteries as old and unkempt as the ones you have shown us in your blogs. I guess I was under the impression that cities maintain all cemeteries but apparently that's not the case. It is sad to see them so neglected but great to know that the FBBG are doing their best to tidy them up. Keep up the good work and I'd be happy to pitch in if I lived in the area. Trish
Posted by: Trish | November 8th, 2012 at 12:58 am
Martha, thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | November 8th, 2012 at 7:13 am
I love old cemetaries and am thankful for the groups that are caring for them. One of the old cemetaries in my area held a tour one year there were handouts as to the meaning of the carvings on the stones, which was so interesting. They also had members of the town dressed in period clothes impersonating some of the more well known settlers who were buried there....they each told their story of how they came to live in that town and what they did there, and in come cases, how they died. Such wonderful history.
Posted by: Shari Payne | November 8th, 2012 at 7:46 am
Love these photos of cemeteries and the history of your area. Death comes to all and once again, thank you for showing us how monuments can tell about the life of those who no longer live.
Posted by: ann | November 8th, 2012 at 8:26 am
Thank you for sharing this story! Really fascinating. And kudos to the members who are working so hard to restore this piece of history.
Posted by: Laura Greenland | November 8th, 2012 at 8:52 am
How fortunate that the FBBG have all the original maps of the cemeteries in Bedford! Our cemeteries are so rich in history, it's a shame some of them are being neglected. Thanks for showing us more cemeteries Martha and I wish the FBBG continues success!
To Shari Payne, That's a great idea your local cemetery had inviting people to a tour, providing info on the carvings and to have people dressed in the period providing commentary is genius!
Posted by: Cindy F | November 8th, 2012 at 8:55 am
Hi Martha, Sure hope the latest wind, rain, and snow storms in your area don't last too long and don't cause too many power outages, etc. again. We are having colder weather and the sun is out for the next several days with no rain until Sunday. We are having unusual weather, too but not as severe as yours. My prayers go out to all of you and hope every person and animal is safe. This latest blog about Historic Cemeteries of Bedford, NY are nice to see again! The website about it is fun to see and hope more people help to improve all of the cemeteries! The Chichester cemetery that Betsy visited was looking great after the volunteers fixed it up and it was nice to see Jenny Weisburger again! She does a great job improving those cemeteries! Your photos are fantastic and the comments are outstanding for us to learn about these terrific, old cemeteries and the 4th place you visited, looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing this wonderful tour! Loved seeing your PBS Cooking School with Evan Lobel about butchering meats! I remember seeing him on your fabulous TV Shows years ago! Sure miss seeing you on TV more often! Hope you have a great, safe day, today! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | November 8th, 2012 at 9:31 am
Great information about the cemeteries in Bedford. There is a historic cemetery in Rye, NY that is also being restored. It is the African Cemetery. I went there as a kid with family members to clean up the cemetery. This one also predates the Civil War. Many of the headstones are quite similiar. We have pictures of some of the family members buried there in the 1800's.
Posted by: Carol Ubosi | November 8th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Thanks Martha. Hopefully your blog on the restoration Bedford Cemerty will extend interest in cemetry preservation beyond that community to others in the nation. In this regard I am hoping to start a "Friends of Ossining's Cemeteries in the coming year and I am fowrding your blog to folks here in hopes that they can be inspired by seeing how one community has dealt with the problem.
Posted by: Miguel Hernandez | November 8th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Hi, Martha,
I had just read about the new movie on Lincoln, which I'm very much looking forward to, and I found it very interesting to see your blog on original settlers and their cemeteries. Cemeteries do represent our American history as much as museums and books.
Thank you, Martha
Posted by: Bobbie | November 8th, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Hi Martha,
I was amazed at the destruction from the hurricane you had posted earlier at your farm. I have family out there who have been without power for nine days in Mountainside, NJ. I also have been heart broken by some of the stories of families in the hardest hit areas. I am a vendor on Vintage and Market Finds for One Kings Lane and put my link above. I contacted them yesterday about having a special sale from my company, freskaa, to benefit the hurricane relief efforts of the Red Cross. I have about 250 items from furniture to decorative accessories to lamps to art that I would like to sell and donate 50% of my profits to help aid hurricane victims. They thought it was a great idea, but not sure how I could do it since I am selling through Vintage and Market Finds. They said they have done sales like that in Tastemaker Tag Sales, but that was it. You have been such an inspiration to me since I first started in design. A lot of my pieces are very classic and remind me of your style and design. I would be so honored if you would partner with me so that I could host a sale on One Kings Lane's Tastemaker Tag Sales and help in a much greater way.
Posted by: Melanie Veliz | November 8th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
lovely photos and descriptions!
Posted by: Laura Serecin | November 8th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Hi Martha,
Our history of the past always makes me appreciate my ancestors. iam glad the Friends of Beford burying grounds have tryied to preserve our history.
Thank you for the photos.
Dana Richmond
Oh how i miss your daily show.!!
Posted by: Dana | November 8th, 2012 at 8:24 pm
love visiting old cemetery's... i have one in my family history. its in Chattanooga TN Maddux Cemetery or some time's Maddox depending on whos writing about it.. my great grandmother and many family members are there. its privately owned now..
Posted by: Laura | November 8th, 2012 at 8:58 pm
My family has made plans to clean an old cemetery in Ky. We plan to clean the stones with the wooden scrappers and the baking soda wash that you suggested in the Chichester story. I also miss your show....sherrie bailey
Posted by: sherrie bailey | November 9th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
Hi Martha
Just wanted to say I love family history and I have done alot of my own family history. It's very interesting to have old pictures, old stories and to know where past family members were born, raised and/or buried. I think it's wonderful that people like to care for and re-vamp old cemeteries. It breaks my heart to see cemeteries that have not been taken care of. That would be a wonderful tv show for you to do. Old cemeteries are destroyed and built on all the time, so sad. In all the old graves is someones ancestor, they should be seed for if it wasn't for our ancestors none of us would be here. I love history all the good parts and bad parts, its what makes us all who we are today.
Posted by: Tatum Lee Evatt Yount | November 9th, 2012 at 8:25 pm
I truly love all the things you are kind enough to post. for those of us that will more than likely will never get to vist such a beautiful place.thanks so much foe shareing.
Posted by: mary arnold | November 10th, 2012 at 1:52 am
Many congratulations to all involved with the restoration work over there in the Bedford cemeteries. Great credit is due here for your work in preserving these sacred burial grounds for everyone to admire their true beauty once again and so people can pay their respects to the generations gone before them.
I loved looking at your pictures, especially the headstone of Ms Ellen Fletcher from Galway, it seemed to have stood the test of time very well.
Posted by: glenjamie | November 11th, 2012 at 11:16 am
Betsy and her friends deserve our admiration! This is touching, beautiful work. It's especially a challenge to see graves treated with love when "one's people" aren't around any longer to look after them. Examples I've seen in my travels: confederate soldier's graves in the municipal Madison, Wisconsin cemetary (for years looked after by a Southern woman who tended the graves of "her boys" and Jewish cemetaries in little Czech villages. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Karen | November 17th, 2012 at 12:12 pm