This information was provided by the Town of Perth Historian to Brenda Howe who transcribed and donated them to this site!
There have been no cemetery records in the Town of Perth beyond 1915 until now due to the disastrous fire in 1927 which destroyed Codding's store where the records were stored.
There are recordings of the Perth Cemetery and some of the rural ones which were done in 1922 and some in the 1930's. These can be found in the Montgomery County Archives in Fonda and in the Gloversville Library. They are, however, recorded alphabetically and make searching for an ancestor in a large cemetery such as the one at Perth Center Cemetery, very difficult.
When I decided to record the Perth Center Cemetery I made a map of the my own and proceeded to divide the cemetery into numbered plots and record in one direction, from east to west, which is from the new part to the old.
While recording I checked the 1922 list to see if any stones were missing since that time and found several that were gone. They are listed on page 44 of this record.
I also recorded the stones as they are engraved and with a lot of hard work, managed to get all of the epitaphs as well.
Unfortunately, there are some burial plots, some filled and some not, which do not and never did have stones. Since the fire in 1927 destroyed the cemetery map and records, there is no way of knowing where these lots are located. One example of this is the Mabie lot #39 of which a copy of the original deed, donated by Miss Rittie Mabee, is on page 47. There was never a stone on the lot and no one knows where it is located. It is believed to contain 8 grave lots but all were not used. Those known by Miss Mabee to be buried there are listed on page 44.
The present Perth Cemetery Association does have a map of the new section of the cemetery, which are Plots 1, 2 and 5 on my map. By using this map I was able to locate graves in that area that do not have stones and those recordings are listed in their approximate locations in the record and marked in parenthesis "no stones". Those graves without stones, which I was not able to locate or was unsure of, I listed on page 44.
One interesting item I found while recording is that William A. Stearns who died in 1912, has a stone in Plot 6 - row 6 in the Stearns lot and also in Plot 6 - row 9 in the Paris Lot. I did not find out which lot he is actually buried in.
The oldest stone found in the Perth Cemetery is that of Duncan McIntyre, who died Feb. 11, 1800.
The oldest person buried there is Isabella Stewart who lived to be 100 years and 9 months. She died May 14, 1840.
[Page 44 of the record should be on the last page of the Perth Centre Cemetery listing.]
[Page 47 of the record is a copy of the Original Cemetery Deed.]
Perth Rural Cemeteries
Recorded by Sylvia Zierak in 1977
The rural cemeteries are fast disappearing and I felt lucky to find as many as I did. With the help of friends and early recordings, 19 were located. Luckily, some of those that have been destroyed were recorded in the early 1900's, such as the one on the old Gillmaier farm, now Garricks, but many others were never recorded, such as the one on the Perth Road. Therefore, unless someone who has knowledge of them comes forward, they will be lost forever.
Many of the rural cemeteries contain only a few graves of one family and sometimes only one. Others, however, show that neighbors and relatives joined together in establishing these cemeteries.
The oldest grave found in the Town of Perth was that of Jennie Boardman who died in 1796 at the age of 14 years. She is listed in Rural Cemetery no. 20.
[Rural cemetery no. 20 is Field South of J. Richards.]
Perth Cemetery Agreement
The following is a copy of the original Perth Cemetery Agreement dated Jan. 19, 1807.
We whose names are hereunto subscribed sensible of the importance of a convenient and comfortable place for burying the dead upon any time it may happen in our families, do promise to pay unto John W. McIntosh, Junr. And John W. McIntyre, or either of them the several sums affixed to our names to be appropriated to the purchase and fencing of one acre of ground where there are now some persons laid on the ground of Daniel W. McIntyre Esqr., and now occupied as such by the Associate Reformed Congregation of Broadalbin, to be paid by the first day of May one thousand eight hundred and seven, upon condition that when the sums subscribed are paid then each one so subscribing to have his part and let set apart for them according to their signing and leaving a certain part thereof for the strangers and non-residents.
In witness whereof we have signed our names this the nineteenth day of January 1807.
| Shillings | | Shillings |
| John Walker | illegible | Alexander McFarlane | 12 |
| John McIntyre | 12 | Alexander McFarlane Jr. | 6 |
| Robert Proudfit | illegible | Duncan Stewart | 8 |
| John McIntosh Jr. | 12 | William Stewart | 8 |
| Cash | 4 | James Rob | 8 |
| Daniel McInture Esq. | 12 | John McBeth | 8 |
| Peter Robertson | 12 | Daniel McQueen | 8 |
| James McIntyre | 12 | John Stewart | 8 |
| John McFarlane | 8 | Daniel Stewart | 8 |
| Parlan McFarlane | 8 | Elijah Bacon | 8 |
| Daniel McFarlane | 10 | Daniel McIntyre Jr. | 8 |
| Peter McFarlane | 8 | Duncan Stewart | 12 |
| Archibald McQueen | 12 | Robert Ballantine | 8 |
| Peter McIntosh | 8 | Robert Ballantine | 4 |
| John McQueen | 8 | John Campbell | 4 |
| Archibald McFarlan | 8 | James Stewart | illegible |
| James McKinley | 8 | Thomas Monteith | 8 |
| William Allen | 6 | Erastus Hyde | 6 |
| David Moir | 6 | Alexander McIntyre | 8 |
| William Smith | 12 | William Monteith | 8 |
| (illegible) McDonald | 12 | John Monteith | 8 |
| Daniel Stewart | $1.50 | Thomas Stewart | 8 |
| Daniel McPherson | 6 | William Walker | 8 |
| Allen Cameron | $.50 | John McGregor | 2 |
| John McKinley | 8 | Duncan McFarlane | $.50 |
| Daniel Robertson | 8 | John Robertson | 8 |
| William (illegible) | 8 | Alexander (illegible) | 8 |
The Perth Centre Cemetery Association
March 10, 1874
On March 10, 1874 a group of spirited citizens met at the U.P. Church to organize a new cemetery association under the act of April 27, 1847.
The purpose of the new association was to enlarge the cemetery since the "old yard" was full and also to improve and repair the "old yard".
William Walker was chosen chairman and Archibald Robertson secretary. It was resolved that the name of the association should be "The Perth Centre Cemetery Association".
The following were elected trustees: George McKay, George Stewart, and A. Robertson Jr., one year; Peter M. Rogers and James Creighton, 2 years and Patrick McFarlan and W.J. McQueen for three years. George McKay was chosen president of the board of trustees. A. Robertson was chosen secretary.
Joseph McQueen, Patrick McFarlan and D.M. Reddish were duly appointed solicitors for the association. They collected $1,904.00 of which $1,700.00 was expended in fencing and painting the fence and the balance used for incidental expenses from time to time.
Cemetery Listings
Small Cemeteries of Perth
(#1 thru #20, except #11)
Perth Centre Cemetery
(cemetery #11)
Surname and Military Index
Copyright © 2005 Brenda Howe
Copyright ©1999-2005 Lisa Slaski and Jeanette Shiel
All Rights Reserved.
Last updated Tuesday, 13-May-2008 13:20:23 PDT