Lewis County Adventure

Sunday, 20 October, I took off for Lewis to search for Rev War burials, had to find two cemeteries first. I knew their general location but had never been there.  The directions on findagrave were very general with no pictures for the cemeteries.

First was Ferry road.  From the name I assumed it was near the Black river but old newspaper articles told me it was on a abandoned town road, near the edge of the town of Lowville, between No 3 road and NYS 12.  I was able to find it on the back side of a cornfield.  The used to be Feare, probably after an old family, but had morphed into Ferry The road still existed but was overgrown with grass and burdock.

Ferry/Feare Road Cemetery

It was a beautiful day and location , with farmland all around me, Tug Hill and it's windmills  looming to the West and the Adirondacks to the East.  Over head were Lake Effect clouds in long wide rows separated by equal clear spaces.  The cemetery was a nice patch of trees that had been mowed and the fallen branches stacked by the edge.  Only one stone was still standing but it was the vet, Ichabod Perry, that I had come for.  It's a large cemetery and must have had hundreds of stones. Perhaps some are under the leaves.

Plank Cemetery

Next I went to Plank cemetery, near Copenhagen.  I knew where it was but had to get permission from the farmer to get to it.  The cemetery was a small area surrounded by fence in the center of a pasture containing 20 or so cows.  They were at the far end so I had no trouble with them.  I had to climb a gate, open an other and then get my feet wet hopping over a damp area to get to the cemetery.  The stones are few, faint and hard to read.  The two vets, John Plank and Joseph Van Ingen, were still standing and readable.  They looked like replacement stones but were still old. 



The view from Ferry Rd.

 

Kelsey Bridge Cemetery

Yesterday, 10/2/2013, I attended the Celebration Of Remembrance of those resting in the Kelsey Bridge Cemetery and Recognition of Richard L Perrigo.     This ceremony was organized by the Hon James M Eagan, President Rochester Chapter ESSAAR, the Sons of the American Revolution.




                                                    
Mr Perrigo has spent an enormous amount of time, money and sweat cleaning up this cemetery, which is located across from his home. There are three Revolutionary war veterans and four War of 1812 veterans buried there.  His work, and the burials of the veterans, were the inspiration for this ceremony.

SAR members were present from the Rochester, Oriskany and Saratoga, NY chapters and the Clearwater, FL chapter.  Officers were also there from the LeRay de Chaumont chapter of the ESSDAR and the Gen Jacob Brown Chapter of the US Daughters of 1812.  A small delegation was also there to honor Mr Perrigo and the Civil war veterans buried in Kelsey Bridge.  Many of the people attending wore period costumes.

Several people were present who were interested in the attempt to start a Thousand Island Chapter of the SAR to be based in Alexandria Bay, NY.  A very pleasant day and a very warm one for October in upstate NY.