COVEL CEMETERY

COVEL CEMETERY

ELLINGTON, NY
On the Ellington side of the junction of the two towns there were two Sischo houses in 1962.  On has burned since then.  The Sischo children from the upper house where I stopped to inquire guided me over several meadows and up the hill to a forgotten cemetery.  Even the Ellington town officials had never heard of it, but I had found it well marked on an old map.  I had a hard time keeping my footing, in spite of my sensible shoes and my son’s strong right arm.  When we arrived there was grandma picking huckleberries.  When I exclaimed in surprise she said she had come up by the road from the lower house.  That is the way I went back.
This cemetery, which I named Covel Cemetery, consists of two circles of stones, each circle about 12 or 15 feet in diameter.  The lower one has no markers, but the children seemed to think that there were burials there.
The upper cemetery had five stones:  Nathaniel Dunham who died Sept. 5, 1867 aged 94-9-9 and his wife Permelia, who died aged 80 in June ___ (the rest is unreadable); Harriet M., the wife of John Taylor, died May 12, 1849 age 32 yrs. 5 mos.; and two stones for the wife of Cyrus Covel.   One stone said Clarsa, wife of Cyrus Covel, died June 16, 1829, age 42 years.  The other said Clara, consort of Cyrus Covel, died June 16, 1899 aged 42 years.  They are seventy years apart but alike.
I have long wondered if one was a reject because of a wrong date, yet they are so similar.  The late Mrs. Howard Huntington of Lakewood told me that Cyrus was her grandfather and that he had died in an old soldiers’ home in New Jersey.  She couldn’t remember the name of the city in New Jersey.  She knew no dates and had no idea why there were two stones or which might be correct.  If he were the husband of a lady who was 42 in 1829 he would have been too old to fight in the Civil War as Mrs. Huntington said he did.  Perhaps she was mistaken and he fought in the War of 1812.
In the West Town Line Cemetery out of Panama (Town of Harmony) is buried Norman R. Covel 1841-1905 and wife Llewellyn E. 1842-1900.  On the same lot is Patience, wife of Cyrus Covel Jr., died Aug. 5, 1885, aged 68-3-17, and Clara Covel Hoyt 1850-1926.  We tried to get Norman Covel’s death record to find who his parents were, but he had no record in Harmony or in Clymer.  Perhaps he died in Pennsylvania near Bear lake.  The similarity of names must link him to Cyrus and Clara.  I went back to see Mrs. Huntington twice but both times she was too ill to discuss it and shortly after that she and Mr. Huntington went to a retirement home in Lockport where she died in 1965.
At the Fenton Library we finally got the lineage of Benjamin Covel, Revolutionary War Soldier and pioneer of Carroll.  But there is no Cyrus Covel mentioned.  We had been so sure he would be a son of Benjamin.  There must be Covel descendants in Chautauqua County who could help us.  Please write us.
We have received several queries this month which do not pertain to Chautauqua County.  We wish to reiterate that all queries must be about people who have at some time been residents of Chautauqua County.

QUERIES

A117  TABOR.  Last Sunday I investigated the cemetery at Pleasantville near Dewittville and much to my surprise saw the marker of Asa Taber who died 1830, aged 47 yrs.  Next to the grave of my husband’s great-grandmother in the East Ripley Cemetery is a marker which says Polly, wife of Asa Taber died 1871.  My father-in-law, living here all his life, and now 84, says that Polly Taber’s body and stone were moved here from Westfield when a relative wanted to buy the lot and at that time his mother told him that Polly was "an old aunt."  She was born 1790.  My husband’s great grandmother was Sarah Taber Smith, wife of Leonard Smith, both of whom are buried in the East Ripley Cemetery.  Sarah’s death certificate says that her parents were Sarah and Asa Taber.  The Asa Tabor in Pleasantville would have been 42 when Sarah was born.  Could Sarah have been called Polly?  Is Asa Tabor of Pleasantville the father of Sarah Tabor Smith in East Ripley?  VWB

A118  SMITH.  The parents given on the death certificate of the above Leonard Smith were Henry Smith and Elizabeth Coon (or Kuhn).  Are they buried in Chautauqua County?  WB

A119  WASHBURN.  I am compiling for libraries the material I have on the Washburn family.  Can anyone give me information of the Stephen Washburn buried in the Pleasantville Cemetery?  He died Nov. 12, 1820, aged 29 yrs. 16 days.  Beside him is a marker for Anson, an infant son of Stephen and Reuama Washburn who died in 1919.  VWB

A120  CAREY.  James Carey born Nov. 1795 in Newton, CT, died Jan. 27, 1888 in Jamestown.  His wife was Elizabeth Eddy 1797-1882, daughter of Isaac Eddy.  Wanted:  parentage of James Carey.  GS Oswego.

