The Segar-Bardeen Cemetery, Italy, NY
 |
The Segar-Bardeen Cemetery (named for some of the
families buried here) straddles the county line between Yates County
and Steuben County. Families from both Italy and Prattsburgh,
NY, are buried here, and the Edsons owned land in both counties.
Where's the cemetery? It's inside the cluster of trees on
the left, and is located on private land. We had to drive down
a rather bumpy dirt road to get here. We asked the farmer who
owned this land whether we could walk around and take some
photos. Without the map provided in the Yates County cemetery
book, we never would have found this place. |
| This photo gives you a good impression of the
condition of the cemetery. The stones are in horrible
condition. As the farmer told us, "Nobody has ever taken
care of the place." Trees and brush have grown up around the
stones, burying some, and pushing others out of the ground.
Most of the stones are broken, overturned, buried, or otherwise
unreadable.
Rufus Edson (1765-1828) and his wife Mary Cole Edson (1765?-1840)
are both buried in this cemetery, but try as I might, I was unable
to locate their stones.
|
 |
 |
There are a few stones in the Segar Cemetery still
standing, but not many. We got the impression that when this
cemetery was first used, back in the 1820s, this used to be a quiet
family cemetery, rather parklike. Trees were planted in the
area to give it a scenic atmosphere. However, after 180 years,
things have deteriorated considerably. I must admit I wasn't
terribly comfortable walking around here. There were a number
of holes, no doubt created by animals, around the stones - it made
the place more than a little creepy. |
To next page: The Segar Cemetery, Part 2
|
