Williamsburg Cemetery is a historic

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

located at Hampton Corners in

Livingston County, New York Livingston County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,834. Its county seat is Geneseo. The county is named after Robert R. Livingston, who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and ...

. It was established in 1792 and is one of the earliest European American settlement period cemeteries in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

and is the last surviving above ground remnant of the now vanished village of Williamsburg. Williamsburg was established by Captain Charles Williamson acting in his capacity as agent for British investors in

The Pulteney Association The Pulteney Association was a small group of British investors who in 1792 purchased a large portion of the Western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The Pulteney Associates were Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet (1729� ...

in the late 18th century. Notable burials include U.S. Representative

Charles H. Carroll Charles Holker Carroll (May 4, 1794 – June 8, 1865) was an American farmer and politician from New York who was a descendant of the Carrolls of Carrollton and married into the Van Rensselaer family. Early life Carroll was born on May 4, 179 ...

(1794–1865) and

William Fitzhugh William Fitzhugh (August 24, 1741June 6, 1809) was an American planter, legislator and patriot during the American Revolutionary War who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress for Virginia in 1779, as well as many terms in the House o ...

, an early investor in what is now Livingston County, and business partner of Colonel

Nathaniel Rochester Nathaniel Rochester (February 21, 1752 – May 17, 1831) was an American American Revolution, Revolutionary War soldier, and Speculation, land speculator, most noted for founding the settlement which would become Rochester, New York. Early l ...

, founder of that city. It is also the final resting place of

Henry Fitzhugh Henry Fitzhugh (August 7, 1801 "The Hive", Washington County, Maryland – August 11, 1866) was an American merchant, businessman and politician from New York. Life He was the son of Col. William Fitzhugh, Jr. (1761–1839, one of the found ...

(1801–1866) and James G. Birney (1792–1857), son in law of William Fitzhugh and candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

by the Liberty Party in the

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janua ...

and 1844 presidential elections on an

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

platform. Stones bear dates that range from about 1814 to about 1910 and it is an important reminder of the early settlement of the

Genesee Valley The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hy ...

. ''See also:'' It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2002.

References

External links

Williamsburg Cemetery, Groveland, NY at Ancestry.com
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Cemeteries in Livingston County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Livingston County, New York