The Seely Hill Cemetery is located in the northeastern part of the Town
of Van Etten, Chemung County, New York. It is situated on the east
side of the Langford Creek Road (County Highway #13), ¾ of a mile
north of the junction of this road and the McDuffy Hollow Road (County
Highway #48); or 1 mile south of the intersection of the Brink, Vennel
and Langford Creek Roads. It is in a sparse woods about 500 feet
off the highway and cannot be seen by motorists.
Originally the Langford Creek Road went straight
north on a steep grade on the south side of a high hill and descended the
opposite side on a steeper slope. Farmers found the pull too severe
for their burdened teams (especially in the winter months) and adopted
a more gentle passage on the western side of the hill. Eventually
this detour became the present black-top road and the original route was
abandoned; thus the old burial ground is not located on any type of road,
not even a farmer’s lane. Visitors, if any, must walk across an open
field or a dank woods.
The site is in a shameful condition, one of desolation
and neglect, and the smell of decay and dampness permeate the grounds.
Fallen, rotting tree limbs lay about the plot, high weeds are in abundance,
and the brush, taller than a person’s head, flourishes. Most
of the tombstones lay on the rough ground. Growing trees have over-turned
some markers, while depressions in the ground and numerous blackened stubs
of shale stones, mark the “forgotten” graves. There could easily
be 50 or more graves which are unrecordable in any manner. The cemetery
can qualify as an abandoned burial site.
The data on all tombstones was copied in 4 ½ hours
on October 19, 1979 by Joseph and Doris Boyd. In the case of some
wives, sons and/or daughters, the surname has been added for the sake of
clarity. Data in brackets does not appear on the tombstones,
but has been added for interest. To secure the data white chalk was
applied to better reveal the eroded lettering.
Last Name |
First Name |
Date of Birth |
Date of Death |
Age |
Inscription/Relationship/Comments |
ALLEN |
BYRON |
01/10/1862 |
06/29/1875 |
13y 5m 19d |
Son of ISAIAH & MARY L. ALLEN. (Tombstone
lays face-up in a deep depression in the littered ground.) |
ALLEN |
ELISHA |
07/10/1794 |
07/20/1871 |
77y 10d |
(He was a farmer with 90 acres in the
Town of Van Etten in 1868. The tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
ALLEN |
NANCY |
1799 or 1800 |
02/16/1862 |
62y |
Wife of ELISHA ALLEN. (Tombstone lays
face-up on the ground in two pieces with the break through the name.) |
ALLEN |
MARY E. |
1841 |
01/15/1845 |
3y 6m |
Daughter of ELISHA & NANCY ALLEN. |
ALLEN |
NANCY M. |
1824 or 1825 |
04/02/1828 |
3y |
Daughter of ELISHA & NANCY ALLEN. |
ALLEN |
SYLVESTER |
1834 or 1835 |
09/26/1853 |
18y |
Son of ELISHA & NANCY ALLEN. |
ALLEN |
MARY |
|
|
|
See entry for MARY ALLEN FISH. |
BARNES |
ELIZABETH I. |
06/17/1850 |
03/14/1876 |
25y 8m 25d |
Wife of CARMI W. BARNES. (Tombstone lays
face-up on the ground.) |
BARNY |
AMY |
1771 OR 1772 |
10/16/1843 |
71y |
Wife of DANIEL BARNY. (Tombstone lays
face-up on the ground.) |
BARTLETT |
BENJAMIN J. |
07/20/1846 |
12/30/1850 |
4y 5m 10d |
Son of BENJAMIN & ANN BARTLETT. (Tombstone
lays face-up on the ground.) |
BENTLEY |
MATHEW L. |
|
09/16/1859 |
33y 11m 16d |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground
and is badly eroded. Dates and age can be in error as typed here.) |
BRINK |
ELLIS |
|
03/5/1857 |
|
(No tombstone October 19, 1970. Read
by Margaret Rumsey in 1970.) |
BRINK |
GELINA |
|
|
|
See entry for GELINA DIMICK. |
BRINK |
GEORGE W. |
|
08/11/1874 |
|
(His tombstone is broken, lays face-up
on the ground and is so badly eroded that the data, other than the name
cannot be read. White chalk was used to bring out the information that
is typed here.) |
BRINK |
HULDA |
|
|
|
Wife of GEORGE W. BRINK. (Tombstone lays
face-up on the ground, is broken and badly eroded. Other than the name,
no data could be read. White chalk was used to bring out the information
that is typed here.) |
BRINK |
THOMAS |
|
03/17/1875 |
40y 10m 12d |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground,
is broken, and so badly eroded that only the name could be read. It lays
in a line with tombstones for GEORGE W. AND HULDA BRINK.) |
CAMPBELL |
AUGUSTA J. |
1854 OR 1855 |
02/19/1885 |
30y |
Wife of LUCIUS B. CAMPBELL, daughter
of T.S. & E. STEWART. |
CAMPBELL |
WILLIE |
1884 OR 1885 |
04/20/1889 |
4y |
(Both epitaphs appear on the THOMAS S.
