Bratton Cemetery
Bratton Township
Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
contributed by Mona Anderson
Only a few tombstones were located in 1978, when this reading was taken, however, several rows of field stones would indicate many graves (perhaps as many as 50) whose identity is not known.
THE GENESIS OF MIFFLIN COUNTY – 1957:
P54: August 26, 1766, Rev. Charles Beatty crossed the river early and had breakfast at Andrew Bratton’s on the south side of the river, where a church was later erected and where ruins of an old cemetery are now to be found.
P57: Tradition as well as documentary evidence points to the year 1776 as marking the erection of the church at Andrew Bartton’s. THE FIRST CHURCH TO BE ERECTED IN MIFFLIN COUNTY. A bequest made by Hugh Harper in his will on record at Carlisle, in which he bequeaths 5 pounds “to William Bratton for the use of building a Presbyterian meeting house at the graveyard in Andrew Bratton’s plantation.” This would indicate that a meeting house had not yet been built at the time of the date of the will, 1774, but that such was being contemplated.
McVeytown-Oliver-Bratton History – 1976
P88: A burying ground was laid out and enclosed with a stone wall where the early settlers were buried. It is located along the Juniata River, just south of Mattawana, on property now owned by Donald French. This plot was severely damaged by several floods.
North side:
Andrew Bratton b. May 24, 1787, d. May 18, 1955 (Grandson of original settler, Andrew Bratton.)
Rebecca, wife of Andrew Bratton, b. Jan. 30, 1785, d. Aug. 12, 1825
Center
Margaret Mitchell d. May 24, 1813 age 29 yrs.
Margaret Mitchell d. 1832 age 16 yrs.
Elizabeth Mitchell d. 18_2 in her 11th yr.
Catherine, wife of Hugh Scott. d. May 20, 1855 aged 73 yrs. (The local historian in 1977 had determined that none of the ancestors of PA Senator Hugh Scott resided in this area, they having been residents of Virginia.)
Unusual marker about 15″ square (has figure of bird recessed in face). Tradition has it that early settler Andrew Bratton found an Indian drinking from a nearby spring and shot him. Because of the nature-related figure on this marker it is assumed that this is the grave of that Indian.
Capt. William & James Bratton, sons of Andrew Bratton, who served in the Revolution, were known to have been buried in the NW corner of the plot.
Tradition states that some stones went into a barn constructed on a nearby property (now destroyed). The editor (1977) recalls observing some tombstones being used as a walk in the lawn of a nearby farm on Route 103, then owned by Dr. Steele.
From a DAR list of Rev. Soldiers Buried in Mifflin County, copied May 31, 1937:
William Bratton
Capt. 6th Pa. Regt. Continental Line. Grave according to history in Bratton Cemetery in Bratton Township.
Revolutionary markers placed in this cemetery for:
Capt. William Bratton
John Johnson
James Bratton
Henry Hanawalt
Samuel Wharton
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