Lewiston Cemeteries
December 4, 2025
The DAR conducted a tombstone reading at Dickersonville Cemetery in 1936. It was published in Volume 95 of the Genealogical Records Committee Reports.
FamilySearch has microfilmed the volume and digitized it (DGS 7764378). The tombstone reading are images 1003-1013 of 1052.
October 30, 2025
The DAR conducted a tombstone reading at Lewiston Cemetery in 1934. It was published in Volume 69 of the Genealogical Records Committee Reports.
FamilySearch has microfilmed the volume and digitized it (DGS 7764385). The tombstone reading are images 113-162 of 989.
October 5, 2025
Spread across three pages, the Niagara County NYGenWeb site has lists of names of those buried in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Lewiston.
Surnames A-F: https://niagara.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/oakwooda.html
Surnames G-O: https://niagara.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/oakwoodg.html
Surnames P-Z: https://niagara.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/oakwoodp.html
September 28, 2025
The DAR conducted a tombstone reading at the old part of Lewiston Cemetery in 1929. It was published in Volume 25 of the Genealogical Records Committee Reports.
FamilySearch has microfilmed the volume and digitized it (DGS 7764367). The tombstone reading are images 574-587 of 954.
August 21, 2025
Since the 1910s, the Daughters of the American Revolution have been transcribing unpublished records to help preserve them. They then publish these as part of the Genealogical Record Committee (GRC) Reports.
To learn more about these reports, you can read my blog: https://jeanettesgenealogy.com/dar-grc-reports-part-1-of-3-background/.
One of the GRC Reports is a 208-page volume (#317 of the Cemetery, Church, and Town Record Reports) from the DAR Niagara Falls Chapter (of which I am a member) of records that were copied from the Niagara County Historian’s Office.
The report lists the name of the person that was buried, born, died, and the name of the cemetery.
Here is the FamilySearch link to the volume (#317): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSS9-J4SZ-S?.
Multiple volumes were put on the same microfilm reel. Here is the breakdown of the images:
Many cemeteries were listed as being represented in the volume:
Cambria
Hartland
Lewiston
Lockport
Newfane
Niagara & Niagara Falls
North Tonawanda & Wheatfield
Pendleton
Porter
Royalton
Wilson
August 16, 2025
One of the FamilySearch microfilms that has been digitized are the Profession Records, 1860-1932 for the Sisters of Saint Francis of Penance and Christian Charity. Included in the records is a section titled “Deaths” in which there is a chronological listing of deceased sisters beginning 16 February 1912. The information included columns listed as:
You can find these images beginning at image 333 with an index: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS5F-Z7Y2-Z
The Register of Deaths begins on image 358: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS5F-Z7YT-2
The Sisters of St. Francis’ website: https://www.stellaosf.org/the-sisters-at-stella-niagara
July 1, 2025
A small cemetery of approximately fifty graves used to exist on the north side of the Niagara University’s campus. In 1958 the graves were moved to St. Joseph College in Princeton, New Jersey.
Here are two articles from the Niagara Falls Gazette concerning the move:
“NU CEMETERY SLATED TO BE MOVED
Amateur grave-differs, seeking non-existent jobs at $27 an hour, flocked to Niagara Falls last week, all spurred by rumors that the impending power project construction would result in moving large cemeteries in the area.
The rumors, of course, were untrue. Plans for the power project do not call for moving any of the large or public cemeteries.
However, one cemetery in the area probably will be moved as part of the overall power-parks-parkways development, the Niagara Falls Gazette learned.
The job, however, won’t require the servies of the hundred of men who have been signing up at a local church.
In fact, according to a local undertaker, the entire job will take eight men about a week.
Involved in the Our Lady of the Angels Cemetery owned by Niagara University. Approximately 50 graves are included.
The cemetery is located on the west side of Lewiston road. It probably will be taken by the state for the parkway to be built from Niagara Falls to Youngstown.1
“SHIFT OF NY CEMETERY STARTS SOON
Moving of Niagara University’s Our Lady of the Angels Cemetery to make way for parkway construction in connection with the Niagara power project is expected to begin next week, a State Power Authority source said today.
Preliminary work – moving of several satutes [sic] – already is underway. A statue of St. Vincent is to be moved to a site to be designated by University officials and a statue of the Virgin Mary, presently in a grotto, will be stored until a new grotto is built. A shaft with a cross on its top will be moved onto the university. The fences surrounding the cemetery also will be salvaged.
Heavy work in the statue moving is being handled by the Cataract Contracting Co, Niagara Falls.
Moving of the cemetery is believed to have inspired a series of rumors last winter that the SPA was going to pay up to $40 an hour for the “dangerous” work.
The graves are to be moved to St. Joseph College, Princeton, N.J. Details of the project are still to be worked out.“2
February 10, 2025
One of the FamilySearch microfilms that has been digitized is the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church records. Included in the records is a section titled “Burials” in which there is a chronological listing of deceased members. Information includes:
In Volume 1 there were less than 100 burials recorded between August 1869 and July 1886. Images 60-62 of 276 can be found at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3WH-V9WV-L?i=59&cat=52640.
Volume 2 burials begin September 1883 and end October 1903. Images 149-154 of 276 can be found at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3WH-V947-G?i=148&cat=52640.
The burials in Volume 3 begin February 1904 and end April 1939. Images 240-249 of 276 can be found at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3WH-V9WF-B?i=239&cat=52640.
Of the burial listings, the following Niagara County cemeteries were found:
January 30, 2025
In 1890, author and illustrator, Frank Raymond Rosseel, wrote a book “A Back Number Town: Lewiston, New York.”3 This book is available online at Google Books:
https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Back_Number_Town/PMdoUY5YuyAC?hl=en&gbpv=0
Picture of the book cover taken at the New York State Library in Albany:
Within the pages, the author writes about the Lewiston Village Cemetery:
“Come and wander through the cemetery of the Presbyterian Church, with its tombstones dating back to 1810. The yard is full of graves, some marked by a rough, undressed slab of stone, and many by appropriate monuments. The church was originally a union church and used by all denominations, and its yard became the common resting-place of all the village, as they dropped out one by one from the ranks of the living. Here, side by side, lie the leading men and women of the town, and its humbler inhabitants. Notice how many were born in New England. Five generations of the Cooke family are represented here, the first of whom came to Lewiston in 1802.”4
The book included an illustration by the author of the Presbyterian Church and Cemetery:5
The illustration of the church is similar to the one found on the information sign at the cemetery:
January 12, 2025
The following digitized map was found on searchiqs.com. Info Quick Solutions, Inc. (IQS) is a site that the Niagara County Clerk has partnered with to digitize many of their books and maps.
This map of Orangeport Cemetery was originally found in Book 12 on Page 1181.