CROUSEVILLE
PIONEER
CEMETERY
Old Parsons Road
Crouseville, Maine
š›
Compiled by
Harry Umphrey
Winfield Donovan
Gwen McBurnie
Elaine Snell
Mike McBurnie
Roguer Crouse
May 2006
Introduction
Pioneer families came
up the Aroostook River, mostly from New Brunswick, and settled in the area that
is now known as Crouseville, Maine. Some of the early pioneers included the
families of Joshua and Deborah (Estey) Christie, Nathaniel and Melinda (Hoyt)
Churchill, Stephen and Charlotte Harris, Gould and Hepzibah (Clark) Crouse,
Jeremiah and Esther (Christie) Crouse, William and Prudence (Churchill) Crouse,
Abraham and Caroline (Christie) Crouse, Henry and Esther (Crouse) Russell,
William and Abigail (Burt) Clark, and Rev. Moses and Octavia (Haynes) Corliss.
Each of these
families (except the family of William and Abigail Clark) buried loved ones in this
cemetery. Many were victims of the 1862 Crouseville Diphtheria Epidemic.
The first permanent
Crouseville settlers were the family of Joshua and Deborah (Estey) Christie.
Joshua purchased his land from William Dalton in February 1827. Their farm was just
west of this cemetery. The second Crouseville school, built around 1861, was
known as the Christie School because it was located on the Christie farm. Seven
known extended family members are memorialized in this cemetery, including
Joshua and Deborah themselves. Their son Duncan, a drowning victim, was the
first known burial in this cemetery. Son Aaron died in the Civil War. Daughter
Caroline and son Thomas died in the 1862 Crouseville Diphtheria Epidemic.
Daughter Hepzibeth was buried here in 1863.
Pioneers Nathaniel
and Melinda (Hoyt) Churchill permanently settled in the Crouseville area in
1839. Nathaniel had lived on other parts of the Aroostook River as early as
1823. Five known members of their family are buried in this cemetery, including
Nathaniel and Melinda. Their children,
Prudence, George and Asenath all died in the 1862 Crouseville Diphtheria
Epidemic.
The family of
pioneers Gould and Hepzibah (Clark) Crouse arrived on April 5, 1851, from
Keswick Ridge, York Co., New Brunswick, and settled permanently on the north
bank of the Aroostook River. Eight members of their extended family are buried
in this cemetery. All died in the 1862 Crouseville Diphtheria Epidemic.
The family of
pioneers William and Abigail (Burt) Clark arrived on May 4, 1853, from Keswick
Ridge, York Co., New Brunswick, to settle permanently near this cemetery.
Miraculously their family was spared any deaths from the 1862 Crouseville
Diphtheria Epidemic.
In close proximity to this cemetery was the
location of the first Crouseville school known as the Citizen’s School, started
between 1853 and 1861. This school was taught by William and Abigail Clark’s
oldest child, Miss Sarah Clark, at a salary of $1.00 a week.
Two of William and Abigail Clark’s daughters
married men widowed by the 1862 Crouseville Diphtheria Epidemic. Bethiah Clark
married Abraham Crouse, after his first wife Caroline passed away, and Lucy
Clark married William Crouse, after his first wife Prudence passed away. Both
Caroline and Prudence are buried in this cemetery.
The diphtheria
epidemic swept into the Crouseville area from upriver communities around
January 1862 and lasted until around June 1862. The following are the known
victims of the Crouseville Diphtheria Epidemic buried in this cemetery. They are
listed chronologically by their death date.
Ann Russell
Feb. 9, 1862
Age 7 years, 10 months, 8 days.
Lucinda
Crouse
Feb. 21, 1862 Age
16 years, 6 months, 23 days.
Hannah Russell
Feb. 27, 1862
Age 2 years, 11 months, 23 days.
George W. Churchill Feb. 27, 1862 Age
19 years, 11 months.
Huldah
Crouse Mar. 6, 1862 Age
14 years, 10 months, 10 days.
Harris Russell
Mar. 7, 1862 Age 3 years, 10 months, 13 days.
Hepsibeth F. Harris Mar. 8, 1862
Age 3 years, 6 months.
Asenath
(Churchill) Sharpe Mar. 16, 1862 Age
18 years, 1 month.
Caroline
A.M.F.(Christie) Crouse Mar. 23, 1862 Age
21 years, 2 months, 11 days.
Thomas Christie
May 15, 1862 Age about 14 years.
Prudence (Churchill) Crouse
May 19, 1862 Age 22 years, 3 months.
Louisa D. Crouse
June 6, 1862 Age 5 years, 2 months, 13 days.
Crouseville, Maine 1877
The Crouseville Pioneer Cemetery is located on the south side of the Aroostook
River near where it reads “W. Clark”.
MODERN DRIVING DIRECTIONS
From Presque Isle, Maine, travel west on Parsons Road for approximately four miles. Take a right onto Nomacca Drive, a dirt road. Go approximately one-half mile on this flat road, passing Camp Nomacca along the way. Just before reaching Munson Hill, the cemetery is on the left.
Cemetery
Grounds
The rows start from
the west side of the cemetery and read left to right (north to south). None of
the rows are actually marked on the cemetery grounds. Some rows have only one
known burial. Several known burials currently do not have headstones.
ROW 1
Jan. 3, 1858 – Mar. 31, 1889
Age 31 years, 2 months, 28 days.
Wife of G. W. Lovely.
“She Sleeps In Jesus”
Oct. 29, 1821 – Aug. 10, 1904
Age 82 years, 9 months, 12 days.
Wife of James Day.
“MOTHER
Margarett E.”
“Home is not home for Mother is not there
Dark
is the room empty is her chair.
Now
will she rest from her labor and care
‘
Til that morning so fair.”
ca. 1823 – Oct. 8, 1860
Age 37 years.
“A husband dear, a father kind
Fixture …” (there was more, but it was
covered by a repair)
Stephen and Charlotte Harris
were early Crouseville pioneers, settling permanently around 1840 on the south
bank of the Aroostook River, just upriver (west) of Crouse Island and just
downriver (east) of Hickey Island.
Hickey Island was named for
Crouseville pioneer John Hickey who settled permanently in 1827, the same year
as Crouseville pioneer Joshua Christie, only later in the year. Crouse Island,
hugging the south bank of the Aroostook
River, is directly across from the Crouseville village center. The next island
downriver (east) is Churchill Island, named for Crouseville pioneer Nathaniel
Churchill.