Alton Mountain Cemetery

[egswanso]

I have ancestors buried in the Alton Mountain Cemetery (in Alton) and wanted to visit - my understanding is that the cemetery is poorly maintained and overgrown, but has anyone actually been there? Is it even in existence anymore? An exact location would also be nice (my understanding is that it is by the intersection of Alton Mt. Rd. and Avery Hill Rd, but the descriptions I've seen are vague.

Thank you!

[mcdude]

[QUOTE]
When Alton Mountain began to become settled, a cemetery was needed in the heart of the country on Avery Hill Road. After turning left at the corner gate, the Alton Mountain Cemetery lies on the right-hand side of the road, on a little hill about three quarters of a mile down. Here, many of the early settlers are buried along with their families in blood and in name. Veterans from the Revolution, the War of 1812 and Civil War are lad to rest here along with Nehemiah Sleeper for whom Sleeper’s Island is named. Today the cemetery is immensely overgrown with bushes and vandalism has taken its’ toll. Many grave stones have been knocked over, moved and some have even been stolen.

Just across from the dam on Place’s Mill road lies the family plot of the Sapirs. Behind the old summer house is a field and in the right back corner stands the massive rock that marks the graves of Edward Sapir and Jean V. Sapir. Before there were laws restricting it, many families buried their dead on their property, and this is an example of a family plot.

If you turn right at the corner gate and continue along Alton Mountain Road, it eventually turns to dirt and narrows out. At the end of the road where the Ellis and Hill houses once stood lies the Ellis cemetery. Here rests David Ellis, Alfred Ellis and his wife Mary, and their daughter Amanda. The Ellis Cemetery is still well kept and has flowers growing within its’ stone walls. Across the road from the Ellis Cemetery is a field of high grass where deer like to hide. If you walk through this field all the way to the back right corner, there is an old stone wall where there is a single grave, that of Betsey Flanders. Unlike the Ellis Cemetery this cemetery is all but forgotten.

Other settlers of Alton Mountain were buried on their farms and today their graves are lost under topsoil, but three settlers of the mountain are buried in the Hall’s Hill Cemetery - James Tibbetts and Jonathan Hill and his wife Mehitable.

P.S. the "Cornergate" IS the intersection of Alton Mt. Rd. and Avery Hill Rd.

[RLW]

Right on the button McDude and a great history lesson for many. Thanks for pulling the info up and also to egswanso for bringing up the subject. The first that McDude's states on Avery Road it is right behind the very small brown cottage on the right side and very close to the road. One can not make it out as a cemetery from the road one has to walk up the banking to view it.

[Altonbayicefishingfool]

Originally Posted by RLW

Right on the button McDude and a great history lesson for many. Thanks for pulling the info up and also to egswanso for bringing up the subject. The first that McDude's states on Avery Road it is right behind the very small brown cottage on the right side and very close to the road. One can not make it out as a cemetery from the road one has to walk up the banking to view it.

If you want help or want me to clear it with a chainsaw/weed wacker let me know. I've cleaned up several old cemeteries in Alton over the last 15 years. The most recent was in south Alton by fern hill, I actually have a relative buried there who served in the Cival war. Hit me up!

Also, as a living relative you have the right (by state law) to access that cemetary if it is on someone's private property.

[RLW]

Originally Posted by Altonbayicefishingfool

If you want help or want me to clear it with a chainsaw/weed wacker let me know. I've cleaned up several old cemeteries in Alton over the last 15 years. The most recent was in south Alton by fern hill, I actually have a relative buried there who served in the Cival war. Hit me up!

Also, as a living relative you have the right (by state law) to access that cemetery if it is on someone's private property.

That's a super offer, but I'm not sure who has the responsibility for the old cemeteries. Is it the Park and Rec, I'm not sure. I do remember someone cleared it about 10 years or more ago, but again not sure who can give permission to clean it up. I for one would love to see it looking a little more respectful. I nice sign stating where it is would be fantastic.

[SteveA]

Why do I have the feeling that if I lost my car keys McDude would know where I left them.. and have pictures?

Nice work McDude.

[mcdude]

Originally Posted by SteveA

Why do I have the feeling that if I lost my car keys McDude would know where I left them.. and have pictures?

What makes you think I wouldn't steal your car?

[barefootbay]

McDude, What was the source material of your quote on the Alton Mountain Cemetery ?

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by egswanso

I have ancestors buried in the Alton Mountain Cemetery (in Alton) and wanted to visit - my understanding is that the cemetery is poorly maintained and overgrown, but has anyone actually been there? Is it even in existence anymore? An exact location would also be nice (my understanding is that it is by the intersection of Alton Mt. Rd. and Avery Hill Rd, but the descriptions I've seen are vague.

