NOTE: Photos of the tombstones can be found by CLICKING HERE.
Old Seceder Cemetery
Clarion County’s Oldest Burial Grounds Dates Back Many Years
Editor’s Note. We are grateful to Mrs. Pearl Ion Miller of Clarion, for her efforts, spending many hours in making the survey of the cemetery monuments at old Seceder Cemetery, as well as supplying the basic facts for this feature story on Clarion’s County’s oldest burial plot
by John P. Baker
Derrick Staff Writer
Oil City Derrick Newspaper
Clarion– It is now just 162 years ago, dating back to the years of 1801 and 1802, that a number of men and women with a courage beyond belief, left their well organized homes in eastern Pennysylvania to come to a point near here, identified as “Brush Run” to settle and earn a livelihood and to rear their families.
When they arrived in the Brush Run area only a few miles from Clarion, the area was nothing less than a vast wilderness, unbroken and inhabitated only by indians and wild animals, and the by-ways for travel through the then dense forest were only narrow trails formed by the indians population.
According to history, two groups of these early settlers came to the Brush Run district, one group from Centre County and the other from Westmoreland County. Although migrating in separate areas, they settles quite close to each others, without knowing of each others presence, so dense was the forest.
In this area where these sturdy pioneers settled it is said the first church was built in the year 1808, and it was identified as the “Reboboth Presbyterian Church”. It was said to have been a rather crude edifice, constructed of round logs cut down in the forest area where it was construced, the bark peeled from them, and then the logs joined to form the church building. The building was said to have been 20 by 30 feet in size, and for interior lighting, window openings were provided. however greased paper was used in the opening, since glass was not available in that era.
Then in 1822, the Presbyterians decided to leave this area, and they built a new church approximately a mile north east of where the original church stood and their structure was identified as the new “Rehoboth Presbyterian church”. To be more exact of the location, this church stood just east of
the present Owens-Illinois pumping station along route 66, near Mechanicsville.
Then came another church identified as “Seceder Church”, built by the associate Presbyterians, which were organized in 1808. This new church was built near the orignial Rebohoth Presbyterian church, at the bottom of the grade from the orignial Presbyterians Church and close to the roadway.
According to history, the building was constructed of two inch planks, was 40 by 70 feet in size and accommodated around 150 people in its seating capacity. It remained in use until 1877. The burial grounds on the hill above this church building has since been identified as “Seceder Cemetery”, and it is said that it was the only place of burial for miles around in that era.
After the inception of this cemetery, a fence was erected around the burial plot, however this fence has long since crumpled to ruin, and many of the beautiful grave stones that marked the resting places of the early pioneers who were buried there, have been broken, and many have fallen on the top of the graves.
On August 1, 1959, however, when a survey of the markers of the cemetery was made, it was discovered that there were still more than 70 legible markers in the burial plot, while it was also discovered that many of the graves were marked with a common field stone, erected in an upright position.
At this point, it is well to mention that the area of ground where the old Seceder cemetery is located, was property owned by the Late Judge Theo. L. Wilson, and in his last will and testament, he bequeathed to the First Seneca Bank and Trust Co. 50 shares of Standard Oils stock, together with any stock dividends, which may later be declared, for such part of the income, therefrom, as may be required to clean up and maintain the old Seceder Cemetery.
This declaration concerning the Seceder cemetery project, was stipulated in the last will and testament of the Late Judge Theo. L. Wilson, and since that time, Morris J. Baldwim, trust officer of the local banking institution has carried out the wishes of Judge Wilson and the cemetery has been well groomed and a new roadway constructed to the burial plot from route 66.
It was noted in a section of the late Judge Wilson’s will, that his great-great grandmother, Jean Wilson, his grandparents, Robert and Sarah McConnell Wilson and John Wilson, an uncle of Judge Wilson are buried in the Seceder Plot.
A roadside sign, in addition to the cleaning up and roadway project, has been placed along route 66 bt Mr. Baldwin, identifying the entrance to the old cemetery, and Mr. Baldwin said that people of the area interested in visiting the scene of old Seceder cemetery are welcome to do so.
In other information concerning the churches and Seceder cemetery, it was discovered in the memories of the late Judge, Peter Clover born in the Brush Run settlement in 1804, that the first death was James McFadin, an infant son of Philip and Sarah Roll CLover. The child was christened “Paul”. Child and parents were buried in Seceder cemetery When a survey of the Seceder cemetery was made by an interested party in 1959, before the renovation program to the burial spot, it was grown up with many wild bushes, weeds and the sort of growth that develops in wooded areas over a period of years.
The party making the survey pointed out that while looking over the graves at Seceder, two deer arose from between grave stones, gazed at the person momentarily, then treked away into the deeper woods.
The Surveying individual also remarked that the only graves in the burial plot that gave forth any signs of being attended, were those of the family of the late Judge Theo L. Wilson. Many of the names on the markers, it was said, had been hidden by green moss which had formed on the faces of the markers.
In looking over the memorial stones, the individual making the survey remarked in the survey notes, that the oldest stone with a legible name was that of Mary, wife of James Potter, died Oct. 4, 1812, at the age of 45 years. But the individual making the marker survey stated that “it is well known that there were earlier burials in Seceder cemetery, however no markers were placed at the burial plots.
