Powers Cemetery

Town of Lancaster, Erie County, New York

1811 – 1862

Researched & Compiled by J. A. Buscaglia & Jim Bucki

Powers Cemetery

Town of Lancaster, Erie County, New York

1811 – 1864 Lot 12, Section 6, and Lot 2, Section 9, Township 11, Range 6. Located on the North side of Genesee Street, across from 5815 Genesee St. at power pole 267 - 412. Approximately 1/4 mile west of Gunville Road, perhaps 230’ off the road North.

Cemetery GPS Coordinates 42°56'45.48"N 78°38'14.63"W History and Ownership of the Cemetery

The name "Powers Family Cemetery" & “Halstead Cemetery”, is how it was known. The original deeds did not mention a family burying ground and continued to exclude it. The site of the cemetery seems to be on the property line between Lot 2 Section 9 Township 11 Range 6 owned by Noah Brimmer and Lot 12 Section 6 Township 11 Range 6 owned by Job Halstead.

Oliver Powers lived and owned Lot 1 Section 9 Township 11 Range 6 which is directly across the road from the cemetery.

However, in the Wiltse and Rice to Helwig Deed Dated December 20, 1862 in Library 218 Page 580 Lot 2 Section Township 11 Range 6, it reserved the part of the graveyard thereon now used for five graves of the Noah Brimmer family when they sold to George Helwig in 1862.

In 1971 the Lancaster Historical Society cleaned the site of overgrowth and tried to list the remaining headstones and grave markers. But since, over the years, weather, and or vandalism took their toll and many grave markers disintegrated, were lost, or were destroyed.

Current ownership of the cemetery is RP Oak Hill Building Company Inc., (formerly R&P Oak Hill Development, LLC) located at 3556 Lakeshore Road, Suite 620 Buffalo, New York 14219

Many of the stones have fallen and are broken also weather badly. The entire cemetery and area is heavily overgrown with berry briar, grape vines, and scrub trees. This cemetery isn't maintained.

List of Headstones and Markers

BAKER

John, Died July 25, 1834. E-Row 1(Stone Was Visible in 1970)

Fannie Baker Died February 28, 1868 Wife of Jacob Baker 81 years old

Sylvester, son of John & Harriet Baker, Died March 12, 1831, 3 years, 7 months. Foot stone: S.B.

BRIMMER

Charles, son of William & [?], born November 8, 1880, Died ?, ?, 1880, 10 months, [?] days.

Noah, Born February 12, 1810 Died Aug 7, 1852, aged 42 years. (Stone remains)

Orlando Brimmer Born March 1850 Died November 2? (Stone Remains)

Mary Brimmer Wilcox Born 1837 Died 1854 (aged 16–17) Married George Wilcox in 1851.

James, Birth Unknown Died June 26, 1853, Age 61 years. E-Row 4 (Stone Remains)

CROUP

Simeon (?) E., son of Philip & Julietta, Died Nov 26, 1851, 3 years, 2 days.

CULLEN

Fordson P., died December 21, 1811, 10 years, 6 months.

De FRIES

Christian, son of Jacob P., & Harriet De Fries, Died March 15, 1853, Age 10 years, 10 months, 15 days. E-Row 1. (Stone Remains)

GREEN

Fordyce P. Green Born 1811 Hancock, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Died 1841 (aged 29–30)

Patience Green Williams Born 1809 Hancock, Berkshire County, Massachusetts Died 1836 (aged 26–27)

Infant son, of Fordyce and Minerva Halstead Green, Died June 7, 1840. E-Row 3 (Stone Visible 1970)

IV. Patience Green, daughter of Abel, son of Russel Green, son of James Green, born in 1809, married Simon Williams in 1832. She died (childless) of consumption in 1836 and was buried in the Halstead graveyard.

V. Fordyce Green, son of Abel Green, son of Russel Green, son of James Green, born in 1811, married Minerva Halstead in 1832, died. in 1841 and was buried in the Halstead graveyard. They had children Amos and Laura.

VII. Leonard Green," son of Abel Green, son of Russel Green, son of James Green, b. in 1816, d. of consumption in 1840, and was buried in the Halstead graveyard. Burial noted in: "A genealogical and psychological memoir of Philippe Maton Wiltsee and his descendants: with a historical introduction referring to the Wiltsee nation and its colonies. Part first" by Jerome Wiltsee. 1908. Page 146. IV & V & Page 147 VII.

HALSTEAD

Clarissa, wife of Job Halstead. Born September 5, 1770 Cayuga County, New York Died March 1, 1832, Age 62 years Foot stone: C.H. E-Row 3 (No identifiable stone remains. Stone Visible in 1970)

Job Born December 25, 1764 Cornwall, Orange County, New York Died October 5, 1852, Age 87years. E-Row 3 (Stone Remains) Job Served in the War of 1812 He was in Capt. Asa Ransom's Company, Cavalry, New York Vols.