A122  SHATTUCK.  Melissa Phillips daughter of Aaron and Aurelia Phillips married George Shattuck, born 1837 in Jamestown and died there in 1910.  Who were his parents?  Would like to get in touch with others of this family.  GS

A123  HUNT  Wanted, the location of a marker which has on it "wife of Wilbur Hunt."  Think it is in the town of Villenova and that she died in 1868 when last child was born or very shortly afterwards.  Wilbut Hunt remarried and is buried in the Mayville Cemetery.  As a child, my mother says her family attended the Benton family reunion.  Would there be any Benton Reunion Records?  Please help.  MS  Westfield.

ANSWERS

Had a nice chat with Mr. Ostrander of Falconer who told me that he used to live at the four corners of Gerry and Ellington near the Covel Cemetery that we talked about last month.  He said his brother used to ply with one of the Covel boys.  He stated that the road did not formerly make the dip and curve but crossed a trestle and passed close to the two cemeteries and that there were several stones in each.  However, he did not remember who was buried in the lower one which now has no stones.  Does anyone else remember?

After the article went to print, I found my notes from Mrs. Harrington.  The Cyrus that went to the New Jersey Old Soldiers Home was the Cyrus whose wife Patience is buried in the West Town Line Cemetery in Harmony.  She said Cyrus Sr. was buried in the Ellington Covel Cemetery and that he died 1863.  His wife died 1823.  That must be the stone I read as 1829 and I found Permelia Dunham died 1857 June 19.  Cyrus and Patience had Vernon who is buried in Olean; Norman whose daughter Eva (1869-1905) was Mrs. Huntington’s mother; Clara Covel Hoyt; Emmett whose two daughters Miss Lulu and Mrs. Blanche Covel Clark lived in Rochester; Ned buried in Cincinnati, OH.  Eva died and is buried in Bradford.  She m. Warner Wright who died 1929 aged about 72.  He is buried in West Virginia with his second wife.  Annie Wright Huntington was born in Rew City, PA, 1886.  The Wrights came from England.  But Mrs. Huntington said that the father of Cyrus Sr. came to Kiantone in 1810.  Then why does he not lie with Benjamin Covel?

A120  CAREY, James was born New Town, CT 4 Nov. 1795, died 27 Jan. 1888 in Jamestown.  He was the son of Jeremiah and Eunice Odell Carey.  Their children were:  Aurelia Maria b. 24 May 1820 at Locke, NY; Isaac Eddy b. 29 July 1822 at Locke; James Jr. b. 16 Feb. 1826 at Kiantone; Eunice O’Dell b. 19 Feb. 1829 at Kiantone; Elmina Elizabeth b. 18 Aug. 1831; Hiram Parsons b. 19 March 1839 or 40.  CFB

A122  RCS:  Did not ask for but we supplied marriage 2 April 1892 in Kiantone of Grace Orpha Shattuck (1866-1934) and Alexander Salaner (1872-1934) and the name of his parents on the certificate were Ariel and Johannah Salander.  So now Mrs. Salander wants to know about Ariel and Johannah.  Can anyone supply the information?  Are there any Salanders around anymore?

A123  BENTON:  WGS of Fredonia sent in the Benton Reunion minutes for 21 June 1906 and says he has an old scrapbook with notices of weddings, births and deaths in it.  We would like to photostat some of those items if it can be arranged.
 
A123  HUNT.  MS writes that she has located the grave of Wilbur Hunt.  He and his second wife, Mary Jane (Himes) are in the Chautauqua Cemetery instead of Mayville as she had thought.  Wilbur died 20 Jan 1874 agee 38.  She still wants the name of the first wife and location of grave thought to be somewhere in Town of Villenova.  A daughter by this marriage was Lillian Hunt 1859-1932 who married James Simmons and is buried at Volusia (western end of Town of Westfield).  We have advised MS to have the town clerk of Westfield look up the death of Lillan.  Her parents names and their place of birth should appear on Lillian’s death certificate.  It should also give Lillian’s birth and birthplace.  There is always the possibility that Lillian died in a hospital.  If in New York State it is recorded in the city in which the hospital is located but if it should be the Corry Hospital it will be in Harrisburg - Dept. of Public Health.  Had it been before 1906 it would have been in the Erie County (PA) Court House.
 

SOURCE: Fenton Historical Society Deserted Cemetery Series.  From the Jamestown Journal 26 April 1969, compiled and written by Edna Ingham