STEWART shaft type monument.) |
CORNISH |
LORENZO |
05/19/1840 |
08/14/1869 |
29y 2m 26d |
(He was a farmer with 50 acres in the
Town of Van Etten in 1868. The tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
DENSE |
MARY |
12/19/1800 |
03/15/1850 |
49y 2m 24d |
(Spelling of the surname is as it appears
on the tombstone which was dug out of the ground and now lays face-up.) |
DENSE |
ELMER |
05/15/1871 |
01/25/1872 |
8m 10d |
Son of CHARLES & DELPHINE DENSE. |
DIMICK |
GELINA |
02/24/1839 |
07/04/1863 |
24y 4m 10d |
Wife of HIRAM H. DIMICK and daughter
of GEORGE & ELLICE BRINK. (The mother's given name is spelled as it
appears on the tombstone.) |
DRAKE |
ELIZA D. |
06/17/1851 |
07/30/1880 |
29y 1m 13d |
Wife of JACOB S. DRAKE. (Tombstone lays
on the ground in two pieces, broken through the age line.) |
ELSTON |
SAMUEL |
1803 OR 1804 |
09/05/1879 |
75y |
(He was a farmer with 130 acres in the
Town of Van Etten in 1868. Tombstone lays face-up on the ground in three
pieces.) |
FISH |
SIMEON B. |
09/06/1787 |
01/31/1865 |
77y 4m 25d |
(Both the base and its tombstone have
been tipped over and the marker lays face-up on the ground.) |
FISH |
MARY ALLEN |
04/12/1792 |
06/01/1868 |
76y 1m 20d |
Wife of SIMEON B. FISH. (Both the base
and its tombstone have been tipped over and the marker lays face-up on
the ground.) |
FISH |
DANIEL M. |
06/04/1825 |
02/21/1830 |
4y 8m 17d |
Son of SIMEON B. & MARY FISH. |
FISH |
LYDIA |
08/25/1827 |
10/19/1875 |
48y 1m 24d |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
GEORGIA |
HILA A. |
02/12/1804 |
03/12/1869 |
65y 28d |
|
GEORGIA |
NATHANIEL |
09/02/1806 |
05/09/1859 |
|
|
GEORGIA |
MALINDA |
05/29/1812 |
06/01/1895 |
|
His wife. |
GEORGIA |
JOHN |
09/09/1832 |
9/10/02 |
|
(All three epitaphs appear on a single
tombstone which lays face- up on the ground.) |
HESS |
AMELIA A. |
02/16/1847 |
08/22/1866 |
19y 6m 6d |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.
Margaret Rumsey shows "wife of RALPH HESS" in 1970.) |
HESS |
JULENIA |
05/12/1864 |
11/30/1866 |
2y 6m 18d |
(A very nice tombstone leaning against
the trunk of a tree.) |
HORTON |
|
|
|
|
(A large base with the shaft type monument
laying deeply embeded in the earth at the base of the tree which tipped
it over many years ago. It would require great effort to dig it free; thus
it is impossible to read any data contained upon it.) |
HUDDLE |
ELIZABETH |
1791 or 1792 |
12/13/1868 |
76y |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.
Marker next to ELIZABETH HUDDLE is a thick shale tombstone with the face
scaled away. No data.) |
HUDDLE |
JACOB |
1811 OR 1812 |
02/25/1857 |
65y |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
KIBBE |
ELLA J. |
01/04/1861 |
04/23/1875 |
14y 3m 19d |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
KIBBE |
EMMA |
|
09/01/1866 |
3 weeks |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
KNETTLE |
MARTHA |
02/16/1847 |
02/19/1852 |
5y 3d |
Daughter of GEORGE & MARY ANN KNETTLE.
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
KNETTLE |
SUSAN |
11/14/1841 |
01/16/1843 |
1y 2m 12d |
Daughter of GEORGE & MARY ANN KNETTLE.
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
KNOWLES |
FREDDIE L. |
10/28/1865 |
03/05/1866 |
4m 5d |
Son of ALONZO & ELIZA KNOWLES. (Tombstone
lays face-up on the ground.) |
KNOWLES |
MARY |
|
|
|
Wife of ICHABOD KNOWLES. (Top portion
of the tombstone containing the names lays face-up on the ground. Bottom
of the tombstone with the data is missing.) |
KNOWLES |
SETH |
03/31/1818 |
01/29/1863 |
44y 9m 29d |
Died in the service of his country at
Hatterus Inlet, N.C. (He was a Mason. Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
KNOWLES |
SARAH A. |
12/3/1819 |
10/30/1872 |
52y 10m 27d |
Wife of SETH KNOWLES. (Tombstone lays
face-up on the ground.) |
LAROW |
FLORA |
10/19/1873 |
05/18/1874 |
|
Daughter of S. & S. LAROW. |
LAROW |
FREDDIE |
10/19/1873 |
04/18/1874 |
|
Son of S. & S. LAROW. (Both epitaphs
are side by side on a single tombstone which lays face-up on the ground.) |
LOSEE |
ABRAM |
12/10/1765 |
05/10/1851 |
85y 4m 30d |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
NORRIS |
JOHN |
01/23/1804 |
10/1/1846 |
42y 8m 8d |
|
NORRIS |
JULIA |
06/02/1801 |
01/24/1875 |
73y 7m 22d |
His wife. (A shaft type monument laying
on the ground.) |
SARE |
WILLIAM |
09/30/1796 |
12/23/1848 |
52y 2m 23d |
|
SARE |
LYDIA |
1877 |
10/02/1843 |
66y 7m |
(Tombstone lays on the gound in two pieces.
