[Q-R] Cemetery Report: April 29, 2007 "Live Fire on Fort Drum" List user
5/15/2007, 9:29:09 AM This little project started last fall. Just to the east/north of Watertown, N.Y. is Fort Drum, Military Headquarters for the 10th Mountain Division. These are the soldiers that you see and read about most who are in Afghanistan and Iraq, fighting, getting wounded and dying. This military base will allow, with permission, non military personal to enter the base for a good reason. I was told they even allow hunting and fishing in season. Course 'ya need permission. They have live fire by ground forces, canons, tanks, maneuvers and by helicopter and jets. Not a good place to wander around at the wrong place and time. Even the Canadian Army comes here to train. I've passed convoys of their trucks and soldiers heading south from Canada to the Fort for training. But, the Fort's area over the years has expanded. Its taken over land of old defunct villages etc. which ended up leaving at least 13 old cemeteries now within the Fort. Some of these are also in the live fire area. Last fall I called the base to see if they would allow me entrance to check out the cemeteries there. Apparently that's a legitimate request as the Col. I talked with told me. I just had to contact him a few days before I wanted to go up there and he'd check out what's going on and where I can and cant go. And provide an escort. Well, the weather got nasty soon, as well as my shoulders and back got nasty also. So there was no fall trip there. A few days before the above date, I called, was given instructions as to where to enter the Fort(they put up a large ladder so I could get over the Fort walls.............................not really................LOL). Its easier to get in and out of Canada crossing the border than entering the Fort. So, from here, headed North on Rt.81 to exit 48 just North of Watertown, N.Y. East on Rt. 342 to Rt. 11 North to Rt 26 South and into the Fort at the North Gate. They had been told I was coming, but, still after checking all sorts of ID I was finally allowed to proceed with their directions to my escorts location. Found the building with no problem and the civilian who would escort me. The building did have uniformed military all over the place, but the Fort does have a 1000 or so civilian employees who take care of policing activities on the Fort as well as military police. I was given a pass that had to be in my windshield at all times, Hmmmmmmmmmmmm maybe if I didn't they'd use me for target practice????????? We had to go in two separate vehicles. I followed my escort. I was told by my guide, I couldn't visit 3 cemeteries today, as two were under live fire activities and the other hadn't been cleaned of live ordinance(<thats live bombs and other things that tend to blow up) at that time. So, away we went, some of these cemeteries have names and some don't but they're all within the Fort. The first one I was given the name, Sheepfold Cemetery. Walter Lepine 1881-1931. Glenn LaRock 1905-1964. Winchester Wright 1828-1912. Harriet Mix 1832-1908. Eliza Laplant died May 16, 1882 age 49 years. Hiram J. Wafull 1837-1906. Casper Bookmiller died Aug 27, 1854 age 16 years. Crescens Bashaw died Feb 28, 1880 age 74 years 9 months and 28 days. Dr. Coonrod Waful died Dec 1, 1879 age 48 years. Zelores B. Phelps died Oct 29, 1825 age 7 years. Jules Rene Payen Born in Paris, France Aug 31, 1800 and died July 27, 1862 aged 61 years 10 months and 27 days. Now the interesting part of the whole Fort. Off to the far side of this "Final Fields" is a little separate cemetery for 7 men. Prisoners of war from WW2. 