Erie Cemetery

E R I E C E M E T E R Y A H A N D BOOK H I S T O R I C A L BIOG RA PH ICA L N D D E S C R I P T I V E CONTA I N I NG ALSO TH E Cha rter a n d L aws,Ru les and Regu lations,a n d other Matters of G eneral I n formation Wri tte n a nd publish ed by a uth ority of a n d u n der direction of th e Corpora tors E R I E . P A H a n a n ) P a mr mo A N D P c n u sm u o Co . 1903 . MA NA ER G S ER I E C EMETERY . D P COL T S . CLARK . GEORGE . CH A E R S C M P E N C . S . SHIRK . WILLIA M GR I S L D . VVO . FRANK GUNNISON L M . LITTLE . O FF I C ER S . D s . President . CLARK P A M y . Secretar . HI ROD L TE R B E R S N G . Treasurer J . H Y R E A . M S E . Superintendent . COR PORATORS MA Y 13, 1902 . D S L A . C R K . M . GRISWOLD . H E M A N JA N E S CH A S I L STR ON G . M RT CL S A QDA VE N P O . REED . P WM M . HI ROD . CLARK OLDS . C. CHAS SHIRK . JOHN W. GALBRAITH E P G O . L M T COLT . LIT LE . M R . M . W W BARR . HARDWICK . M . W . S REED . JOHN . RILLING . M . C. JA ES SILL J . BROWN . ’ K I H T F B R E L M N . I L I E R G . V S . J . L E . WARNER JOHN J EVANS . R F H M E . WILLIA SPENC . SCHUTTE . N GE R M F O . GUN ISON . ETCALF P A M . HENRY SHENK . HI ROD . E L H I TTE L SE Y . W . D . E . G O . SELDEN RT Z E . CU . J R R 1 0 E IE CEMETE Y. TH E B U RI A L P LA C E S O F O LD ER I E . In connection with sepulture in Erie in the ea rlier part of its existence , especia llv as bearing on the old burying grounds, which are in their proper place adverted to,it must be remem bered that there were circumstances connected with the settle ment of Erie which in Europe would have placed it in the e category of a walled or fortified town . Indeed, its v ry first settlement was as a collection of home s of those connected with a military occupation of its site,a n d th e erection of a fort by an X th e army of King Louis V. in execution of his gigantic con ti n en ta l policy,embodying th e connection of Canada,then in the possession of the French ,by a chain of fo rts extending from Lake Ontario along the so uth shore of La ke Erie to what is n o w th e city of Erie,and thence by a well const ructed ro ad from Erie to - Fort L e Boeuf,now Waterford,continuing down French Creek to the Allegheny River and Fort Duquesne,now Pittsburg,and bv the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to the Lo uisiana territory,con n ectin g Canada with the island of Orleans, then one of th e principal footholds of the French king in hi s attempted subjuga tion of the North American continent . This well la id pla n was thought to have been carried out when a French a rmy of men in 1 7 53,erected Fo rt Presque Isle,at Second and Para de streets , and completed the roadway which led almost directly south to the present locatio n Of Waterford . This military occupation,though inte rrupted for a while by the capture of the forts b y the confederated savages,was resumed and co ntinued b y the British after their successes o ver the French ,and again by the military forces of Pennsylva nia a bout the time of the return of Gen . Wayne from his successful ca m pa ign in the west,at which time a blockhouse was erected and military protection was afforded to the surveyors, who, by authority of the commo nwealth at the da wn of the century,pro ceeded to la y o u t the town of E ri c on the plan upon which it wa s settled . These movements were followed by the occupation of ERIE CEMETERY . 1 1 Erie by the armed forces of the United States ,that in the War of 1 8 1 2 - 1 3,in conjunction with the naval forces,after a navy ya rd had been established at Erie in 1 8 1 2 ,effected the destruction of r e Se I O 1 8 1 the B itish fleet in the gr at naval battle of pt . , 3 . All of these events and th e stationing of armed forces,which was continued until the year 1 8 2 5,tended to make the people of this region fam iliar with military and naval mo vements ; and al l that related to the stateliness of military and n a v a l forms , the presence of so many military and naval Officers ,so me of them o f national reno wn , h a d its influence on the tone of society of th e whole region and tended to familiarize the people with the form s and ceremonies of military and naval funera ls with a ll the solemn O n o w s u h bsequies ,then as ,so crup lously ad ered to . The presence of such large bodies o f men with the deaths and burials which were a necessary incident ,demanded pla ces of u b rial,each of which in its turn wa s used for this purpose . Of these places there may be mentioned the French burying ground , qu ite near to Fo rt Presque Isle,east of Pa rade street,which ,hav ing been used until a number of interments were made , was followed in its turn b y th e occupancy of a po rtion of Front street , 1 8 1 2 - 1 Th e which was used duri ng the War of 3 . construction E ric R 1 8 8 1 8 of the Philadelphia R . ,in 5 and 59 ,caused the exhumation of the remains, which were still discernible Yet the respect a n d regard entertained b v the earliest settlers of Erie for those who had lost their lives in the service of their country wa s inst illed into th e ir children,together with the form incident t o militar y usage ,so that when these bo dies were exhumed in the su mmer of 1 8 59 a military funeral of a most imposing character was acc o rded to the remains ,and a public ceremonial under com mand of the Adjutant General Of the State ,with military and civic honors , characterized their escort to the Erie Cemetery , where they were reinterred with eve ry mark of respect awarded them . In this connection it is proper to add that the military forms and usages had,by the continued presence of military and naval offi cers at Erie ,become so familiar,that the feelings of the pe o ple o n occasion of national bereavement, on the recurrence of the death of me n of national renown caused public fune rals to be observed with unusual demonstrati ons of respect and of funereal o ta bl pomp . This was most n v observable at the death of Presi R R 1 2 E IE CEMETE Y . d ent H a rrison ,in April,1 8 4 1 ; of Ex- President Jackson,in June , 1 8 45,and of President Taylor in July, 1 8 50 ,when the people of Erie with military escort a n d religious services made ma nifesta t tions of heir sorrow and respect . It was the same spirit manifested almost a generation after wards ,a t the impressive military funerals respectively a warded by the city as though in general mourning,when,in July, 1 8 63,the e remains of the lament d Gen . Strong Vincent and of Capt . John 8 d ’ M . Sell,both of the 3 Regiment,a part of Erie s costly sacrifice at the battle of Gettysburg,were brought to their homes and buried with so much funereal pomp and real gri ef,as they were ’ taken from their ancestral church $St . Paul s Episcopal) to the M L e . c a n Erie Cemetery And later,the remains of Col . John W . , of the renowned 8 3d,which had been recovered from their resting place on the Virginia battle field ,were escorted by a large part of n th e 1 8 6 a t the people of Erie as mour ers . in summer of 5, the return o f peace ,to th e First Presbyterian Church,a n d a ft er im pressive services were carried through th e dense mass of sym pa thizin g fellow citizens to their last resting place in the Erie Cemetery . A glance at the facts above stated h a s seemed proper, to Show the origin of this feeling in the town of Erie ; and how it affected the procurement and care of burying grounds .

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