This cemetery is located on the north side of Congress Avenue on the west side of the City of Rochester, N. Y.
This cemetery was probably founded between 1810 and 1812. The property was originally owned by the Wadsworth family which owned land from Geneseo to Rochester. The Wadsworths set aside one and a quarter acre for a burial place of area residents. The cemetery resided in the Town of Gates until 1902 when the area was annexed into the City of Rochester. The road leading to the cemetery was originally called Cemetery Road. Then between 1880 and 1890 the name was changed to Chester Street. In 1899, Chester Street became Congress Avenue.
On 20 September 1883 Herbert and William Wadsworth sold the cemetery lot to the newly formed "Rapids Cemetery Association." Monroe H. Oakley was the first president of the organization and Isaac Loomis was treasurer. The last known record of the Rapids Cemetery Association was in 1900 when they paid property taxes. The map, below, was traced from one probably made in the 1890s, although the exact date is unknown. It also included a list of plot owner, which relate to the map.
Almost all the tombstones have been knocked over. The listing of tombstone inscriptions below was made from old transcriptions and a visit to the cemetery in the late 1980s. Pictures of existing tombstones at: NY Gravestones
| Owner | plot | Owner | plot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABBOTT, | 3 | McQUAIN, C. | O11 | |
| ABBOTT, Philip | K4 | McQUAIN, J. | O12 | |
| BAKER, John | O10 | McVANE, J. | 1 | |
| BAKER, Paul | D2 | METCALF, | N2 | |
| BALENTINE, Sam | Al | NELSON, Asa | D6 | |
| BALENTINE, Wm. | B1 | OAKLEY, Monroe | P2 | |
| BARTLETT, Cyrus | H6 | OAKLEY, S. H. | N3 | |
| BARTLETT, Elliott | J7 | PAMMATT, Margaret | 15 | |
| BLACK, Andrew | T9 | PAPPINO, Tho. | L2 | |
| BREAKLEY, J. W. | S7 | PAPPINO, Tho. | L3 | |
| BROOKS, Luther | J9 | PAPPINO, Thomas | Nl | |
| BURNS, Percy | K2 | PAPPINO, Wm. | O1 | |
| BUTLER, Sylvanus F. | G3 | PENDLEBURY, Ralph | I7 | |
| BUTLER, Sylvanus F. | G4 | REYNOLDS, Israel | M9 | |
| BURDICK, Joel W. | V6 | RIDER, J. | O1 | |
| CHAAVER, Geo. | 12 | ROBB, O. | A3 | |
| COBB, | G8 | ROGERS, J. Guilford | Q2 | |
| COBB, Jr. | F7 | ROGERS, Heram | A2 | |
| COBB, Josiah | T6 | SANFORD, | 5 | |
| COBB, Josiah | Y7 | SHOMAKER, Frank | E4 | |
| COBB, Laura E. | G7 | SHOMAKER, Win. | G2 | |
| COLLIN, John | M2 | SMALLEY, Den | G6 | |
| COVERS, Davis | F3 | SMITH, Israel | L4 | |
| COVERS, O. S. | F3 | SMITH, Israel | L5 | |
| COWDERY, S. F. | C2 | STREETER, | H3 | |
| CRAMSTON, Robert | 13 | STREETER, | I3 | |
| DAY, Ben | N6 | STREETER, Benjamin | R10 | |
| DUSENBURG, Jos. | D4 | STREETER, G. W. | D5 | |
| EDWARDS, Tho. | P9 | STREETER, Geo. | 9 | |
| FOSTER, | T5 | STREETER, Hazel | N5 | |
| FRANKLIN, | Q3 | STREETER, Hyron | M3 | |
