Over the years quite a few cemeteries in York County have been built over, paved over or plowed over. Sometimes the inhabitants have been moved to another cemetery, sometimes not. There have been various laws passed over the years in Pennsylvania regarding burial grounds, but, unfortunately, in my opinion, if the owner of the land wants to remove the cemetery and goes through the proper legal channels it could still be approved by the court.
Click here for a link to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission page on cemetery laws.
While looking through the Erb family file at the York County Heritage Trust I came across an inquiry from an Erb from another area wondering what had happened to an Erb Burial Ground in Springettsbury Township.
The writer quoted a newspaper clipping that he had been sent about the Daughters of our Lady of Mercy petitioning the court to remove the remains buried at the Erb Burial Grounds so that they could build a convalescent home.
The petition listed 44 names of persons buried there. That information was probably gleaned from the cemetery census done by the Historical Society of York County in the 1930s, which also lists 44 names for the Erb Burial Ground. There could have been more people than that buried there, because the list shows burials as early as the 1840s. If all the graves were not well marked with tombstones that were still readable in the 1930s, they could not have been included in the historical society record.
The plot in question is described as being bound by Russell Street, Washington Road, and the Susquehanna Expressway [Route 83]. That pretty much depicts the site of Misericordia Convalescent Home today.
I asked Lila Fourhman-Shaull, Director of Library and Archives at York County Heritage Trust, who has been researching York County cemeteries for years, if her records show where the Erbs and others interred there, including those with the last names of Emig, Wightman, Horn, Kendig, Landis, Langram, Landes, Morrison, Camaway, Gable and Wise, got to. She has them now a few miles away at Mount Rose Cemetery, buried in a common grave or two with a marker listing all the names. It is not known what happened to the original tombstones, which I also think is a shame.
Unsettling, huh?
What a coincidence you write this at this time. Don't ask me why I thought of this while lying in bed last night, but I did. It was about a cemetery in Juniata Co. that contains gravesites of several relatives. I started to wonder what if--. The cemetery sits right along old Rt. 22 about a mile south of Mifflintown and I wondered what would happen to all those gravesites if that highway had to be widened. This,most likely will never happen, still what if?
In conducting research in that area for many years I discovered a few years ago that the Luthern Church's parking lot sits atop an old burial ground that once was the location of some relatives graves. I made inquiries where the gravesites are now located and the best and only response was someone's recollection of old tombstones being propped along a side of the church building a long time ago. I came across information on another gravesite that described exactly its location in a farmer's field. I never found the farm let alone a stone in the middle of a field!
I came across a great website www.findagrave.com. Plug in a name and it may come up giving the location of burial. I found an ancestor's name and visited the Mennonite cemetery north of Reading today and took photos of the stone engraved with her and the husband's names. I also registered (as a volunteer) to fulfill requests for photos of gravesites from other members. I've done a few already, lost two requests in the computer before getting them done and hope they re-request them. I have one to do on Saturday after the GDHS blacksmith shop open house.
Jo
Several years ago I bought on eBay (I think that's where I found it) a deed or some sort of agreement for land in that same general area for a cemetery. I cannot remember the specifics but this made me remember that document. I wonder if it is for the same cemetery?
Blake M. Stough
Blake--It could be, but I would have to look at it to tell for sure. Could you drop off a copy at the York County Heritage Trust Library/Archives or scan it and email it to me at ycpa89@msn.com? I asked Lila Fourhman-Shaull about it when I was at YCHT today and she reminded me of another former cemetery we have been told existed, but that has disappeared, somewhere in the vicinity of York Suburban Middle School in Haines Acres. If you or anyone else can pinpoint that location, we would be grateful.
Jo--I recently got back from vacation and just got around to checking out that website. It looks like they do have a lot of information and are adding a lot more because of volunteers like you.
I noticed that they have fairly recent burials included. That would be helpful for York and Adams County because the cemetery census done by the Historical Society of York County was conducted in the early 1930s. The HSYC (now York County Heritage Trust) records are invaluable because many tombstones that were legible then have not eroded, besides that whole cemeteries have sometimes disappeared to "progress." Since that census was done at least 75 years ago (three generations), sites such as findagrave can help fill in those generations.
June
The document has been scanned and emailed to you. This was in Spring Garden Township as shown in it, so it is not the one you blogged about. It is possible it is the one near York Suburban. It states it was to be erected on the Jacob Keesy Esq.
Feel free to use the image of the document as you see fit.
Blake