History
REQUEST: At one point, there was a metal arch over the Ushers Road entrance to the cemetery. We are very interested in obtaining a photo of that arch which contained our name in it. If you have such a picture or if you know where the picture might be in an historical book, please contact us by emailing us. (See Contact Us)
Jonesville Cemetery, located in Jonesville, New York, is an 11.2 acre local cemetery about a 15-minute ride north of Albany, the capital of New York. The small community is named after James Jones who ran the former Jonesville Hotel. He is interred in the cemetery.
Jonesville Cemetery was authorized for establishment by the New York State Senate on January 15, 1864 but did not open until October 1, 1864. The map of the proposed layout of the cemetery was filed at the county seat on June 23, 1865 and a copy is in file DD-41 in the Clerk's Office there. Early on, 252 remains and monuments from the small Union Grove Cemetery in Jonesville were re-interred throughout the Jonesville Cemetery. That’s the reason for some markers dating back to 1799 – 1864. In fact, the oldest stone for Jemima Hubbs is dated January 10, 1799. The first directors were Roscius R. Kennedy, Samuel Langdon, Garnsey Kennedy, Morgan L. Finch, Alexander Hubbs, and John Higgins, all interred in Jonesville.
This was the time of the Civil War and markers of veterans from that war, the Spanish American War, World War I and II, Korean and Vietnam Wars can be seen throughout the cemetery.
Then came the Victorian Era. The cemetery became a picnic area for families. An earthen vault and a gazebo were erected and different roads within the cemetery were named, such as Pastoral Walk which connected nearby Jonesville Methodist Church and the former Grace Episcopal Church to the cemetery. There were Myrtle’s Mound (highest point in the cemetery), Poet’s Mound which overlooks the flats, Cedar Mound (back of the cemetery), Cypress Mound, and Mt. Hope, Union, Larch, Greenwood, and Elmwood Avenues and a section called Mayflower Lawn. As the cemetery grew and the need for burial sites increased, the picnics ended and the vault and gazebo deteriorated and were removed.
During construction of the interstate highway (referred to as the Northway) which links New York City and Canada, the state purchased space in the Jonesville Cemetery for the remains from two small private/family cemeteries; they are located at the front of the cemetery off Ushers Road.
Some of the oldest sites are located on the highest points of the cemetery. This is where the Best and the MacElroy Families are interred. One marker indicates a man named Joseph Brewer had lived the longest (b.1715 - -before George Washington--to 1812).
In 2005, the iron fence built in 1910 was replaced along Ushers/Longkill Roads, demonstrating the commitment and dedication of the Directors to the dignity and grace of the Jonesville Cemetery. Funds for the new fence were generously provided by community members and a bequest by Leslie Van Campen. In addition, the Association established its own website, provided area signs to assist in location of properties, introduced a new brochure and yearly newsletters, and began the Friends of the Cemetery to inform and to involve property owners; seven granite benches from Friends were also added to the grounds. The Friends have also funded a restoration program including the raising and repairing of fallen gravestones and the cleaning of the oldest stones/monuments. Articles on the cemetery have appeared in the journal of the Association of NYS Cemeteries.
In 2006, the Association began duplicating all of its deeds and placing duplicates in three locations to prevent the loss of these historic documents. From 2006 - 2007, the Association began a process of creating a database of all those interred in the cemetery and all names appearing in deeds, burial books, a document by Fred Crane, or on gravestones. For a variety of reasons (a gravestone was never placed on the property, names were never recorded on an existing gravestone, the name has totally worn off, etc.), the locations of some individuals are unknown, even though sources indicate they are in Jonesville.
In 2007, the Association donated its 1864 historic map of the cemetery to the Clifton Park/Halfmoon Library for the community to see its original layout with each road and area named by the founders. The cemetery also initiated scheduled tours to adults and elementary students and offered a program at the Clifton Park/Halfmoon Public Library on the history of the cemetery.
In 2008, the Town of Clifton Park presented the Cemetery Association with the historic bell from the former Grace Episcopal Church from Main Street, Jonesville, for permanent display at the Ushers Road entrance. The Association through fundraising erected a bell tower and historic markers for future visitors to the cemetery to enjoy.
Today, the cemetery maintains its country beauty, peace and resting place for many.
