History
REQUEST and Payment: 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. The Association would be willing to pay $50 for an authentic, clear picture of the Ushers Road entranceway with the arch and the wording within the arch. (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 (burned down in 1915 which prompted the building of a fire station in Jonesville), opposite the present Jonesville Country Store which now serves as a restaurant. He is interred in the cemetery with his family.
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. Pieces of some of the monuments have been discovered and kept on property owned by residents on Dyer Drive and Main Street. The first directors were Roscius R. Kennedy, Samuel Langdon, Garnsey Kennedy, Morgan L. Finch, Alexander Hubbs, and John Higgins, who are all interred in Jonesville.
This was the time of the Civil War and markers of 100 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. It appears the founders attended the Methodist Church, hence the connecting path from the church to the cemetery. However, the cemetery is nondenominational. 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. However, the local beagle club, formed by Dr. John McElroy, used the cemetery for beagle trials (where beagles chased rabbits) around 1912.
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; this map is of exceptional quality. 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 Town built a fence which surrounds the bell tower and used two of the original 1910 metal posts as part of the fence. The Town owns and insures the bell tower on cemetery property. The magnificent bell tower was built and donated by Hinman Construction Company. The Association through fundraising added an automatic ringing system and historic markers for future visitors to the cemetery to enjoy.
In December, 2008 a major ice storm damaged many of the magnificent trees in the cemetery; luckily no monuments were damaged.
In 2009, the Association dedicated a granite Veterans' Memorial near the flagpole to honor all who have served our beloved country. In addition, all roads in the cemetery were upgraded. A new granite bench near the well was donated and installed.A Jonesville resident presented the Association with part of the original map of the cemetery from 1865; the poor quality section has water stains but is of the same map material as the good copy in the library. The original of this copy is unknown; all the resident said was it was given to her by someone who apparently found it in a garage sale. The Preservation Team repaired 400+ old fallen monuments by removing them from their places, pouring new cement foundations, and returning them using epoxy where necessary to bind broken pieces together to their original locations. The Association introduced a unique new metal bracing system to secure some of the oldest stones in the cemetery.The cemetery was evaluated by the Division of Cemeteries, NYS Department of State:"[Jonesville Cemetery]...should serve as a model for your community...[with] a pro-active board who has shown great concern in both managing Jonesville Cemetery and planning for its care in perpetuity."
In 2010, through the generosity of the Friends of the Cemetery, the Association upgraded the water pump area with new fencing, plantings and a bench. A new map display was erected which shows the original design of the cemetery, along with a self-guide to particular points of interest in the cemetery. For its initiatives, the Preservation Team was asked to speak to Clifton Park's Preservation Commission and representatives from area cemeteries. A new publication for property owners was introduced on how to clean a gravestone. In 2011, a new, narrated DVD was produced with a series of programs on the History of the Cemetery, the Meneely Bell Tower, Unique Monuments, the 1864 Map, and much more.
Today, the cemetery continues to meet the needs of our property owners and community, as the Association maintains its country beauty, peace and resting place for many.
