This monument was put up in 1878, but it remembers the whole Johnston clan, going back to the nearly indestructible Jane Johnston, who was born in 1700 (or possibly 1699) and died in 1806 at the age of 106. During that time she surely had many interesting adventures, including crossing the Alleghenies to settle in the frontier of Western Pennsylvania when she must have been already an old woman.
We should note, by the way, that when a cemetery inscription says “in the 106th year of her age,” it almost always means “at the age of 106,” not (as it should) “at the age of 105.”
Neville B. Craig was born in Fort Pitt in 1787; he was mixed up with many of the old-money aristocratic families of Pittsburgh. In 1851, he published the first comprehensive history of Pittsburgh. It provoked a response from Henry Marie Brackenridge, son of Hugh Henry Brackenridge, who thought that his father’s memory was slandered by Craig’s “perverted and false” account of the Whiskey Rebellion. Craig was “representative of the ‘Neville connection,’” the anti-insurrectionist party that had called in troops from Washington; Brackenridge, on the other hand, had succeeded in gaining an amnesty for most of the insurrectionists. It is fascinating to see that, as late as the 1850s, the animosities of the Whiskey Rebellion were still very much alive among the old families in Pittsburgh.
Craig died in 1863 at his home, “Bellefield.” Today there is a section of Oakland called Bellefield, where Bellefield Avenue, Craig Street, and Neville Avenue are all parallel streets.
It seems the Schmitts couldn’t afford even the fee for Zelienople’s proofreading-challenged resident stonecutter, but they succeeded in crafting a stone that has preserved Elisabeth Schmitt’s name for nearly two centuries. The N in “in” seems to have been cut backwards, and then corrected; or possibly it was cut forwards, and then corrected to backwards.
The Zelienople Community Cemetery, as it is now called, has grown into a fairly large institution with a surprisingly huge community mausoleum. One section of it, however, is the old town burying-ground, and here the early settlers rest under locally-cut tombstones, many of which are still legible after the better part of two centuries. Here we gather a number of tombstones that show the clearly identifiable style of the same stonecutter, who was prone to errors, which he corrected by any means necessary. He worked for many years, but never overcame his sloppiness. The loop around the I in “In memory,” the strangely narrow S, and the form of the ampersand are all distinctive.
“In memory of A Catherine GoehrinG born April 2 1747 She lived in marri age with Wm H Goehring 52 years & deid March 12 1821 Aged 74 years”
One might think that the one word a stonecutter would know how to spell would be “died.”
“Hier ruhen die Gebeine der verstorbenen Salome Catherine Roth sie war [Geboren Den 22]en April 1837 Gestorben Den 18ten April 1841 Jhr Alter hat sie gebracht auf 3 Jahr 11 monat und 27 Tage”
Father Pitt’s rough translation:
“Here lie the bomes of the deceased Salome Catherine Roth. She was born the 22nd of April 1837 and died the 18th of April 1841. She reached the age of 3 years, 11 months, and 27 days old.”
Although this stone is in German, the letter forms and the little flower or star pattern at the top mark it as the work of the same stonecutter, who apparently messed up the word “Geboren” and the date so badly that he had to slice out that whole section of the stone and start over.
“In memory of Elisabeth Hoon who died Desem the 16 1841 Aged 11 years 8 months & 17 days.”
A stonecutter should also learn to spell all the months.
“In memory of James Son of Adam Goe[h]ring who died Jan 12th 1841 Aged 4 years & 22 Days”
Here he left the H out of “Goehring” and had to stick it in above the name.
“In memory of Mary J Harris who died Feb 8 1833 Aged 1 year 8 months & 11 days”
“In memory of Meihael Weiss died Sept 11th 1837 Aged 77 years 9 months & 21 Days.”
One is tempted to read “Meihael” as a misspelling of “Michael,” but it seems to be not unheard-of as a German name.
“In memory of Marion Ross goll Who departed This life oct 3 1828 in her 9th year”
Father Pitt believes that “goll” is Marion’s family name, but he is not absolutely sure. It is also possible that the name is “Rossgoll.”
It must have been hard to maintain an optimistic outlook as a stonecutter in nineteenth-century rural America, when stones for children made up the larger part of one’s business.
Not the oldest stone in this cemetery, but still very old for a legible tombstone in western Pennsylvania. Earlier tombstones tend to be shale, which does not last long.
