Valleyville Burial Ground

On old maps, the Valleyville Meeting house of the Quakers was located close to Lanes Corners (which is now the intersection of Haviland Dr. with Quaker Lane / Brimstone Rd.). What is now Brimstone Rd. connects with Haviland Hollow Rd. on the other side of the hill. Valleyville was this region North of Putnam lake, and engulfed by Haviland Hollow (which is the whole valley). The Valleyville Meeting was where all the Quakers of Haviland Hollow attended. It was on ground that was given by Daniel Haviland (son of Benjamin Haviland & Charlotte Park), my 6th great grandfather (non-paternal). He was a preacher, and was blind for many years before his death. The Meeting house (pictured below) was torn down years ago. The burial ground was located near the Meeting house. The location is now across the street behind a stone wall.

Unfortunately, there are no gravestones left and the cemetery (referred to often as just the "Valley Quaker Burial Ground") is currently unmarked. Originally there were apparently a number of markers with inscriptions, because in 1896-1897 a person named E. Pearce transcribed them (thank God), and the records were published on p. 133 of Vol. II of the Records of Enoch Crosby Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

So far I have not been able to determine what happened to the markers. I have been told that it was common for Quakers of that time to mark their graves with just rocks. I do believe this to be true of this site, as there are rocks about that could have been markers for graves. But I think there were some other types of markers here also at some point. I wonder if they may have even been wooden markers, which could have been destroyed over the years. There is at least one remaining inscribed stone that I did find there, with the initials "H.D." This no doubt refers to one of the two individuals (out of 11 total in the burial ground) to whom I have no relation (that I know of): A widow of Francis Durga, given name Hannah, who died 29 Jul 1842 at 48 years old. Even though I may not be related to this Mrs. Hannah Durga, it is fortunate that at least her inscribed marker remains, because without it we would really have no way to find the site without a lot of digging.

My 5th great grandparents, Daniel Haviland and Esther Griffen, are buried here, as well as my 5th great grandfather Jessie Lane, and my 4th great grandparents Samuel Lane and Elizabeth "Betsey" Haviland. None of these are my paternal ancestry, actually, but they are Havilands because their daughters' descendants married back into my paternal line. Therefore they are also cousins.

There are plans by the town of Patterson to put a sign up marking the meeting house and burial grounds as an historic site. I also hope to someday mark off the burial ground limits and place a memorial there with the names of those individuals known to be buried under it. There are may even be many more unknown people buried there, whose graves were marked only by an ordinary stone, and are therefore unidentifiable.

Please also note that this cemetery has been recorded in the following reference: "Old Gravestones of Putnam County, New York, together with information from ten adjacent Dutchess County burying grounds: eleven thousand eight hundred inscriptions of persons born up to and including 1850" collected, compiled and edited by Barbara Smith Buys (Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 1975). A copy of this book is at the New York Public Library: Call# APR (Putnam Co., N.Y.) 75-1192.

Photos by Christopher Sirmons Haviland. You may download and use any tombstone photograph at this site as you wish.

Valleyville Friends Meeting House
Built ca 1784
Drawing by Robert J. Seymour for historical map of Putnam County 1940

I believe the men met on one side and the women on the other, which is why there were two front entrances.

Lane's Corners
Once referred to as Lane's Corners, looking Northwest. The Lane family were allies of the Havilands, and intermarried frequently. Some of my direct ancestors were Lanes, and my father's given name is Lane, after them. You can see a condemned barn at the other side of my car, which until 2003 was the remains of one of the old residents from this neighborhood. T. B. Lane (Unknown Relation) used to have a house to the right of this barn, I believe. This could have been Mr. Lane's barn. The above picture was taken around April, 2003. By December, 2003 this barn was demolished and removed. You can see a more modern brown-shingled house off behind the yellow blossoming trees. It is across the street from this house where the burial ground is located. The Valleyville Meeting house was probably just to the left of the brown-shingled house.

Site of Old Valleyville Quaker Meeting House
The woods to the West of the brown-shingled house, looking Northwest off Brimstone Rd. If the Valleyville Meeting was somewhere in here, I cannot see any remains of it. Clearly it has been removed. There are no-trespassing signs posted rigorously in here.

Brimstone Rd. Facing Eastward
You can see the brown-shingled house on the left side. The burial ground is closer to the camera and to the right of this picture.

Valleyville Burying Ground - Southeast View
Well this is it, folks. Woods. There is so much debris on the ground (fallen trees, leaves, rocks) it's nearly impossible to identify graves, and the only time you have a chance is in the winter when the leaves and grass are gone.

Valleyville Burying Ground - South View
There are a lot of rock walls dividing up the land around here, and it's difficult to determine rocks that belonged to a deteriated wall from rocks that might be a grave from rocks and boulders that just happened to be there to begin with. I am also uncertain just how large the burial ground was, but Putnam County may know.

Valleyville Burying Ground & Me
I am standing in the exact location of the burial ground. Next to my right foot (where I encircled in green) is the only inscribed marker left to be found: that of Mrs. Hannah Durga.

Hannah _____
Wife of Francis Durga
b. ???, d. 29 Jul 1842

I do not know if she is related to the Havilands, but she was obviously one of the Quakers. She is listed in the records as being buried here, and is the only one with these initials. If you know how she is related (or who her parents are), please contact me at:

No Gravestone

My 5th Great Grandfather
Daniel Haviland
Son of Daniel Haviland & Esther Lawrence
b. 10 Apr 1766, d. 8 Feb 1852

My 5th Great Grandmother
Esther Griffen
Daughter of John Griffen & Mary _____
b. 19 Apr 1766, d. 9 Feb 1839

No Gravestone

My 4th Great Grandfather
Samuel Lane
Son of Jesse Lane & Sophia Haviland
Husband of Elizabeth "Betsey" Haviland (m. 7 Feb 1810)
& Mary Haviland (m. 20 May 1820)
b. 20 May 1789, d. 30 Aug 1855

My 4th Great Grandmother
Elizabeth "Betsey" Haviland
Daughter of Daniel Haviland & Esther Griffen
Wife of Samuel Lane (m. 20 May 1820)
b. 13 Oct 1791, d. 19 Dec 1818

No Gravestone

My 5th Great Grandfather
Jessie Lane
Son of David Lane & Mary Dean
Husband of Sophia Haviland (m. 17 Sep 1763)
b. 5 Feb 1745, d. 12 Apr 1809

My 5th Great Grandmother
Sophia Haviland
Daughter of Benjamin Haviland & Charlotte Park
Wife of Jesse Lane (m. 17 Sep 1763)
b. 3 Jun 1748, d. 17 Feb 1813

No Gravestone

David Haviland
Son of Samuel Haviland & Judith Purdy
Husband of Esther Haviland (m. 7 Jan 1813)
b. 30 Jan 1794, d. 22 Nov 1862

Esther Haviland
Daughter of Timothy Haviland & Rachel Holmes
Wife of David Haviland (m. 7 Jan 1813)
b. 14 May 1794, d. 16 Oct 1836

No Gravestone

James Oscar Haviland
Son of James Williams Haviland & Esther Lawrence Haviland
b. 2 Sep 1841, d. 1 Jan 1843 (age 1 yr)

Jane Lawrence
b. ???, d. 17 Sep 1836

If you know who this is, please contact me at:

Valleyville Burial Ground

Haviland Hollow, Town of Patterson, County of Putnam, New York State