1 Italian and 6 Germans. Six German flags and one Italian flag of which I picked up 2 German flags and one Italian flag. During WW2 part of the area was used for a prisoner of war camp. These seemed to be the only ones who died there while prisoners. Rino Carlutti Pvt., Italian ,died Oct 17, 1944. Otto Edeimann, German, died Aug 3, 1944. Karl Elert, GEFR, German, died Dec 21, 1944. Franz Heitmann, German, died July7, 1945. Heinrich Schmidtmeier, OGEFR, German, died Aug 18, 1945. Joseph Mueller OGEFR, German, died Aug 31, 1945. Christian Huppertz OGEFR, German, died Sept 28, 1945. (photos of the group) What struck me odd about the prisoners of war, they were never repatriated to their own countries. But, my guide told me that a local German/American Club occasionally comes in and takes care of their graves as well as placing the flags on their graves. Walked .9 miles here and picked up 3 flags. Next, no name Cemetery..................... Biancy Dodge died April 30, 1861 age 34 years. William Varley died Aug 19, 1884 aged 45 years 2 months and 10 days. Moses Pitre 1867- ____ . wife Olivine Labelle 1867-1925. Zenus M. Rounds Co. H, 193rd N.Y. Vol. died May 18, 1902 aged 56 years. (< this guy was odd as he was far away from the main body of graves. Looked around and figured out there had been a fence of some kind around the cemetery at one time and which was long gone. Zenus was buried outside of the fence. Even though he was a veteran, at the very bottom of his grave stone was marked "Negro". In that time period, Negro's weren't allowed burial in a white persons cemetery. They were always buried on the other side of the fence or wall. My guide said he was impressed at this point as to what I was telling and showing him, he was learning a lot that he had taken for granite, so much he had seen in the past and never understood. Now we're at Pierce Cemetery down some dirt road........................... Rectina Garfield 1811-1879. Dolly Tooly died Jan 3, 1883 aged100. Climena Lake Born Dec 15, 1877 and died Jan 20, 1928. We just saw 3 deer, 2 doe and 1 buck. (because of the area I was in, I asked my guide if that had been a buck private ?...........................LOL) In between the information above there had been other cemeteries I was brought to, but there was nothing of interest to report if they were readable at all. Some only had 2 or 3 headstones showing. One cemetery is still being used and I was shown a burial from just the day before. So for all those above I didn't mention I walked 4.5 miles and picked up 7 flags. And there where a few areas that still had patches of snow. My guide was hesitating saying he could take us to one more cemetery that they weren't firing on today, but it hadn't been cleaned of live ordinance, nor the road to get to it. I quickly passed up the offer and said goodbye and thank you to my guide. All done on the Fort at 11:00am. I had gotten there at 7:30am. I left the Fort onto Rt.3 and into Carthage , N.Y. at 11:08am. Right in the village on Rt 3 West and Clinton St, was an old founders cemetery that's next.......................... Auguste T. Vuillaume died Feb 25, 1843 aged 35 years. Walter Nimocks died April 9, 1866 age 77 years 10 months. Hellanah Settle Born in Albany County, N.Y. Aug 19, 1790, married Feb 25, 1808 and died March 22, 1864 aged 73 years 7 months and 3 days husband John D. Hammond Born in New Lebanon, N.Y. March 26, 1786 and died Aug 7, 1836 aged 36 years. Amos Choate 1786-1859. Rev. Sylvester Davis died at Honolulu, Sandwich Islands Feb 7, 1852 aged 43 years. Mary Jane Corneau Born Sept 29, 1791 at Brest, France married 1813 to Patrick S. Stewart died Feb 15, 1876 husband Patrick Sommerville Stewart Born Aug 4, 1791 at Edinburgh, Scotland died Nov 1, 1874. Mary Buxton died June 14, 1852 in her 75th year. Uriel Hooker died Jan 27, 1841 aged 61 years. Abigail K. Rugg died Sept 30, 1853 aged 25 years 6months. Jonathan Rising died Jan 31, 1866 aged 82 years wife Lucy died April 5, 1852 aged 57 years. Pliney Morgan died Jan 17, 1862 aged 92 years. Walked .5 miles here and vacated at 11:41am. Arrived 11:50am St James Cemetery, Carthage on Rt. 129 Melvin P. Cronk 1850-____. Imo Cheney died July 6, 1891 aged 38 years 3 months. Libbie Tidd 1880-1963. Ephriam Mick died Dec 26, 1890 aged 66 years 6 months. Stoel W. Loomis 1841-1911. Rawson Huntley 1826-1901. Emily Lafleur 1861-1944. Charles W. Place 1824-1899. Velma M. Jabas Castor(< beaver) 1891-1985. Franklin B. Johnson died Sept 6, 1883 aged 51 years 11 months, Member Knights Templar. (photo) Bessie Prue 1886-1947. Paul P. Morisette 1873-1956. I just walked around the side of a tree to look at a headstone and THUMP, right in the side of the head, a bird flew right into the side