LUTZ

Celina, wife of Frederick C. Lutz, daughter of Corbin W. & Clarissa Powers, died Mar 22, 1862, Age 31 years 1 months 13 days E-Row 2 (Stone Remains)

MURRAY

Sarah E., wife of Alonzo, died May 11, 1859, 19 Years, 10 Broken stone Foot stone: M.J.W. E-Row 5 (Stone Visible 1970)

POWERS

Oliver F. Powers Born 6 Sep 1741 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Died 30 Aug 1818 at age 76 in Lancaster, Erie, New York, United States. Oliver served in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He served under Col. Abijah Willard who commanded from Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay during the French and Indian War. He also served under Capt. Samuel Sawyer's Co, of Col. John Whitcomb's regiment during the Revolutionary War.

Lydia Winn , wife of Oliver F. Powers Sr., Born 1748 Died Mar 27, 1836, Age 88 years 1 months, Lancaster, Erie County, New York Foot stone: L.P. 2nd wife of Oliver F. Powers Sr. Married June 21, 1768 Lancaster, Massachusetts E-Row 2 (Stone Remains)

Oliver T., Born August 5, 1792 Charleston, Montgomery County, New York Died July 17, 1834, Age 42 years Lancaster, Erie County, New York E-Row 2 (Stone Remains)

Cordelia S., 1st wife of Oliver T. Powers, died April 23, 1814, Age 24 years Lancaster, Erie County, New York Foot stone: C.S.P. 1st wife of Oliver Powers Jr. E-Row 2 (Stone Remains)

Corbin W., Born December 11, 1809 Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. Died Jan 23, 1854, Age 45 years Lancaster, Erie County, New York E-Row 2

Lydia E., Daughter of Oliver T. & Elizabeth Powers, Born February 8, 1824 Lancaster, Erie County, New York. Died July 2, 1824, Age 5 Months. Lancaster, Erie County, New York E-Row 1

Michael Parker Powers, son of Oliver & Elizabeth Powers, Born October 31, 1825 Lancaster, Erie County, New York Died October 9, 1829, Age 4 years Lancaster, Erie County, New York E-Row 2 (Stone Remains)

Edwin, son of Corbin W. & Clarissa Powers, died February 15, 1853, Age 20 years Lancaster, Erie County, New York Foot stone: E.P. Broken stone E-Row 2 (Stone Remains)

Caleb, son of Oliver T. & Elizabeth Powers, Born June 16, 1828 Erie County, New York. Died Feb 25, 1834, 5 years, 8 months. (?) E-Row (Stone Remains)

SHAFFER

Eleanor T., wife of John Shaffer, Died Dec 3, 1852, 30 years, 6 months. Foot stone: E.T.S. Broken stone. 1850 Census shows John 25 and Eleanor Shaffer 27 with Daughter Cordilia 1 year old

WILCOX

Mary E. , Daughter of Geo E. Wilcox, July 11, 1854, aged 17 years, 16 days. (Stone Remains)

FOOT STONES

E.M. Possibly Emeline Brimmer Murphy Born September 12, 1830 Died July 14, 1850 age 19. Emeline Brimmer, Born Sept. 12, 1830, Married. a Mr. Murphy. She died of consumption July 14, 1850, without issue.

D.S.P. Possibly Dorthia Powers Daughter of Oliver & Lydia Powers. Died 6 September 6, 1846 at age 62 in Newstead, Erie, New York

J.U.[?]

O.R.

S.L.

UNKNOWN

A large upright stone [?], died 1841, age 39 Broken & half buried E-Row 2

Broken stone, broken pieces E-Row 2

Fallen and under fallen tree. E-Row 5

Hidden under grapevine E-Row 1 Two stones – illegible.

GENEALOGICAL CONCLUSIONS

After doing a cursorily genealogical study of the Family names in the cemetery the Brimmer, Powers, Green, Lutz and Halstead are all related through marriage.

The Baker family were tenants of the Jacob Brimmer and rented a house and part of the land on the Brimmer Farm.

The Cox, Croup, Cullen, De Fries, Murray, Shaffer & Wilcox family’s may be related but no evidence has been found at this time.

Halstead Cemetery Actually, the Powers Family Cemetery

This is also the Powers Family Cemetery. The 1854 Erie county Map shows Lot 2 Section 9 with two owners Mrs. Brimer (Brimmer) on the West part and a J. Hatter’s Est. I believe this is Job Halstead Est. according to the 1850 census Job Halstead is listed along with Brimmer. This map is notorious for misspellings.