Thank you!

There's three cemeteries on Alton Mt.: Alton Mt Cemetery, Ellis, and Flanders. I'm familiar with Ellis - that's my family, and it's in excellent condition because that cemetery has perpetual care. I also have family buried in Alton Mt. Cemetery, but haven't been there for a long time - not sure of the condition of that one.

#1
---Alton Mt Cemetery---
Cooper, Moses (dates unreadable)
w. Eliza (1807-1854)
s. Dearborn (1832-1868)
s. Joseph (1834-1851)
Clough, Pearly (1770-1856)
---HAYES STONE
Hayes, William H. (1813-1893)
w. Hannah L. (1815-1884)
Laura J. (1836-1849)
Sarah A. (1844-1846)
Infant (1854)
Marston Meliza (1862-1882)
Annie M. (1863-1906)
---
Place, Gibson, Clara C. (w. of Melvin B.) (1880-1906)
Jones, Anne E. (w. of Charles H. Jones) (1839-1863)
Ellis, John (1793-1862)
w. Olive (1795-1865)
Ellis, Moses (1800-1884)
w. Hannah W. (1801-1860)
Infant son of James M. and Emma J. Jones (1883)
Prescott, Joseph (1819-1893)
w. Harriet (1821-1881)
s. Owen A. (1865)
Brown, Nathan (1790-1848) (War 1812)
Place, Jacob (1791-1870) (War 1812)
w. Hannah (Clough) (1794-1870)
Sleeper, Benjamin (Scammel Reg.) (1759 ---) (REV)
Woodman, Jeremiah (1760-1841) (REV)


#2
---ELLIS---
Ellis, David (12th NH Reg. CO. A. -wounded) (1826-1887) (GAR)
Ellis, Alfred G. (1825-1903)
w. Mary A. (1824-1902)
d. Amanda J. (1851-1867)


#3
---FLANDERS---
Flanders, Betsy J. (1850-1903)

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by RLW

That's a super offer, but I'm not sure who has the responsibility for the old cemeteries. Is it the Park and Rec, I'm not sure. I do remember someone cleared it about 10 years or more ago, but again not sure who can give permission to clean it up. I for one would love to see it looking a little more respectful. I nice sign stating where it is would be fantastic.

There are 97 graveyards in Alton.

Family cemeteries are the responsibility of the families, not the town. If the cemetery is on private property, the family still has the right to visit the cemetery. The town of Alton has three Cemetery Trustees and the cemetery is supposed to be self-funding through a Trust Fund, if memory serves me, but they do have a budget that's included in the warrant for the town's budget, as well. The trustees are only responsible for the town's cemeteries (Bay, Riverside, etc.) and the ones that the families have made arrangements for through perpetual care. Otherwise, it is up to the families to care for them, and of course, the property owners could maintain them, if they wished.

My family is in the process of clearing one on Youngtown Rd that took me quite a while to locate. I'll try to post before/after photos at some time. With the exception of the corner of one headstone sticking out of the topsoil and debris, and the stonewall encircling the cemetery, you can hardly tell what it is. It is in a sad state but we hope to fix it up, as best we can. There's nine headstones in that cemetery, but eight graves. (We had a relative who 'jumped ship' and he's buried just down the road from the family plot, but his name is on two headstones, as a result.) Out of those eight graves, there's three veterans buried there. They deserve a respectful-looking burial site - better than how it looks now.

[mcdude]

barefootbay: there was a series of articles in the old "Main Street" newspaper on the history of Alton.

THE HISTORY OF ALTON MOUNTAIN

By Dana Lang

reprinted from

Main Street - June 2002 - Volume XVIII Number 6

for more history CLICK HERE

At the Gilman Library there is a shelf of old Alton history stuff that isn't catalogued. Just ask and they'll let you browse.

[SteveA]

Originally Posted by mcdude

What makes you think I wouldn't steal your car?

Because.. it is likely that sometime this week the odometer on my car will roll over to more than 250,000 miles. The risk/reward of stealing my car is strongly in my favor. I think I could park it somewhere with the engine running and a full tank of gas and it would be there when I got back to it.

[barefootbay]

McDude , Thanks

[JDSapir]

This summer my daughter visited the Alton Mtn graveyard and found it heavily over grown with just a few intact grave stones and numerous foot stones. It certainly would be nice have it restored - in that regard Gilmanton seems to do a better job than Alton.

The Sapir engraving, in the field behind the old Place homestead, is a memorial, not a grave.