St. Mary's Old Cemetery

Gale Road, Brushton, Franklin County, New York

• St. Mary's Catholic Church at Brushton was a part of the Malone parish until 1850, when it became an independent charge. In 1855 the first church building was erected. The original St. Mary's cemetery was located right behind the church. The earliest remaining stone dates to 1855. In 1892, the church purchased land on the Gale Road for the purpose of a new cemetery and began burials there. Sometime around the 1940's, a decision was made to use this area for a parking lot. The stones appear to have been bulldozed backwards, into the woods. For years I heard rumors that there were piles of stones located in the brush. Some are complete while others have been reduced to mere rubble. I believe that there are probably at least another dozen stones that could be uncovered and/or reconstructed given the proper equipment and time.
• The first version of this list was compiled 9 August 1995 by Joyce M. Ranieri. On 27 April 2002, I returned to the area to take photographs of the stones. At this time, I discovered stones I had not found before. My husband (Michael) and two sons (Joseph & Andrew) spent a great deal of time walking through the area, looking for tiny corners of stones, and then removing brush and sod to determine whether or not they were field stones or tombstones.
• Click here to see a "Picture from the Past ", printed in the Malone Telegram, Monday 29 March 1993.
• Click here to see a map of the church property.
• Click here to see general photographs of the area where the stones were found.
• Click here to read about the Thompson children, who were buried in this cemetery.
• Newspaper Article: "Enbridge to test for human remains behind St. Mary's", The Malone Telegram, Tuesday, May 7, 2013
  Part One
  Part Two
• Newspaper Atticle: "Uncertainty about ex-cemetery halts gas pipeline," Watertown Daily Times, Thursday, May 9, 2013
• Newspaper Article: "Test detects "anomalies' behind church," The Malone Telegram, Wednesday, June 5, 2013
  

??
This piece of stone has no information on it whatsoever.

??
FATHER
(NOTE: I found 1 piece of this stone, incomplete, and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

??
... 4 yrs.   ... & 25 d's.
...st in peace Amen.
... just shall rise.
(NOTE: I found 1 piece of this stone, incomplete, and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

??
In Memory of Mary   Died Apr. 1, 1855   AE 2 yrs. & 7 mos.
Also John   Died ....
(NOTE: I found 1 piece of this stone, incomplete, and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

??
wife of   ... H ...   Died   ... 1868
(NOTE: I found 1 piece of this stone, incomplete, and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

??
Aug. 18, ...   AE 10 m's. 18 d's.
(NOTE: I found 1 piece of this stone, incomplete, and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

??
Tho...
(NOTE: I found 1 piece of this stone, incomplete, and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

??
Rosa   Wife of ...   Aug. ...   AE ...
(NOTE: I found 2 pieces of this stone, incomplete, and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

??
native of Ireland   May his soul rest in peace. Amen
Margaret   His Daughter   Died _____   AE 16 y___
(NOTE: I found 1 piece of this stone, incomplete, and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

BARNETT
IHS   Fare-well
Loisa A.   Dau. of Wm. & Susan Barnett   Died Mar. 29, 1878   AE 14 y'rs. 5 m's. & 16 D's.
O let us think of all she said,
And all the kind advice she gave
And let us do it now she's dead
And sleeping in her lonely grave.

BENNAN
Jeremiah BENNAN   Died Apr. 29, 1882   Aged 84 y'rs.   May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

BOMBARD
Joseph BOMBARD   (NOTE: I found 1 piece of this stone, incomplete, and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

BORDEAU
Alice,   Dau. of A. & J. BORDEAU   Died Sept. 19, 1888   In her 19th Year.   May her soul rest in peace.  Amen.   (NOTE: This stone is in one piece and is very legible.)

BURNS
On the south side:
This face of the stone has no inscription. It appears that there once was a different "top" to the stone where the statue of Mary now sits.
On the west side:
May his soul rest in peace.
John G. BURNS   Died July 9, 1877   AE 32 Y'rs.
No more his voice will greet us
In this world of toil and care
No more on earth he'll meet us
But we hope to meet him there.
On the north side:
Simon BURNS   Died July 29, 1887   AE 52 Y'rs.

CAMP
Nancy CAMP   Died Aug. 9, 1886   AE 53 Yrs.   Gone but not forgotten.

CAROLL
May her soul rest in peace. Amen.
Margret   daughter of Moris & Ellen CAROLL,   died Aug. 3, 1856,   in her 14 y'r.

COX
Esther   Wife of James COX   (NOTE: The rest of this stone is missing.)