1854 Map showing Brimmer & Halstead Property outline in red.

Job Halstead owned Lot 12 Section 6 before 1818. According to the Western New York Land Transactions, 1804 – 1824 He Renewed his purchase of the Lot on March 24, 1818 (Page 206)

• Served in the War of 1812
• He was in Capt. Asa Ransom's Company, Cavalry, New York
• Vols. Rank – Induction PRIVATE
• Rank – Discharge
• PRIVATE Roll Box89
• Microfilm Publication M602

Deeds Mentioning Cemetery

The only Deed I could locate that mentions the cemetery is the Wiltse and Rice to Helwig Deed Dated December 20, 1862 in Library 218 Page 580 Lot 2 Section 9 Township 11 Range 6 Which States:

This indenture made the twentieth day of December in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty Two between Livingston G Wiltse and Laura M. his wife and William M. Rice all of the county of Erie and state of New York of the first part and George Helwig of said County of the second part witnessed, that the said parties of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of Three Thousand Six Hundred Dollars lawful money of the United States to them in hand paid by the said parties of the second part the receipt where of is here by confessed and acknowledged have granted, bargained sold remised released aliened, conveyed and confirmed and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell, remise, release, alien, convey and confirm unto the sad parties of the second part and to his heirs and assigns forever All that certain piece or parcel of land, situated and being in the county Erie and State of New York, Distinguished as the northwest Lot number Eleven, Section Six, Township Eleven, Range Six according to the Holland Land Company’s surveys as made by Joseph Elliott surveyor Bounded North by the Buffalo and Batavia Plank Road at the center of West by lot number One in Section Nine South by Lands owned by William and Thomas Hutchinson and east by land owned by John Winspear containing Twenty Six acres of land and one fourth of an acre.

Also another piece of land situated, likewise in the Town of Lancaster County aforesaid according to the survey aforesaid is distinguished as the south part of lot number two, section nine, Township Eleven, Range Six Bounded South by the center of Buffalo and Batavia Plank Road Twenty Chains west of lot number four in said section twenty seven chains and ninety seven links north by land by the heirs of the late Jerimiah Wiltse deceased twenty chains and east by lot number twelve in the sixth section twenty seven chains ninety links containing fifty six acres of land more or less excepting therefore the part of the graveyard thereon now used for five graves of the Noah Brimmer family.

Also another piece of land situated in the town of Clarence County aforesaid distinguished according to the survey aforesaid as the east part of number three in the ninth section northerly by the Buffalo Road and west by a line parallel to the west bounds of said lot number three bounding on the land owned by the late Peter Snyder and Jacob Frisk containing sixty four acres of land more or less.

Excepting therefrom twenty-seven acres on the north end conveyed to the Peter Snyder and to David Blocker and excepting the east half above described the pieces of land being the real estate except the burying ground above reserved and excepted. (See Deed next page)

Wiltse and Rice to Helwig Deed 1862

1866 Map of Northern Lancaster, New York

1880 Map of Northern Lancaster, New York

1928 Aerial Photo of Northern Lancaster, New York

Present Day Site of Cemetery

LiDar Image of Powers Cemetery Area

1850 U.S. Census Line 20 Job Halstead Line 28 Noah Brimmer.

Halstead, Job (Pvt) War of 1812 Service Record Index

Oliver Powers (1741 - 1818)

Oliver F. Powers

• Born 6 Sep 1741 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay
• Died 30 Aug 1818 at age 76 in Lancaster, Erie, New York, United States.
• Son of Jonathan Powers and Hannah (Moore) Powers.
• Brother of Jacob Powers, Amos Powers, Elizabeth Powers, Hannah Powers, Jonathan Powers, Silas Powers, Lucy Powers, Ephraim Powers and Manasseh Powers.

Husband of Lydia (Winn) Powers

• Born 7 April 1749 in Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
• Died 27 May 1836 aged 87 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York.
• Married 26 May 1768 in Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Descendants

Lucy Powers

• Born 1760 in Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
• Died 1769 at the age of -9 in Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Powers

• Born 1762 in Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
• Died in 1769 at the age of -7 in Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Jacob Powers

• Born on December 21, 1768, in Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
• Married Elizabeth Cummins on June 5, 1789
• Died November 16, 1812, in Lancaster, Niagara County, New York.
• Jacob & Elizabeth’s daughter Lydia born 1795 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts. Married Lt. Sylvanus Felton killed during the attack on Fort Erie August 20, 1814 during the War of 1812.

Josiah Powers

• Born on June 16, 1772, in Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
• Died August 8, 1808, in Farmington, Ontario County, New York.

Lydia (Powers) Preston

• November 12, 1774 Lancaster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
• Died February 20, 1843, in Gerry, Chautauqua County, New York.

