Brighton Cemetery
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Brighton Cemetery

Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USA

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  • Get directions Hoyt Place
    Rochester, New York, USA
    Coordinates: 43.14414, -77.55379
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Brighton Cemetery was founded in 1821 and was originally associated with an adjacent congregational church, the building of which was completed in 1822. It was originally a tranquil setting for the resting place of Brighton town's pioneers, bordered as it was at the time on two sides by the Erie Canal; the 21st century, however, finds it in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in upper Western New York, the I-490/I-590 interchange in Rochester. The brick church was devastated by a fire in 1867, and although the church rebuilt, they moved away from the cemetery, which was officially separated from the church in 1892 when the Brighton Cemetery Association was formed. Unfortunately the cemetery records were housed in the original church building, and were destroyed in the fire. The only record of burials which exists prior to 1867 are the remaining tombstones, and the names of those buried in unmarked graves and poor lots are not known. Brighton Cemetery was also known as the "Dutch" cemetery owing to the large number of Dutch immigrants who settled in the vicinity and were buried there in the mid to late 1800's. Among its notable residents are the pioneer Stone family, abolitionist William Bloss and Rochester historian and author Arch Merrill. It is also home to the largest white bronze ("zinker") monument in Monroe County, over 25' high and dedicated to the Watson family.
Brighton Cemetery was founded in 1821 and was originally associated with an adjacent congregational church, the building of which was completed in 1822. It was originally a tranquil setting for the resting place of Brighton town's pioneers, bordered as it was at the time on two sides by the Erie Canal; the 21st century, however, finds it in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in upper Western New York, the I-490/I-590 interchange in Rochester. The brick church was devastated by a fire in 1867, and although the church rebuilt, they moved away from the cemetery, which was officially separated from the church in 1892 when the Brighton Cemetery Association was formed. Unfortunately the cemetery records were housed in the original church building, and were destroyed in the fire. The only record of burials which exists prior to 1867 are the remaining tombstones, and the names of those buried in unmarked graves and poor lots are not known. Brighton Cemetery was also known as the "Dutch" cemetery owing to the large number of Dutch immigrants who settled in the vicinity and were buried there in the mid to late 1800's. Among its notable residents are the pioneer Stone family, abolitionist William Bloss and Rochester historian and author Arch Merrill. It is also home to the largest white bronze ("zinker") monument in Monroe County, over 25' high and dedicated to the Watson family.

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  • Added: 27 Apr 2001
  • Find a Grave Cemetery ID: 446859