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Tyrone Union Cemetery - A Brief History

In the early 1800s when the Tyrone area was first being settled and cemetery land was needed, Abram Fleet, one of the Town's founding fathers donated a piece of land, which became known as "Fleets Burying Ground." This consisted of about a half acre behind the iron fence. The first known burial was William Grey in 1809, one-month old son of Emily Grey who was an early settler. Abram Fleets' home is on the corner of Lamoka Lake Road and Weller Island Road, currently owned by the Towner family.

In the early years, about 1830, the cemetery became known as the "Union Cemetery Association." In 1862 action was taken to have the grounds enlarged and incorporated. This was accomplished in 1863. The cemetery is a recorded history of the people of Tyrone. An example of our records show that John J. Alderman, who was the son of Byron & Euphany Alderman, died as a Union soldier in a Georgia prison camp in 1863. His brother Charles, also a Union soldier in the Civil War was assigned to Company D 111 Regiment NY Volunteers was killed in 1864. Both returned and were interred in the Alderman Lot. In 1879, the cemetery consisted of eleven acres and since has been expanded twice to just over twenty acres.

The cemetery was originally mapped in May of 1878 by Seneca Engineering of Montour Falls, NY. In 1985 the Jo-Ho Genealogy Group, along with Grace Ameigh of Reading, NY copied information from all the stones. They also used cemetery burial records and compiled a new record with names not recorded earlier. From the 1985 to present, detailed records have been kept to complete the current burial records you find on our web site below.

In the 213 years since the first burial of William Grey, we have recorded 2,954 known burials to date. These include some forty-or-so unmarked Potters Field burials. During the ten year period from 1917-1926, 206 burials took place, an average of twenty per year as compared to the present day average of ten to twelve per year.

Since the beginning, the cemetery has become the final resting place of more than 180 veterans. The names and wars served was compiled by the Wayne American Legion. There are no known veterans of the French and Indian War or the American Revolutionary War. Those known are: 8 War of 1812; 54 Civil War; 25 World War I; 61 World War II; 12 Korean War; 6 Vietnam War; 1 War in Afghanistan/Iraq; 16 Cold War or non wartime. A few facts about our Veterans and their families follow in the paragraphs below.

Byron and Euphany Alderman lost both of their sons in the Civil War. John Sebring, Capt. U.S. Army, War of 1812 was paid by the U. S. Army with approximately 200 acres of land, he died in 1854. This property included what we now call Sebring Hill. His son Phillip Sebring served with Co. G. 10th NY Regiment in the Civil War. John was the great grandfather of the late Clarence Sebring who served on the Tyrone Union Cemetery Board, Clarence passed in 2017.

The Huey family has five veterans in our cemetery starting with Edward & Williams [Civil War], Linton Huey [WWI], Wilmar [WWII] and Richard [Korea]. There are seven veterans who served in two wars and one that served in three wars. Junior A. Byrnside served in WWI, Korea and Vietnam.

The most recent veteran interred was Lt. Colonel William "Billy" Croft who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He passed away in 2016 from cancer attributed to his duties in Iraq. Christopher Scott of Route 226, Tyrone, NY was killed in action in Afghanistan but was interred in the Hillside Cemetery in Dundee. The Tyrone Post Office bears his name. Irwin "Butch" Knickerbocker of Tyrone was killed in Vietnam and was interred in the Bradford Cemetery.

After the Civil War was over, there were men staying in our area after the Elmira Prison Camp closed. In the late 1990s, two cast iron markers in the shape of a star were located within the Tyrone Union Cemetery, each was marked with the letters CSA in the center. Both were soldiers of the Confederate States of America. However, their names were not taken prior to the markers being removed by unknown persons. Note the insignias of service of fraternal organizations such as the Masons, Eastern Star, Odd Fellows, Daughters of the American Revolution and Knights Templar located within the cemetery when walking through the rows of stones and markers.

Pricing and Operation

The Tyrone Union Cemetery is a not-for-profit association which depends entirely on plot sales, funerals and some interest from investments to operate on. We have two paid workers (minimum wage) to do mowing and leaf raking. We also depend on some volunteer work by board members. The closing of D.O.C.S Camp Monterey has been a hardship because they provided 90% of our labor at no cost. Income and expenses barely break even. The Board would welcome donations to the Tyrone Union Cemetery to be used for upkeep.

Donations and written correspondence can be sent to Tyrone Union Cemetery, PO Box 25, Tyrone, NY 14887.

Cemetery Prices - effective May 1, 2024

Rules and Regulations for use of the Tyrone Union Cemetery

Inquiries regarding the purchase of a burial lot can be made by contacting John Grimmke at 607-292-3941.

We thank you!

Burial Records

Tyrone Union Cemetery burial records are comprised of historic indexes and information obtained from headstones.

The records may be viewed in sections by last name from the selections below or by downloading this pdf of the complete list. Both formats are easily searched by using the "find" feature in either your web browser or pdf reader. When it comes time to visit the cemetery, the maps will guide you to the location of burial.

Veterans are included in the complete list, but are listed separately here, including ones that have been memorialized.

The Tyrone Union Cemetery is not responsible for inaccuracies or lack of information. We will continue to update our files should new information be obtained.

Key abbreviations to help with maps and burial records

	Town Clerk, Supervisor, Building Inspector Offices 457 County Road 23 Dundee, NY 14837 Highway Department, Justice Court Offices 435 County Road 23 Dundee, NY 14837
		Monday, March 31, 2025