Dorothea (Dolly) Powers

• Born June 15, 1784 Guilford, Windham County, Vermont.
• Died September 6, 1846, in Newstead, Erie County, New York.

Oliver T. Powers

• Born 5 Aug 1792 in Charleston, Montgomery County, New York.
• Died 17 Jul 1834 (aged 41) Lancaster, Erie County, New York.

Military Service

Oliver Powers served in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. The Military Annals of Lancaster, Massachusetts. 1740-1865 record that Oliver Powers, age 18 served under Col. Abijah Willard who commanded from Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay during the French and Indian War. Page 80

https://books.google.com/books?id=k1rKuhNDajYC&pg=PA80#v=onepage&q&f=false

Oliver Powers appears with rank of private on Lexington Alarm Roll of Capt. Samuel Sawyer's Co, Col. John Whitcomb's regiment, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775 from Lancaster to Cambridge. They returned home on April 22, 1775. Source: History of Lancaster, Massachusetts by Rev. Abijah P. Marvin 1879 (Page 291)

https://books.google.com/books?id=nX1BAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_sum mary_r&cad=0#v=snippet&q=%22Oliver%20Powers%22&f=false

He is also listed as a Minute Man in The Military Annals of Lancaster, Massachusetts. 1740-1865 Provincial Regiment of foot of Minute Men Commanded by Col John Whitcomb second Company of sd Regiment whereof Samuel Sawyer was Captain. Page 11 1 https://books.google.com/books?id=k1rKuhNDajYC&pg=PA110#v=twopage&q&f=true

North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 for Calvin Powers, D, Daughters of the American Revolution, Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 144 : 1919. Page 232 Entry 143752.

https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/195950/?offset=0#page=234&viewer=pictu re&o=search&n=0&q=Oliver%20Powers

The Minnesota Society Sons of the American Revolution National Number: 30311 Sons of the American Revolution SAR Patriot #: P-272927

https://sarpatriots.sar.org/patriot/display/272927

Massachusetts soldiers and sailors of the revolutionary war 1904 Page 656

https://archive.org/details/masssoldiers12bostrich/page/656/mode/1up

Jacob Brimmer

Children of Jacob Brimmer and Sarah Wiltsee

• Thomas Brimmer, Born Sept. 9, 1806.
• Moses Brimmer, Born March —, 1808.
• Noah Brimmer, Born Feb. 12, 1810 Died Aug 7, 1852
• Elizabeth Brimmer, Born. April —, 1812.
• Jerusha Brimmer, Born. May —, 1814
• Jacob Brimmer, Born. Sept. —, 1816. Jacob Brimmer moved his family to Erie Co., in the Spring of 1826. And lived in the east part of the town of Lancaster, on the Dutch Road, until the spring of 1838. He then bought 40 acres of land adjoining Job Halstead's farm on the east and lived in a log house on its southwest corner, opposite the schoolhouse in District No. Two, for two years. He sold this place in 1840, to John Wilhelm, and moved into a frame house in the field, southwest a quarter of a mile, that he rented of William Baker. Jacob Brimmer first married Susannah Kent, an English lady, in 1819. She died in 1822. A son was born of this union in 1821. His father named him William.

Noah Brimmer

Noah Brimmer, son of Sarah Wiltsee, da. of Thomas Wiltsee, b. Feb. 12, 1810, m. Philura Wright in 1829. He died August 7, 1857.

Children of Noah Brimmer and Philura Wright.

• Emeline Brimmer, b. Sept. 12, 1830, m. a Mr. Murphy. She died of consumption July 14, 1850, without issue.
• Homer Brimmer, b. June 24, 1832, m. Lara, da. of Fordyce Green and Minerva Halstead, his wife, in 1851. They moved to Wisconsin in 1855 and lived with Thomas Brimmer until his (Homer's) death, which occurred on Feb. 20, 1857. He died of consumption. A son was born who moved to Iowa.
• Perry Brimmer, b. April 12, 1835, m. in New York, and a few years later, about 1862, moved near to Mukwonago, Wisconsin, and lived there several years. He then moved to Iowa with his family. There were several children.
• Mary Brimmer, b. in 1837, m. George Wilcox in 1851. She died in 1854 without issue, of consumption.
• William Brimmer, b. in 1839, went to his mother in Wisconsin in 1857. He enlisted in a Wisconsin cavalry regiment and was honorably discharged, and returned to his mother, and married. There were several children.
• Caroline Brimmer," b. in 1841, went to Wisconsin with her mother, and died there of consumption.

Noah Brimmer, and Emaline, and Mary were buried in District No. 2, Lancaster, Erie Co., N. Y., by the Halstead graveyard.

https://ia600202.us.archive.org/33/items/genealogicalpsyc00wilt/genealogicalpsyc00wilt.pdf