Montgomery Cemetery is a historic cemetery located near the Schuylkill River on Hartranft Avenue and along Jackson Street in West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania, immediately adjacent to and southwest of the Municipality of Norristown.
| Montgomery Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 Front gates of Montgomery Cemetery | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1848 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°07′09″N 75°21′55″W / 40.11917°N 75.36528°W |
| Type | Private |
| Owned by | Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania |
| Size | 29.9 acres (121,000 m2) |
| No. of graves | >5,500 |
| Website | www |
| Find a Grave | Montgomery Cemetery |
| The Political Graveyard | Montgomery Cemetery |
Founded in the late 1840s, the cemetery is the final resting place of several high-ranking Civil War officers and former governors of Pennsylvania. The cemetery is adjacent to Riverside Cemetery, which was founded a half century later, during the fin de siècle era of the 19th century. The cemetery is currently administered by the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, located in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
Origins and history
editThe Montgomery Cemetery Company, which originally owned and maintained the cemetery, was incorporated by act of the Pennsylvania General Assembly on April 10, 1848. The initial members of the cemetery company were William Hamil, John R. Cooken, Adam Slemmer, Henry Freedley, James Wells, Abraham Markley, John Freedley, and Joseph Fornance, with the first five being trustees.[1] The 29.7 acres (120,000 m2) of land for the cemetery had been sold to the company on March 31, 1848, by one of the trustees, William Hamil, and his wife Willimina.[2] The first burials in the cemetery ensued shortly thereafter.
The cemetery was originally a part of Norriton Township when the cemetery company was incorporated.[1] When the then-Borough of Norristown annexed the land immediately to the northeast of the cemetery in 1853, the cemetery's land, including the road leading to the cemetery (now Hartranft Avenue), was specifically omitted from the annexation.[3] However, the cemetery company's land along and beside Hartranft Avenue, not including the cemetery itself, became a part of the then-Borough of Norristown on January 18, 1909.[4] Less than two months later, the cemetery itself became a part of West Norriton Township after Norriton Township was divided on March 9, 1909.[5]
Notable interments
edit- Joseph Fornance (1804–1852), member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- John Freedley (1793–1851), member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Winfield Scott Hancock (1824–1886), General during the American Civil War and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880[6]: 5438
- John F. Hartranft (1830–1889), Governor of Pennsylvania and General during the American Civil War[6]: 5580
- Adam J. Slemmer (1828–1868), officer during the American Civil War
- John Wood (1816–1898), member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Samuel K. Zook (1821–1863), General during the American Civil War; mortally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg
See also
edit- Riverside Cemetery (West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania) – the modern cemetery which adjoins the Montgomery Cemetery
References
edit- ^ a b Act of April 10, 1848 (1849 P.L. 734, No. 398), https://archive.org/stream/lawsofgenerala1849penn#page/734
- ^ Deed, from William Hamill et ux. to Montgomery Cemetery Company (dated March 31, 1848, recorded November 21, 1849). Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Recorder of Deeds. Deed Book 74, Pages 694-695. Available at the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in Norristown.
- ^ Act of March 26, 1853 (P.L. 228, No. 163), §§ 1-5, https://archive.org/stream/lawsofgeneralass1853penn#page/228
- ^ Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Clerk of Courts. In re Extension of the Borough of Norristown, Election Case No. 206 (Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, January 18, 1909) (filing of annexation ordinance). Available at Montgomery County Archives, East Norriton Township, Pennsylvania.
- ^ Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Clerk of Courts. In the matter of the Application to divide the Township of Norriton into two Townships, Election Case No. 205 (Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, March 9, 1909) (final decree). Available at Montgomery County Archives, East Norriton Township, Pennsylvania.
- ^ a b Wilson, Scott; Mank, Gregory W. (forward) (2016). "entries listed by #". Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3rd ed.). McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0786479924. OCLC 948561021.
External links
edit- Montgomery Cemetery on the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania's web site.
- YouTube video of Memorial Day ceremonies at Montgomery Cemetery, 2009 Memorial Day at Historic Montgomery Cemetery
- Montgomery Cemetery at Find a Grave
- Montgomery Cemetery on The Political Graveyard.
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Montgomery Cemetery
