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Failing / Zimmerman Cemetery Town of Tonawanda, Erie County, New York |
I have used different fonts & colored coded them for easy reference:
1.) Historical Burial Ground
2.) School House and Cemeteries
3.) KENMORE TONAWANDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Maintained by the Tonawanda Historical Society, Len Kagelmacher is
creating a exciting new site, including a online searchable database.
ATKINSON, Clara
ATKINSON, Jennie
ATKINSON, Laura
ATKINSON, Willie Ross
BELLINGER, Ada L.
BLEYE, ChristineFrederick Bleyle, a veteran of the Civil War was born January 9, 1806, and died August 27, 1890.
Mrs. ( Jane ) John Cherry, born 1791, died February 19, 1860.
- FALING, Anna, [daughter of Richard & Catherine Faling, age 6 weeks.]
- FALING, Catherine
- FALING, David R..
- David and Jeremiah Faling's graves are marked by large pillars.
- FALING, Emeline ZIMMERMAN
- FALING, Flyder (infant)
- FALING, Franklin H.
- FALING, Hiram
- Jeremiah and David Faling's graves are marked by large pillars.
- The Failing homestead was settled about 1815. Mary Ann,
- daughter of Richard and
Catherine
Failing died when six weeks
old
- and was the first person to be buried on the plot..
- FALING, Richard "War of 1812".
- KNOCHE, Elizabeth
- Michel Martin, born in France, died January 27, 1898.
- SHELL, Warren
- UNKNOWN, B. 1786 D. 1816.
- VOLLMER, Elizabeth
- WIRE, Anna
- WIRE, David
- WIRE, Edgar
- WIRE, Henry
- Jacob Wire, born 1772 - died June 21, 1857.
- WIRE, Richard
- ZIMMERMAN, Alexander
- Adam Zimmerman, the first settler on Delaware Road, born 1786, died August 30, 1839.
- ZIMMERMAN, Elizabeth
- ZIMMERMAN, Franklin C.
- ZIMMERMAN, Ibbi
- ZIMMERMAN, James
- ZIMMERMAN, Johnny
- ZIMMERMAN, Olive A.
- Peter Zimmerman, died December 20, 1854.
- ZIMMERMAN, Reuben
- Richard Failing, died August 27, 1868.
- ZIMMERMAN, Soloman
- ZIMMERMAN, Valentine
- ZIMMERMAN, Wm. 1796-1871 "War of
1812".
- William Zimmerman, born January 14, 1796, died July 31, 1871.
- ZIMMERMAN, Jacob 1783-1826 "War of
1812".
Historical Burial Ground Amid the tidy homes along the east side of Delaware Road at Willowbreeze Road in the Town of Tonawanda sits a most unusual site; the Faling Cemetery, one of the oldest burial grounds in Western New York. According to Town Historian John W. Percy, the Faling and Zimmerman families were among the first to settle along the old Indian trail that would become Delaware Avenue
When Richard Faling's daughter, Mary Ann, died at 6 weeks of age in 1816, his wife conducted the funeral and interred the baby on their property. Additional burials followed during the remaining years of the century. More than 180 years later, time has taken its toll on the small cemetery. Many of the names on the weather-beaten markers are indecipherable, spindly trees nearly outnumber the number of graves, and a black iron fence casts an ominous barrier around the cemetery.
Still, the gravestones of several war heroes, along with a number of distinguished pioneers, are identifiable at the cemetery. A Civil War soldier, Frederick Bleyle, who died in 1890, is buried here, as are four veterans of the War of 1812. Jeremiah and David Faling's graves are marked by large pillars. And a prominent black column marks the grave of former town supervisor Jacob Wire, who died in the 1850s.
Toward the end of the 19th century, Faling Cemetery was a popular burial ground for local residents, Percy said. But in 1901, the plot thickened. With the opening of Elmlawn Cemetery, many families moved their graves to that site and Faling fell into disrepair. Under state law, the Town of Tonawanda is charged with maintaining the cemetery, Percy said. In 1976, as part of the nation's bicentennial, the graveyard was rededicated by the Historical Society
Article in the Sunday "Magazine" section of the Buffalo News, 1996
Buffalo, New York, author - Brenda Alesii
Faling / Zimmerman Cemetery - Located on Delaware Road ( Not Avenue ), opposite Harding Avenue, was started before the town of Tonawanda was organized in 1836.
- One grave with inscription written in German and partly illegible reads - "B. 1786 D. 1816"
- The Failing homestead was settled about 1815. Mary Ann, daughter of Richard and Catherine Faling died when six weeks old and was the first person to be buried on the plot. Other interments were made and the place is kept up at the present day; although some bodies have been removed.
- The cemetery is not governed by an association. Individual lot owners take care of the grounds.
- It is surrounded by a good ornamental iron fence.
- Many headstones are fallen and others are covered with vines and weeds.
- Four soldiers of the War of 1812 are buried here and are thoughtfully decorated by the
- American legion in May of
each year. The graves so cared for are:
- William Zimmerman, born January 14, 1796, died July 31, 1871.
- Peter Zimmerman, died December 20, 1854.
- Richard Failing, died August 27, 1868
- Frederick Bleyle, a veteran of the Civil War was born January 9, 1806, and died August 27, 1890.
- Adam Zimmerman, the first settler on Delaware Road, born 1786, died August 30, 1839.
- Mrs. ( Jane ) John Cherry, born 1791, died February 19, 1860.
- Jacob Wire, born 1772 - died June 21, 1857.
- Michel Martin, born in France, died January 27, 1898.
- Other old graves are those of Michael Dirrenberger, in whose barn on Military Road the German Evangelical Church on Knoche Road was organized.
- Recent internment indicate that the cemetery will be cared for,
- for some years to come; but an association should be formed for its perpetual care.
- Information copied from:
- School House and Cemeteries
- Town of Tonawanda , New York
- Frederick S. Parkhurst, Ph. D., Local Historian, 1932, F 129 .T6 T65
- Reinstein Special Reference Collection
- Reinstein Library, Harlem Road, Cheektowaga, New York 14225
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