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From: <>
Subject: [PACRAWFO-L] History of Evergreen Cemetery, Harmonsburg, Crawford Co., Pa. Part 1
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 01:30:29 EDT

Hi Everybody:

I took this from the "Official Statement by the Board of Trustees to the Lot
Holders of EVERGREEN CEMETERY", Harmonsburg, Crawford County, Pennsylvania
1943 Booklet. The Cemetery was Incorporated in 1868. (Many of my fore-fathers
were involved with this project)

FOREWARD: IN FOND REMEMBRANCE OF YOUR DEAD --AND MINE--WHO LIVE ONLY AS YOU
AND I REMEMBER.

In January, 1868, the following named fourteen citizens of Summit Township,
Crawford County, Pennsylvania, feeling the need of a regularly chartered
ground for the burial of the community dead, formed in association and
petitioned the Court of Common Pleas of Crawford County for a Charter:
D. V. Smith - Wm H. Dickson - Levi Putnam - J. A. McMurtry - J. G.
Grier - J. B. Gifford - D. G. Harper - B. Dickson - J. F. Chidester -
B. C. Coolidge - Almon Whiting - Michael Darnhafer - J. F. McClure -
A. D. Foust.

To this petition were attached Articles of Incorporation drawn up in regular
form by the Hon. A. B. Richmond, Attorney, and the signatures of the following
additional citizens of Summit Township, urging that the petition be granted:
James M. McDowell - Wm Putnam - J. Q. Grier - Daniel Luper - C. A.
Fisk - J. E. Rice - W. D. Brown - A. M. Kelly - Charles Stevens -
S.T. McCray - D. Rice - J. B. Rice - Eli Brown - T. J. Chidester - A.
Anson - James Whiteside - C. Shurtliff - James Putnam.

Jan 22, 1868, the Court ordered this petition to be filed and notice of same
to be published in the Crawford Journal as required by Act of Assembly.

April 22, 1868, notice having been published as required, on motion of Hon. A.
B. Richmond, Court ordered that application be granted as petitioned.
This action of the Court is on record in Agreement Book B. pages 367-368 and
369, in the office of the Register and Recorder at Meadville, Pa.

After the Articles of Incorporation had been completed the new Association was
unable to obtain suitable grounds for the project until Nov 29th, 1876. Then
at a called meeting arrangements were made for the purchase of land from J. M.
McDowell and from James McClure at a price of one hundred dollars per acre.
Funds for the purchase were subscribed by the following persons with the
understanding that the amount in each case was to be refunded to the
subscribers as soon as there was sufficient money in the treasury, or be
credited on the price of lots purchased, at the option of the subscriber.

Almon Whiting - J. G. Grier - D. G. Harper - Levi Putnam - Wm H.
Dickson - J. W. Nedean - Joe Brown - J. E. Rice - L. Taylor - John
Fuller - Robert H. Harper - A. J. Williams - E. Shartle - Wm Putnam - A.
W. Smith - Mrs. S. P. Kelly - Geo. B. Luper - James Moody - W. A. Keen
- W. H. Brown - Simon Shumaker - J. McClure (Lake) - George Sitler -
Samuel Brown - J. McClure (Tan) - T. F. Rockwell - Eli Brown - Charles
Ferris - James Putnam - Benj. Dickson - John Beatty - Daniel Long -
Benj. Brown - W. H. Smith - W. Jackson * - Porter Johnson.

All but one of these subscribers afterwards purchased lots and received five
dollars credit on same. To one the money was refunded. All of these
subscribers as well as others later contributed liberally to the grading of
the ground without charge. *

The fund raised through subscription being insufficient to cover immediate
requirements, the Trustees procured a loan of $111.85 by giving their
individual notes in security until such time as the money could be raised to
repay the loan through the sale of lots.
-----------
* During the first twenty years Evergreen Cemetery sold in lots for 4 1/2
cents per sq. foot. Most of the purchasers then, however, were local people,
many of whom had spent days without charge, either with teams or with pick and
shovel, clearing, grading and preparing the grounds.

Continued Later -
Enjoy!
Bev

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