COX
Robert COX   Died May 5, [1875 or 1873]    AE 24 y'rs.
Ellen KEEF   Wife of Robert COX   Died May [2 or 8], 1880   AE 21 y'rs.   5 m's.   5 days
May their souls rest in peace Amen. 
(NOTE: I found 6 pieces of this stone, incomplete but very legible.)

DEUYOUR
Lucy   Wife of Frank Deuyour   died Nov. 1, 1878   AE 50 y'rs.
Tis hardto break the ____ cord
When love has bound the heart
Tis hard to speak the word
Must we forever part.

DUCATT
Charles DUCATT,   Died Oct. 6, 1890   AE 77 Y'rs.   (NOTE: This stone is located next to the stone for Joseph DUQUETTE.)

DUN
Sylvester DUN   Died June 22, 1874   AE 46 Years.   Gone but not fogotten.   (NOTE: This stone is in one piece.)

DUQUETTE
Joseph DUQUETTE   Died Dec. 28, 1890   AE 32 y'rs.   May his soul rest in peace. Amen.   (NOTE: This stone is located next to the stone for Charles DUCATT.)

FITZGAILS
Mary Ann   daughter of Michael & Mary FITZGAILS   died Mar. 22, 1861   ag'd 10 mo.

FITZGARLS
William   Son of Michael & Mary FITZGARLS,   died Jan. ... 1859,   AE 1 yr. & 6 mos.
Weep not father mother dear
I am not dead but sleeping here,
I was not yours but Christ's alone,
He loved me best and called me home.

FLANAGAN
Thomas FLANAGAN   Died Aug. 16, 1878   AE 70 yrs.
May his soul rest in peace.   Amen.
Catharine   His Wife   Died May 15, 1881   AE 72 yrs.
(NOTE: This stone is in one piece and is very legible.)

LaBELLE
Joseph LaBELLE Jr.   Died Jan. 9, 1866   (NOTE: His great granddaughter, Lorraine L. BUYHOFF, had this stone removed in 1998. Instead, a Civil war veterans marker was placed in St. Mary's Cemetery on the Gale Road.)

LACLAIR
Margaret LACLAIR   Died Dec. 16, 1889   AE 63 Y'rs.   May her soul rest in peace. Amen.

MURRAY
James MURRAY   Died Aug. 4, 1872   AE [33] Y'rs.
Martha MURRAY   His Wife   Died May 26, 1867   AE 56 Y'rs. 

MURPHY
Peter MURPHY   Died Oct. 6, 1887   AE 83 Yrs.   Native of Co. [Carlow] Ire.
May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

MURRAY
Sarah J.   Daughter of G. & S. MURRAY   Died November 11, 1887   Age 2 yrs.   3 mos.   4 days.   (NOTE: This stone is in one piece and is very legible. There is no photograph of this stone because I could not locate it in 2002! )

NOLAN
Susan NOLAN   (NOTE: I found 1 piece of this stone, incomplete and was unable to identify additional pieces.)

O’CONNOR
John   Son of Eugene & Mary O’CONNOR   Died April 15, 1859   AE 2 y's. 11 mo's.

REYOME
Peter REYOME   Died Feb 10, 1885   AE 89 Y'rs.   May his soul rest in peace. Amen. (NOTE: I found 2 pieces of this stone which appears to be complete.)

RYAN
Little Maggie   Daughter of J. H. & C. RYAN   December 24, 1870   age 7 weeks.   May her soul rest in peace.   Amen. (NOTE: I found three pieces of this stone, incomplete but very legible. There is no photograph of this stone because I could not locate it in 2002!)

RYAN
Johney,   Son of James & Catherine Ryan,   Died Feb. 20, 1881   Aged 6 yrs. 7 mo's.
May his soul rest in peace. Amen.
And art thou gone, sweet little one,
As thy brief course so quickly run,
But oh, how sad the father's heart.
When the summons came with thee to part
[Bereft] of all his heart held dear,
He's left a lonely mourner here.

SMITH
Thomas SMITH   Died Apr. 26, 1872   AE 23 Y'rs.

VILLNAVE
Bennie   Son of B. & M. E. VILLNAVE   Died July 17, 1880   Aged 2 Y'rs. 6 M's.
May his soul rest in peace.   Amen.

VORGEL or VAEGEL
Helen   Dau. of Joseph & Hortense   [VORGEL or VAEGEL]   Died Nov. 20, 1883   AE 5 days. 

WALSH
"E . . EN, WIFE OF . . . WARD WALSH, DIED. . . "
AUG. 22, 18??
AE 45 Y'rs.
May her soul rest in peace. Amen.
(NOTE: I found 3 pieces of this stone, incomplete.)