History of a Cemetery that is Historic Itself!

                                       Grave of Rev. War Vet. Miles Standish ..Yes grandson of Miles Standish!

Sometimes a cemetery is historic for a number of different reasons as well as for the famous people buried in it. One such cemetery is the  Eaton Village Cemetery which occupies a hill outside of the Hamlet of Eaton and contains the remains of many famous and near famous people.

M E Messere

The cemetery itself dates to before 1800, on a piece of property donated by Squire Eldred. It rests on the side of the Old Indian Trail, a recently discovered map shows that the early road was exactly where the current road is. 

M E Messe 

Little care or attention was given the site for a number of years with cattle roaming it and overgrowth covering it, but in 1852, George Morse, grandson of the famous Joseph Morse, bought a piece of property next to the cemetery which started him on a labor of love keeping the grounds for his lifetime.

Morse took care of the grounds planting trees & planting the myrtle that still covers the hill today.  Morse also installed fences to keep the cows that roamed nearby out. Other early pieces of property that added to the cemetery's size belonged to J. T. Whitney.  In 1884 the present Eaton Village Cemetery Association was formed, an association that still cares for the cemetery today.

Buried within its borders are the founding Morse family, the Landon Family members including the famous Eli Perkins (Melville Landon) who is buried at the top of the cemetery steps. There are Chubbucks, including the father of Samuel W. Chubbuck inventor of the camelback key and sounder for Morse’s telegraph and siblings of Emily Chubbuck Judson,  the author and missionary.

Many Civil War veteran's including Col. Henry Bagg Morse of the famous 114th Regiment of NYS Volunteers and relatives of Charles Grandison Finney who once attended school in the one room school house that was located in the cemetery. 

 In a special section lies the first female physician of Madison County Diedamia Button Chase and beside her is her famous daughter, historian Luna Chase Hammond. Near the front of the cemetery lies Allen N. Wood  founder of the world famous Wood, Taber & Morse Steam Engine Works, and many more.

So take a short hop on NYS Scenic Highway Route 20, and visit historic Eaton, for a Special Memorial Day Celebration. The Parade starts at 10 AM and it will take you to the Cemetery where there will be a Prayerservice presided over by Rev. Smalley and music by the MECS Band and Chorus.  Back in town there will be a classic truck display, Revolutionary War Display, Gift Shop and White Elephant sale...come join the Celebration!

A Special 28th Fall Festival History Weekend

Remember.... this weekend is Fall Festival History Weekend and our special event for History Day.  Sunday, Oct. 19th... the Old Town of Eaton Museum will be open from 1 to 3pm  followed by a lecture at the old Auction Barn on Rt. 26 at 3:30 pm.

 The lecture will be on the historic Eaton Cemetery and will offer a virtual tour of its history!  

Please realize that the history of all our small areas and cities is contained in the final resting place of it former inhabitants who have now passed!  Eaton's Historic Eaton Cemetery is no exception and really has some wonderful stories to tell.  I love to give the tour because some of the stories are so entertaining and some so sad!

From the "Mean Men Stories" of Melville Landon, to the Revolutionary War stories of Veterans from Eaton who served like Miles Standish lll, and the remarkable founding families of Morse and Leland. You will  learn about their connections to the Battle of Bunker Hill, connections to the Mormon history that flows down the hill from the Bonney Farm.  Did you know that John Brown and his men rode through Eaton where his niece lived.

The history in our EatonCemetery includes many of the founders of the Eaton Museum as well as some of its most remembered citizens...so mark it on your calendar and come to the Auction Barn next to the Eaton Post Office, I guarantee you will enjoy a special Sunday afternoon with Backstreet Mary and the museum gang!!

Refreshments will be served!

Up Coming Memorial Day, Museum and History plus Fun

Well...while thinking about the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday I was struck by the fact that this year will really be unlike so many before.  Our little Museum crew was going to do a celebration for the 25th Anniversary of the Neighbors for Historic Eaton the group that started this whole history of Eaton gig.  Doesn't seem possible but its been 25 years. But the Covid 19 has ended these thoughts for this year.

What started as a parade and cake in 1995 has now expanded to two museum buildings, websites and history research area, as well as a place in the historical community of New York State.  There is much work to be done though, especially on getting our research work labeled, setting up cleaning for old documents and sorting etc, ...for this we will need volunteers,,,but that must wait just like the Memorial Day Celebration this year.

In a week I will start a series on the Revolutionary War and the early settlers of Eaton who served in that war and I am hoping to do a presentation on video of the cemetery and the man who we have chosen to honor this year.  He has a famous name... Myles Standish, and yes he is a direct descendent of Myles Standish of the Plymouth Colony.

So while wandering around the Cemetery I came across the grave of Melville Landon, better known as Eli Perkins.  He was a Civil War Veteran, a Major and helped set up defenses for Washington DC before the War.  His later life made him a lecturer and comedian.  So to cheer us up a bit I am going to include a piece of humor he wrote on one of Eaton's past residents...a real businesses man whose store was on Main Street across from today's gas mart.

Uncle Hank

Uncle Hank Allen was perhaps the smoothest and most accomplished liar in central New York. There were other ordinary country post-office liars in the beautiful village of Eaton, New York, where I was born but Uncle Hank could lie like a gifted metropolitan. 

Every night Uncle Hank’s grocery was filled with listening citizens, all paying the strictest attention whenever the good old man spoke. When Charley Campbell or John Whitney lied nobody paid much attention because they were clumsy workmen. Their lies would not hold water like Uncle Hank’s.

Why, the old man’s lies were so smooth, so artistic, that, while listening to them, you imagined you were listening to Elder Cleveland’s Bible stories.

One day they were talking about potato bugs in Uncle Hank’s grocery:

“Talk about potato bugs,” said Dr. Purdy, “why, up in my garden there are twenty bugs on a stalk.”

“Twenty bugs on a stalk! Only twenty!” mused Charley Campbell contemptuously, “Why..they ate my first crop of potatoes two weeks ago and they are now sitting all around the lot on trees and fences waiting for me to plant them all over again.”

“Why you don’t know anything about the ravenous nature of them potater bugs!” exclaimed Uncle Hank. “You may call me a liar, but I’ve had potater bugs walk right into my kitchen and yank red-hot potaters right out of the oven! ‘Waiting around for the second crop,” exclaimed Old Hank with sneer. “Waiting? Why, by gosh and blast your souls, I was up to Townsend’s store yesterday and I saw potater bugs up there looking over Townsend’s books to see who bought seed potaters for next year. I did, by gum!”

The whole grocery was still when Uncle Hank finished. You could have heard a pin drop. Finally, a long lean man from Woodman’s Pond raised himself up. The stranger, evidently a new-comer and not acquainted with Mr. Allen, pointed his long finger at Uncle Hank and exclaimed with a hiss “You are a liar!”

Uncle Hank looked over his glasses at the stranger long and earnestly. Then holding out his hand, he inquired with a puzzled look:

“Where did you get acquainted with me?”