Filed Under Cemeteries

Annis Cemetery

In 1907, Sophia Harling Lattin raised local interest in revitalizing this rural burial ground as it was overgrown with briars, locust, and myrtle. Her grandparents were buried in this cemetery and she found it quite shameful that sacred ground should be allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. To combat the overgrowth of foliage, she trudged into the thicket and gathered the names of deceased individuals from their tombstones and sought out descendants of each family. Those names were used to enlist a battalion of workers to clear the dense brush and upon completion of the herculean task, the Town of Albion was encouraged to mow the cemetery from that point forward. Lattin paid $10 to have a wrought-iron gate and posts installed at the front of the cemetery, which still stands with a small wooden placard that reads “Annis Cemetery.”

The name of this cemetery is likely derived from the location of the grounds upon the lot taken up by Jacob Annis. When Mount Albion was established in 1843, Annis sold a small portion of his farm to the Village of Albion to develop a municipal cemetery. Although it appears that only a handful of Annis family members are buried here, the cemetery continued to carry the family name. The first burial appears to be that of Jonathan Rich in 1825 and the last taking place in 1904.

Jonathan Rich, born at Charleton, Massachusetts in 1740 married Abigail Barton on December 18, 1759. As noted by visitors, the bronze plaque upon his gravesite stands as a testament to his service with the Massachusetts Militia during the American Revolution. Records from the Daughters of the American Revolution indicate that he served as a private from Spencer, Massachusetts and responded to the Lexington Alarm on April 19, 1775 as a member of Capt. Ebenezer Mason’s Company of Minute Men, Col. Jonathan Warner’s Regiment. He later served with contingents of the Worcester County Regiment of Militia through 1777, was with Capt. Livermore’s Company in 1778, and was a lieutenant in Col. Jacob’s Light Infantry Regiment at Providence, Rhode Island.

In 1801, he relocated to Lake Pleasant, New York and on September 26, 1815 was articled land near the Village of Albion. In 1818, his brothers Joshua, Joseph, Arad, and Calvin relocated to Barre in Genesee County and settled in the area now known as Rich’s Corners (often misspelled as Riches Corners and named after the family). Following Jonathan’s death in 1825, his family relocated to Cattaraugus County.

Another notable burial is that of Nehemiah Blanchard, born October 16, 1774 at Wilton, New Hampshire and a veteran of the War of 1812. He was a shoemaker by trade and farmer by occupation, marrying Sarah Densmore and raising a family of twelve children including Cummings, Chandler, Harbard, Willard, Julia, Livonia, Alman, William, Densmore, Orrin, and Ira. Chandler, who is also buried here, was born on September 19, 1800 and arrived in Orleans County with his father. His son Orrin became a prominent merchant and superintendent of school in Muskegon County, Michigan.

Also buried here is Ezekiel Root, a native of Clarendon and active founder and member of the Methodist Church at Hulberton.

Images

Annis Cemetery Gate Creator: Matthew R. Ballard Date: May 24, 2018
Barnes Family Lot Graves of Joel Parish Barnes, Sr. and Joel Parish Barnes, Jr., veterans of the Civil War. Creator: Matthew R. Ballard Date: May 24, 2018
Annis Cemetery Graves Creator: Matthew R. Ballard Date: May 24, 2018
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Location

Metadata

Matthew R. Ballard, “Annis Cemetery,” EXPO, accessed March 29, 2024, http://expo.matthewrballard.com/items/show/72.