| FRIES, Henry D. | H8 | STREETER, Hyron | M4 | |
| GREEN, Winston | L1 | STREETER, Moses | M5 | |
| HARRISON, P. | L7 | STREETER, Stephen | I4 | |
| HART, Sam W. | 15 | STREETER, Wilt. | H4 | |
| HOUSE, Tod | All | SULLIDAN, | Q9 | |
| HUBBARD, John D. | R5 | THURSTON, M. | M5 | |
| HULIN, Truman | H7 | VAN SICKLE, J. | D3 | |
| KINGSLEY, | U6 | WAIT, Wm. | 10 | |
| LAMSON, | G1 | WILLIS, Ira | K3 | |
| LAMSON, Geo. | 4 | WILLIS, Lay | J2 | |
| LAWSON, Geo. | Q7 | WILLIS, Wm. | R11 | |
| LEWIS, Benj. G. | F5 | WINGATE, Geo. | E2 | |
| LEWIS, Benj. G. | F6 | WOOLCOT, Chas. | G5 | |
| LLOYD, Campbell | P10 | WORTHY, Ann | Q10 | |
| LOOMIS, Capt. Dan | P4 | YERKES, B. | O4 | |
| LOOMIS, Isaac | Q4 | YERKES, Ben | N4 | |
| MARSHALL, B. D. | O3 | strangers | 2, 7, 11, 14, B2, B3, I6, J3, J4, J5, K5, K6, M7, N8, O6, P3, P5, P7, Q5, Q6, R6, R7, R9, S4, U9, V5 | |
| McQUAIN, A. | O13 |
Tombstone inscriptions
| BAKER | Eunice, wife of Paul; d Dec. 12, 1834 æ 75y 3m Paul; d Mar. 12, 1844 æ 84y 10m |
| BALLENTINE | Margaret, wife of Samuel; d June 26, 1859 æ 86 Mary R., wife of William; d Jan. 30, 1847 æ 33 Samuel A.; d June 3, 1846 æ 64y Samuel, son of William & Mary; d Aug. 28, 1837 æ 1y 7m 25d Sarah A., wife of Rev. J.; d Feb. 19, 1847 æ 33y |
| BARTLETT | Abigail, wife of Eliot; d Mar. 7, 1851 æ 87 Almira W., dau. of Eliot & Abigail; d May 21, 1854 æ 55 Cyrus S., son of Cyrus & Sarah S.; d Aug. 3, 1830 æ 11m Cyrus W.; d Aug. 14, 1847 æ 59y 1m 23d Eliot; d Jan. 6, 1847 æ 87 Harriet, dau. of Eliot & Waity; d Dec. 29, 1850 æ 32 [illegible] of [illegible] & Waity; d Dec. 29, æ 32 |
| BURDICK | Charles E.; buried July 27, 1847; d æ 1y 2m; d of cholera infantum; residence, Julius St.; [from the records of Mt. Hope Cem.] |
| BURNE | Luana Maria, wife of Percy; d Oct. 28, 1879 æ 60y 10d |
| BUTLER | Asa F.; d æ 23 Catherine A.; d æ 1m Eliza J.; d æ 18y 5m James K.; d æ 1y 2m Julia, wife of Sylvenus; d Mar. 12, 1860 æ 43 Phelps F.; d æ 25 Rebecca J., wife of Sylvenus; d Mar. 12, 1845 æ 36 Richmond C.; d æ 20 Sylvenus F.; d Jan. 13, 1877 æ 73 W. H. H.; d æ 22 |
| COVERT | Archie S.; 1893 - 1896 John A.; 1815 - 1899 |
| COWDERY | Dyar, son of S. F. & E. B.; d June 12, 1831 æ 7y 10m 16d |
| EDWARDS | Ann, wife of Thomas; d June 28, 1856 æ 62 Thomas Sr.; d Feb. 9, 1862 æ 88 Thomas Jr.; d Feb. 5, 1858 æ 23 |
| FOSGATE | Nathan and Phoebe; [no dates]; stone erected by their son, William N. of California |
| HARRISON | Pamela; Nurse, Army Nurse Corps., Civil War; 1825 - 1882 |
| HART | Abigail, wife of Samuel W.; d Apr. 6, 1847 æ 35 Betsey, wife of Samuel W.; d July 16, 1829 æ 27 Samuel W.; d June 23, 1865 æ 65 |
| HORTON | John J.; born March 1864, Plympton, Eng.; d March 1886 |
| HUBBARD | Hannah, wife of Walter; d May 10, 1892 æ 70 |
| HULIN | Charlotte, wife of Truman; born Dec. 16, 1816; d Dec. 27, 1882 Emily A., dau. of Truman & Charlotte; d Jan. 25, 1862 æ 25y 1m 11d |
