Old Methodist Church
Burial Ground

 

There are at least three recordings for this cemetery - the first by D. A. R. in 1927, another one by Former Fulton County Historian Dr. R. M. Palmer in October 1939 and a later one in 1992 by Lewis Decker and his wife.  As to be expected of weathering and aged tombstones, there are differences in these readings.  The recordings taken by R. M. Palmer in 1939 appear as notations in blue, with asterisk [*]Both recordings appear as transcribed - this is merely a note of caution as you proceed in your research.


This cemetery is located Northeast of Kingsborough, and East of the Old Potters Reservoir.  It is on County Highway 122 (Phelps Street) and Washburn Hill Road in the City of Gloversville.  Introduction below as written by Lewis Decker:

This following has been submitted to this works as it contains some of the early settlers of the Kingsborough area who belonged to the Methodist Congregation.

The old Methodist Church was located near the intersection of Phelps St. and Washburn Hill Road, North of old Kingsboro and present day Gloversville.  It can be reached by following North Main Street, in Gloversville out to the end of the street where it intersects with Phelps Street, here turn left (West) on Phelps St., proceed a short distance until you come to the next intersection where Washburn Hill Road intersects on your right (North).  Notice on your right (north) just a distance past this intersection a clearing on the hill (today, 1992, there is a very small concrete block building open in the front, believed to be placed on the site or near the site of the old Church). 

On this knoll and around the old Church site can be found the burials.  There is evidence of numerous burials here that have only field stones for markers or no markers at all, or possibly through the years have been destroyed.  The stones that are present are in poor condition, chipped, broken and hard to read.  I remember in recent years some Boy Scouts of the North Main Methodist Church has a project to clean up this site, which accounts for having saved some of these stones.  (This old church site is considered the Mother Church for the Gloversville Methodist churches.)

An interesting booklet published in 1859 tells of some of these early settlers in the area of this old Church as well as some incidents of the Church's early ministers.  This is a rare local publication titled, "Epistles from the "Old Man of the Hills" to the people of the valley", published in Kingsboro for the author (Elisha Judson) 1859.

The wife and myself spent one late Sunday afternoon trying to map and record this old cemetery, we really needed more time to do a thorough research and recording but have chosen to add what we found that day to this Kingsboro Recording.  A more thorough recording will be done in the future to be placed in the Town of Johnstown recordings, but for now we hope this is some help to you.....

 

Section A
Section B

   

 


Return to Fulton County NYGenWeb

NYGenWeb

Copyright ©2000, Lewis Decker
Copyright ©2000, R. M. Palmer
Copyright ©2000, Jeanette Shiel
All Rights Reserved.


Last updated Tuesday, 13-May-2008 13:19:39 PDT