Here we will give the listing of the legible markers in old Seceder cemetery, from the survey made as of August 11, 1959:
Mark Williams, died June 5, 1849.
Mary and Elvira Cochran, died Nov. 117, 1842
Mary Catherine Cochran, died Sept 2, 1863
Catherine Cochran, died Sept. 26, 1885
J. M. Cochran, died 1865
Joseph Cochran, died Nov. 19, 1871
James Speer, died Jan. 22, 1873
Sarah Speer, died Feb. 2, 1892
James Speer, no date of death
George and Samuel Speer, no death date
Samuel Kady, died Nov. 12, 1854
Margaret Mitchell, died Oct. 11, 1856
Elizabeth, consort of Wm. Mitchell, died April 25, 1827
W. C. Mitchell, died Oct. 13, 1851
Rev. Philip Clover, died April 12, 1888
Margaret Clover, died Feb. 1, 1846
John M. McCormick, died July 4, 1810
Walker (No first name) died Oct. 25, 1815
Theodore Corbett, died Feb. 4, 1837
Rt. Alexander McGarrah, died June 26, 1825
Elenor McGarrah, died Jan. 6, 1827
Huddah McGarrah, died 1826
Twins Joseph and Elenor McGarrah, died Feb. 29, 1823
Nancy E. Maffett, died May 3, 18–
Jane Guthrie, died Sept. 23, 1839
Robert E. Potter, died May 14, 1834
Eli Potter, died June 30, 1832
Adam Potter, died Jan. 20, 1834
Lebrum H. Potter, died Aug. 12, 1843
James M. Potter, died Feb. 20, 1836
William Gibson, died Feb. 20, 1836
Margaret Gibson, died Oct. 21, 1784
Joseph Williams, died Feb. 2, 1850
James Potter, died Feb. 14, 1855
Mary Potter, died Oct. 3, 1812
Sarah Wilson, died May 21 1849
Frances Clover, died Aug. 7, 1842
Catherine Clover, died April 12, 1823
Frances Clover, first wife of Rev. Clover, died Dec. 28, 1817
Hiram Clover, died March 21, 1878
Isabelle Cathcarl Clover, second wife of Rev. Philip Clover, died Sept. 18, 1888
John Q. Port, died July 6, 1851
Ann Port, died March 9, 1842
Margaret Ann Port, died Jan. 16, 1846
Lavellon Port, died Dec. 1, 1851
Smith Whiteman, died Dec. 17, 1923. Note this person was the last individual burined in old Seceder cemetery.
John Jones, died Dec. 24, 1858
Rebecca Jones, died March 20, 1831
Catherine Jones, died Sept. 14, 1851
Peter Jones, died May 12, 1829
Robert Maxwell, died March 17, 1877
Ann Maxwell died July 15, 1859
Margaret Dunlap died April 20, 1817
John C. Corbett, died March 20, 1853
Sarah Corbett, died Nov. 25, 1828
William Corbett, died May 13, 1831
Joseph M. McCormick, died Dec. 7, 1840
John Wilson, no death date on stone
John Roll Jr., died Jan. 15, 1816
Samuel George, died Aug. 10, 1884
John M. Guthrie, no death date on stone
Adam McConnell, died June 21, 1842
It is interesting to note that a Nancy Wilson, infant daughter of Samuel and Jean Love Wilson, who left Ardstraw County, Throne, Ireland in the year 1798 to accompany her parents to the USA died and was buried at sea at the age of four years. A memorial stone was erected for her in the Seceder cemetery in the Wilson plot.
It states of John Wilson, an ancestor of the late Judge Theo L. Wilson, who bequeathed money in his will to care for the Seceder cemetery, that he served his country in the War of 1812. However, there are no birth or death dates shown.
Another interesting inscription on a monuments lists John Roll Jr. 7-Co. 8 Bn. Cumberland C. Penna., Rev War. Born Jan 12, 1725, died Jan. 15, 1816. This monument was placed at the Roll burial spot in his honor April 12, 1950.
As stated previously, in the last will and testament of Judge Theo. L. Wilson, he named the First Seneca Bank and Trust Co., of Clarion, to have the direction of the care and maintenance of this burial plot, thought to be the first in what is new Clarion County.
Through the efforts of Mr. Baldwin, Henry M. Amsler, Robert Walter, Clarion township supervisors and Fred S. Port and Son, who deeded over land adjacent to the cemetery property, an approach and driveway was established from highway Route 66 to the cemetery area.
The road project has been completed. It has been surfaced with limestone chips, making it accessible to travel at any time of the year. The roadway makes a complete circle of the burial spot.
This marks number two of cemeteries of the early history of Clarion county to be brought to the limelight by the clearing of heavy underbrush and weeds; so that the general public may have an opportunity to visit these Clarion county historical spots. The one besides Seceder, is St. John Lutheran, located at the edge of the Village of Fryburg.
Source: The Derrick, Wednesday November 6, 1963 edition, Section 2, Page 13
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