of my head, looking at the tree, there was a bird hole right at my head level. I was less than a foot away from the opening. I had my hood over my head as it was windy and cool and now raining. That was a bit of protection from the bird collision......................LOL Peter Pounds(<has a ring to it) 1855-1881. Octave Bilodeau 1870-1927. Randolph A. Sabourin Born Dec 26, 1904 and died March 12, 1989. Lewis G. LaSalle 1863-1945. Harry Laurin 1886-1953 wife Kathleen Krickmire 1892-1979 (photo) Delia Dionne Cummings Born Oct 27, 1896 and died Dec 8, 1941. In this cemetery there are many family members by the name of Yaddow, French origin. Picked up 19 flags here, walked 4.7 miles. The sun came out at 3:00pm and getting warmer. Vacated this "Peaceful Plaza" at 3:33pm. 3:42pm brings me to Hillside Cemetery Carthage, established 1898. On Route 126. Sevilla O. Hunt 1846-1932. Elkana F. Austin 1840-1902. Lephe C. Tripp died April 22, 1856 age 39 years. Nahor Mix Born Sept 11, 1823 and died Sept 7, 1872. Lewis H. Mills Born Kent, Connecticut March 25, 1827 and died Dec 25, 1889. wife Julia A. Sterling Born Aug 14, 1838 and died April 24, 1924. Frank Bassett 1836-1903 wife Ophelia LaFountain 1838-1925. Abraham LaFountain 1817-1888. wife Ozit Guyott 1818-1894. This next one has to be a record holder for age........................... Osmyn H. Caswell 1835-1983. (148 years old, not bad.......................) Hubbard Sprague died Dec 20, 1855 aged 49 years wife Prilancy died April 22, 1895 aged 83 years. Sadie E. Lumley 1894-1955. James W. Edwards Born March 15, 1930 and died June 20, 1994 W2EDH (< If you dont know what that means, he was a Ham Radio Operator, and that is his call sign. If any of you are a Ham, please try that call sign and let me know how you make out.................................) Walked 2.2 miles in this "All Washed Up Arena" and picked up 13 flags and vacated at 4:54pm Champion Hillside Cemetery is next at 5:00pm on Rt. 47 just off of Rt. 127. Only have a short sleeve shirt on at this time, so it turned out much nicer than it started. Arnold G. Failing(< sure looks like he was failing for sure) 1944-1992. Edith Doolittle 1884-1928. I can remember about 20 years ago finding a large family of Doolittle's in a cemetery in Champlain, N.Y. about 50 foot from the border. So, I opened the gate and walked into an abandoned building in Quebec, found an old scrub brush and used it to clean some of the headstones off. Elise Prame Ausman 1901-____. Royal P. Exford 1887-1959. P.F.C. Gordon M. Fleming enlisted infantry Feb 16, 1942, killed at San Vittore, Italy Dec 23, 1943, Born 1917. Earl K. Wetherwax 1902-1948 wife Helen Goings 1910-1978. Osceola O. Barrineau (no dates) Joseph B. Gonya 1834-1914. Pelatiah Hall died Aug 24, 1864 aged 77 years 5 months and 21 days. Noadiah Hubbord Born at Middletown, Connecticut Oct 11, 1765 died June 12, 1859, The Pioneer of Jefferson County. Osee Wilmot Born Peacham, Vermont died Oct 5, 1861 age 74 years wife Lydia M. Born Groton, Vermont and died July 27, 1875 age 77 years. Col. Elias Sage Born Sandisfield, Massachusetts died March 20, 1931 buried at Billings, Montana. Lebbeus Field Jr. died July 7, 1856 age 36 years wife Lucy M. wife of Libeus(< catch the spelling difference) Field Born Feb 27, 1798 and died Aug 25, 1884. Charles H. Lansing Born Broadalbin, N.Y. May 29, 1843 and died Nov 23, 1914 at Hysham, Montana. William L. Lansing Born Deer River, N.Y. May 29, 1847 and died at Billings, Montana Sept 18, 1882 age 65 years and 10 months. John H. Sloper 1852-____. Jerahmeel Cumings died July 20, 1817 in the 68th year of his life, formerly from Windsor, Vermont. Dea. Asa Carter died Aug 16, 1855 age 79 years Born at Walcott, Connecticut Nov 13, 1776. Walked 3.3 miles in this "Paying St Peter a House Call Park" and picked up 30 flags and vacated at 6:44pm. Looks like 14.7 miles for the day walking. Now I know why it took a few days to recover from that trip. Think that was the longest walk for a day of cemeteries yet. Got home at 8:20pm after a cold day, windy, rain, clearing and finally warming up mixed bag day. Good trip. Best Bill
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