Historic Sites

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Sodus Rural Cemetery

Historic Site #:12-052   (Exists)   Type: B1 Town:Sodus
Site Name:Sodus Rural CemeteryGPS Coordinates:43.2295604, -77.0680731
Address:6659 Cherry Lane Sodus NY on Route 88 across from Schools
Description:
Sodus Rural Cemetery contains the remains of not only Sodus residents but when the Sodus Point Lake Shore Cemetery eroded due to wave action, seven of the remaining Sodus Point remains were buried here as well.


 
Photo from Find a Grave (Byram Green)
 
Historic narrative:
Records indicate 1,846 burials here.

2005 Driving Directions - Rte. 88 North into Sodus. The Cemetery is on the left hand side of road just before town limits. It is a very large cemetery with over 1850 burials.

Historically notable people buried here: 

Byram Green 

U.S. Congressman. Graduating from Williams College, Massachusetts, in 1808, he was a professor in a college South Carolina, in 1810, studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Sodus, New York. During the War of 1812, he served in the military and fought in the Battle of Sodus Point. After the war, he was a member of the New York State Assembly, (1816-22) and served in the New York State Senate, (1823-24) in 1843, he was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth Congress, serving until 1845. After leaving Congress, he lived in retirement until his death at age 79.

Also along with his brother Dr. Joseph Green, Byram Green is believed to be the second resident of Sodus. According to http://townofsodushistoricalsociety.org/villages/sodus/early-history-of-sodus-1809-1900s-page/

About the same time, (summer of 1810), Dr. Joseph Green and his brother, the Rev.  Byram Green, residents of Williamstown, Massachusetts, came to this section and built four log houses on the north side of Ridge Road (now West Main St.) just west of the present intersection of West Main and Rotterdam streets.  They returned to Williamstown and then came back in the spring of 1811, bringing more of the Green clan, (19 in all) and built two more log houses on the south side of Ridge Road west of the present intersection of West Main and Newark Streets.  In 1812, when the village became known as East Ridge, it consisted of eight log houses: the Green and Holcomb houses mentioned, a log house belonging to a Mr. Shelby on the north side of the Ridge opposite the present north terminus of Elmwood Ave., a frame schoolhouse near the southeast corner of the present Main and Mill Streets, and a log tavern at the southwest corner of those streets. The section of the village at the intersections of West Main, Newark and Rotterdam Streets is still known locally as “Green’s Corners.”


Perry Messinger, Jr.

Heluva Good! Cheese was founded by Sodus resident Perry Messinger in 1925, when he started making washed curd cheese as a hobby in the basement of A.B. Williams Company for which he owned and managed at the time. To read his interesting story click here: http://townofsodushistoricalsociety.org/buildings/sodus/heluva-good-cheese-plant/


Major Farr

Major Farr fought in the Battle of Sodus Point on June 19th, 1813.  He is remembered for a humorous situation that occurred after the battle: Major Farr and Lieutenant Nathaniel Merrill played a series of dodges, a sort of “Hide-and-Seek” with each other in the woods, each thinking the other an enemy. Farr got so tangled up in the woods that he did not find his way out until morning.”


This cemetery has a beautiful fountain (see photo above) in its south eastern section. This fountain has a very interesting story as it was involved in the temperance movement:  http://townofsodushistoricalsociety.org/plaques/sodus/sodus-fountain-page/


To find individual people buried here: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1985905/sodus-rural-cemetery

For lists of people buried here:

Original List A - G       http://wayne.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/sodrur1.html

Original List H - M      http://wayne.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/sodrur2.html

Original List N - Z       http://wayne.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/sodrur3.html

Additions Original List A - G      http://wayne.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/sodadd1.html

Additions Original List H - M     http://wayne.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/sodadd2a.html

Additions Original List N - R      http://wayne.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/sodadd3.html

Additions Original List S - Z       http://wayne.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/sodadd4.html

Lost Stones                   http://wayne.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/lostsodrur.html



References:

Find a Grave

New York State Gen Web

Town of Sodus Historical Society web Fountain Page

Town of Sodus Historical Society Heliva Good Cheese web page