History of Madison County, New York

Smith, James H.. History of Chenango and Madison County, New York. New York: Mason & Co., 1880. This local history covers both Chenango and Madison counties in central New York. I added this title to my collection for its chapter on DeRuyter, New York and its mention of my ancestor, Chester Benjamin who settled the Village of DeRuyter in the early 1700's. As you can see in the photo the book has its original spine and boards. The spine has been repaired by being overlaid a modern backing. Given the quality of the repair and the price reduction because of it (it sold for about a quarter of its value) it was well worth the sacrifice.

I was fortunate enough to travel to Madison and Chenango counties in November to visit the places documented in this book. Madison County consists of the familiar rolling Adirondack hills, broken only by the miles of finger lakes.

With the help of books like these I was able to find the lands that my ancestors settled and farmed over two hundred years ago. Long since sold away from the family, the only remaining reminder of these pioneers are the small farm cemeteries tucked away in patches of trees between the tilled land. If it weren't for the help of several local genealogists, I would have never believed that Revolutionary War cemeteries had been abandoned in such remote locations. However, armed with GPS coordinates I took off on foot into the forests looking for these small, long forgotten treasures.

The first cemetery I came upon was in Cuyler, just a few miles from DeRuyter. Finding this cemetery was a small miracle. I had found it mentioned in several books I own but only knew it was in Cuyler, NY. After many months of looking for a modern listing, I enlisted the help of several friends and fellow genealogists in the area. One woman, Nancy, traveled to the local historical society and located the cemetery in an Atlas published in the mid-1800's. Luckily this region hasn't changed much in the last 200 years so many of the original dirt road still existed and with a little effort she was able to locate the cemetery.

Located just s feet off a dirt road (which fortunately my rental car was able to traverse), the cemetery had been so neglected and over grown you could barley make out the tombstones. I was grateful that of the thirty or so tombstones scattered amongst the woods, my ancestors were two of only a few still standing. I didn't have much time but I took an hour to clean, uncover and otherwise expose the dozens of stones that had long been forgotten. It was sad to be standing alone, in such a remote portion of upstate-New York, honoring a group of pioneers that time had forgotten. It's a shame that local groups can't organize sufficiently to keep these sites cleaned, documented and preserved. Through my quick efforts I was able to photograph 30 individuals interred there. I entered the cemetery into the databases at FindAGrave and added the photos so hopefully other will be able to enjoy the cemetery as much as I did.

Cuyler, Madison County, New York

Tombstone of Darius Benjamin, served in the Revolutionary War with the

Ulster County Militia, Third Regiment, Capt. Frederick Schoonmaker's Company

His wife Charity

Tombstone worn past recognition

Damaged and partially buried

Infant Burdick

The next cemetery I encountered was the Merchant Family cemetery located in DeRuyter, NY. In 1796, Gideon Foster was the first death of a white settler in DeRuyter, NY. In a book published in 1872, it's written, "a burial ground was then laid out, on the farm of Elijah Benjamin, and here, for the first time, the earth closed over the body of a white settler". Later Elijah sold his land to Bradley Merchant, he later sold it to the Smith family. As a result, the cemetery often goes by the Smith Family Cemetery or the Merchant Family Cemetery. Regardless of the name many of the early Benjamin are buried here. This cemetery was much easier to find. Like a beacon, a ring of white pine trees encircled the plot in the middle of a large field.

The cemetery from a distance

Nestled amongst this fortress of trees was a small, family cemetery carefully guarded with a wrought iron fence around its perimeter. It was perched on a small hill overlooking the surrounding farms and wooded landscapes. It appeared to be fairly well maintained with many of the tombstones having been repaired and the grass neatly cut. Seeing the names of the people I had so carefully studied in my family tree and in the local history was rewarding. I was able to photograph the 90 or so tombstones there and also add them to the FindAGrave database. In the Merchant family cemetery was my 5th Great-grandfather, Elias Benjamin. Elias was one of the founding pioneers of that region and had served in the War of 1812. He was the father of William F. Benjamin, a physician, Civil War veteran and mason.

Views from the Merchant Family Cemetery


Elias Benjamin's tombstone

My trip was overwhelmingly rewarding - I was honored to stand on these hallowed lands and honor my ancestors who had contributed so much to my family and our nation. This trip combined my love of family history with my curious need to explore. I appreciate all the help I received in preparing from my friends and researchers on Ancestry.com and FindAGrave.com. It also reinforced in my mind the value of my book collection and the great rewards that can be reaped by collecting and studying early works. I look forward to future trips back to Madison County and other parts of the country that my ancestors inhabited. There are hundreds of years worth of stories and knowledge trapped within our records. It's up to us to find them, explore them and bring them to life.