| KINGSLEY | John Jr.; d Sept. 14, 1859 æ 33y |
| LOOMIS | Capt. Daniel B.; War of 1812; born Jan. 3, 1782, Pittsfield, Mass.; d in Gates, Mar. 1, 1864 æ 82y 1m 25d Electa Sherman, wife of Daniel; born Jan. 30, 1787, Lanesboro, Mass.; d in Gates, Nov. 3, 1863 æ 76y 9m 3d Myra; dau. of Daniel & Electa; d July 30, 1820 æ 2y |
| MARSHALL | Delia Oakley, wife of Edward; d June 27, 1852 æ 30y 6m Edward; d May 17, 1871 æ 52y 10m 4d |
| McGUCKIN | James H.; Pvt., Co. A, 13th NY Inf., Civil War; born 1841; d Sept. 26, 1885 æ 44 |
| McVEAN | Catherine, relict of John; d Jan. 19, 1864 æ 86y 1m 13d Duncan; d July 29, 1847 |
| OAKLEY | Delia, wife of Edward; d June 27, 1852 æ 30 Edward Marshall; d May 17, 1871 æ 52 Monroe H.; Pvt., Co. B, 5th NY Vet. Inf., Civil War; born 1842; d Jan. 18, 1915 æ 72 |
| OLIVER | George; 1818 - 1901 Harriet Richardson, wife of George; 1820 - 1885 |
| PAMMENT | James; Cpl., 6th NY 1st S. S., Civil War; born 1843; d Apr. 18, 1863 æ 22 |
| PEIFFER | Frederick L.; Sgt., Co. I, 202nd NY Vol. Inf.; Sp. Am. War; d æ 89y |
| PIERCE | Eliza Jane, wife of Justus W.; d Nov. 4, 1847 æ 18y 5m |
| RAYMOND | Luther L.; buried Mar. 3, 1840; d æ 6m; d of dysentery; residence, Riley St.; [from the records of Mt. Hope Cem.] |
| REYNOLDS | Elizabeth, wife of Israel; d June 29, 1853 æ 5m 8d |
| RICHARDSON | Myra Emma Loomis, wife of William H.; 1847 - 1908 William H.; 1846 - 1915 |
| RIDER | John H.; Pvt., Co. H, 108th NY Inf., Civil War; born 1839; July 24, 1889 æ 50 |
| SAMSON | Amos E.; Aug. 14, 1803 - Nov. 18, 1880 |
| SMALLEY | Amelia, wife of Dirick; 1811 - 1896 Caroline M., dau. of Dirick & Amelia; 1840 - 1897 Dirick; d Oct. 7, 1864 æ 57 |
| STIEL | Eunice; buried Mar. 5, 1848; d æ 86; d of old age; residence, Buffalo St.; [from the records of Mt. Hope Cem.] |
| STREETER | H. Dewitt, son of H. & B.; d Nov. 28, 1846 æ 9m Marquis B.; Cpl., Co. C, 108th NY Inf.; born 1839; d Dec. 6, 1877 æ 35 William; d of cholera, Aug. 26, 1852 æ 30 |
| TORREY | Georgie, son of W. L. & Elizabeth; d Oct. 21, 1896 æ 8y |
| VanNSICKLE | Elizabeth; d Sept. 23, 1849 æ 64 John; d Aug. 5, 1838 æ 60y 7m 3d |
| WAIT | Lottie, dau. of William & Margaret; d Oct. 10, 1865 æ 2y 5m |
| WILLIS | James P.; Pvt., old stone says Co. C, 7th Mich. Inf.; new stone says Co. B, 10th Mich. Inf.; born 1845; d Nov. 26, 1883 æ 36 Matilda, wife of Ira Jr. and dau. of Truman & Charlotte HULIN; d June 14, 1857 æ 18y 6d |
| WINGATE | Alice, dau. of William & Libbie; d Aug. 7, 1879 æ 10m Bertie J., son of William & Libbie; d Jan. 9, 1884 æ 10m George; d Oct. 20, 1872 æ 78y Gracie E., dau. of William & Libbie; d Sept. 6, 1876 æ 2m |
| YERKES | Benjamin; d June 25, 1847 æ 80y Mary Jane, dau. of Shel. Rachel, wife of Benjamin; d Jan. 20, 1853 æ 81y |
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© Richard T. Halsey, 2000, 2003
