Over 30 years ago my husband and I visited the Old Campbell/Hazlett Burial Ground located
on what was known as the Old Charles F. Merritt farm. [Charles Fowler Merritt was the son
of Eliza Ann Campbell and William Merritt. Eliza Ann Campbell was the daughter of Jane
Campbell and John Hazlett, Sr. Jane Campbell was the dau. of Joseph Campbell and Mary
Harper.] I recently came across the notes I took of the inscriptions that I was able to
decipher, and e-mailed them to Bill Thompson. He has asked me to post them on our mail
list.
Before I do that, let me tell you that I was inspired to find this early burial place of
our family from the writings of Jane Campbell Tubbs, wife of George Tubbs. [Jane Campbell
was the dau. of Joseph Campbell and Ann Clinch. Joseph Campbell was the son of Joseph
Campbell and Mary Harper.] At the Campbell Reunion of August, 1901 she read a History of
the Campbells that was later reprinted in the Campbell Cousins Correspondence, Volume IV -
1926. In part she wrote:
" I want to call your attention to a duty which I feel is incumbent upon
us. I have recently visited the burial plot where Joseph Campbell, Sr., our immigrant
ancestor, is buried. The location in and of itself is one of natural beauty. It is on an
eminence from which is gained a broad view of the Cowanesque Valley flats. It is the
place selected by the early pioneers to bury their dead. Rude inscriptions on stone set
up here show that it was used for that purpose as early as 1816. It is one of the sacred
places of earth, worthy of care and preservation. At that place Joseph Campbell was
buried and there let him lie until the morning of the resurrection. Beside him is buried
Mary Harper, his wife, whom he married in that far off land beyond the sea. Beside him
are intered the remains of his three children: Sally Hazlett, Jane Hazlett, and Elizabeth
Ellison. Here also lie many of the grandchildren of Joseph Campbell, Sr., such as Mary
Richards, Sally Fowl!
er and others. Also many great grandchildren such as the children of Charles Hosley,
Albert Fowler, Samuel Hazlett, Richard Ellison and James Cook. At each of the graves is a
respectable headstone.
The little plot of ground so sacred to the Campbell Clan in America is
situated on the farm of C. F. Merritt, in Nelson borough. It is square in shape, being
about six rods on each of its four sides. I will try to tell you how this burial ground
looked at the time of a recent visit. In one corner stood an ancient apple tree. It had
produced many scrubby sprouts, which spread over a large part of the ground, from two to
six feet high. These were interspersed with raspberry and blackberry bushes, with thorn
plum tree sprouts, elderberry bushes, burdock and goldenrod. There was also a hedge of
uncared for snowball, rose and lilac bushes and all of it overrun with some kind of wild
ivy. The place is a veritable tangle and he who would read the inscriptions on the tombs
must go about with axe and scythe. This place so sacred to every one of us, in whose
veins flows the blood of Joseph Campbell, is crowded hard on all sides by the barn-yard
and driveway, of the!
old homestead on which it is situated. The fact that three or four of the valuable
tombstones are broken into two pieces would indicate that it had been occupied perhaps by
livestock. On the easterly side for a distance of three or four rods is no fence at all.
This is along the driveway. On the West side the top boards are gone. All the fence now
standing is old and dilapidated."
She went on to appeal to the descendants to repair and clean up the burial
plot. When we visited the plot November 21, 1971 we could see the property atop the hill,
and drove up, up to get to the farmhouse. It was owned by a Mr. Paul Bennett, whom we
inquired if we might see the burial ground. He told us that he had used some of the
larger stones about his farm; one I think was used as a stoop to gain entrance to his
home (face downward), and I think, if memory serves me correctly, another one he said was
used to cover a well on the property. As I recall we came back across the driveway and
down the hill a little. There was some kind of a small barn and beside it was the little
burial plot. There was not any undergrowth present and it certainly looked like cattle
continued to travel through the plot; there was cow manure all about. Many of the stones
were broken and fallen. There were two bases that at one time must have held some rather
large stones. M!
any of the stones were very difficult to read. Following are the inscriptions I was able
to copy:
Jane wife of John Hazlet d. Jan. 8, 1832 aged 41 yrs. & 8 days & her
infant by her side
Richard Ellison d. Jan. 2, 1842 aged 42 yrs.
Elizabeth wife of Richard Ellison d. May
Thomas Richardson d. (couldn't read)
S. H. Richardson d. Apr. 9, 1854 aged 25 yrs. 4 mos & 25 days
John Richardson d. Dec. 22, 1852 (or 3)
Albert Fowler d. Aug. 30, 1865 aged 48 yr. 11 m. 17 d.
Sarah wife of Albert Fowler Feb. 11, 1817 - Jan. 1, 1899
This farm had to be abondoned due to the Tioga-Hammond Dam project in around 1979. The
house was moved to the hill above the original site. The graves were moved to Nelson
Cemetary behind the old Presbyterian Church.
Betty Davis Phillips