Margaret Rumsey read tombstone "wife of WILLIAM SARE" in 1870.) |
SEELY |
JULANY |
05/24/1823 |
04/29/1863 |
39y 11m 5d |
Wife of GILBERT SEELY. (Tombstone lays
face-up on the ground.) |
SEELY |
WILLARD F. |
01/07/1856 |
10/30/1864 |
8y 9m 23d |
Son of E.G. & JULANY SEELY. (Tombstone
lays face-up on the ground and is eroded.) |
STANNARD |
NEHEMIAH |
07/31/1827 |
08/13/1848 |
21y 13d |
(Tombstone is leaning against a tree
trunk.) |
STEWART |
AUGUSTA J. |
|
|
|
See entry for AUGUSTA J. CAMPBELL. |
STEWART |
DANIEL |
09/24/1788 |
03/19/1868 |
79y 5m 22d |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
STEWART |
HANNAH |
03/18/1792 |
01/24/1875 |
82y 10m 6d |
Wife of DANIEL STEWART. (Tombstone lays
face-up on the ground.) |
STEWART |
DANIEL W. |
|
|
|
(He was a farmer with 100 leased acres
in the Town of Van Etten in 1868.) |
STEWART |
SARAH |
|
|
|
(This and the preceding entry are on
small tombstones near a heavy shaft type monument which lays on the ground.
It is too heavy to turn over to read any data it may contain. Without a
doubt it would pertain to the above named individuals.) |
STEWART |
DELLA |
04/23/1871 |
03/15/1872 |
10m 10d |
Infant daughter of DANIEL W. & SARAH
STEWART. (Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
STEWART |
WILLIS E. |
1848 |
07/28/1858 |
9y 7m |
Son of DANIEL & SARAH STEWART. (Tombstone
lays face-up on the ground.) |
STEWART |
THOMAS S. |
1816 or 1817 |
04/16/1894 |
77y |
(He was a farmer with 74 acres in the
Town of Van Etten in 1868.) |
STEWART |
ELIZABETH |
1814 or 1815 |
09/25/1879 |
64y |
Wife of T.S. STEWART. (A shaft type monument
laying on the ground.) |
STEWART |
THEODORE B. |
1851 or 1852 |
10/27/1877 |
25y |
Son of T.S. & E. STEWART. |
STEWART |
WILLIAM H. |
1853 |
02/15/1854 |
8m |
Son of T.S. & E. STEWART. (This and
the preceding entry appear on the T.S. STEWART shaft type monument.) |
STUART |
|
06/13/1878 |
|
|
"Our Baby" (No name) (A small
tombstone with no given name and only the birthdate. It could be a child
of DANIEL & SARAH STEWART, even though the surname is spelled differently.) |
TENSE |
JOHN |
04/02/1774 |
01/28/1867 |
92y 9m 26d |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground
in two pieces.) |
TENSE |
SARAH |
1770 |
11/16/1854 |
84y 6m |
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground.) |
TOMPKINS |
HORACE M.C. |
10/12/1843 |
01/04/1850 |
7y 2m 23d |
Son of JOSHUA & PERMILIA L. TOMPKINS.
(Tombstone lays face-up on the ground and is badly eroded.) |
TOMPKINS |
PHEBE A. |
09/07/1847 |
03/24/2850 |
2y 6m 17d |
Daughter of JOSHUA & PERMELIA L.
TOMPKINS. (Tombstone lays face-up in the ground.) |
TORRY |
SARAH |
|
08/17/1857 |
60y 11m 18d |
Wife of ABRAHAM TORRY. (Tombstone not
found on 10/19/1979 by Boyd. Read in 1970 by Margaret Rumsey.) |
WHEAT |
H.M. |
08/23/1818 |
04/24/1886 |
67y 8m 1d |
(He was a farmer with 330 acres in the
Town of Van Etten in 1868.) |
WHEAT |
EVALINA M. |
1825 |
04/28/1860 |
34y 4m |
Wife of H.M. WHEAT. (A shaft type monument.
She also has an individual tombstone. See next entry.) |
WHEAT |
EVELINE M. |
|
04/28/1860 |
?y 4m |
Wife of HORTON M. WHEAT. (The spelling
of her given name is different than appears on the shaft type monument.
The top portion of the marker lays outside the cemetery wire fence. The
bottom section lays 15 feet away.) |
WHEAT |
SIDNEY P. |
05/28/1857 |
10/02/1857 |
4m 4d |
Son of HARLIN M. & EVELINE WHEAT.
(The father's name is different from that on the wife's tombstone.) |