I have a actual burial at Slate Hill Seceder Cemetery in 1838. What none of you are looking at is that Fairlawn Cemetery was not established at that time. The choice of burial before 1838 and back into the 1700's was limited to several cemeteries 1. Fort Cemetery also a Seceder Cemetery located on Church Hill Road, Slate Hill Seceder Cemetery located off of Route 16. There was also a very small cemetery located just outside of Mercersburg which might have been Brethren, but I am not sure. Now the original West Conocoheague Presbytery Congregation consisted of these two churches originally and were both Convenanter. In time they became seceders and eventually Associated reformed with the end of the schism and merger in 1825.. Now my John Crooks who was buried in Slate Hill WAS A SECEDER and so was his father and grandfather, only the great grandfather was a true blue Convenanter in the early 1700's. John Crooks was buried by his father Robert who would have NOT buried him in a cemetery which was NOT his churches cemetery. Secondly his church was the Mercersburg Presbyterian Church located just a few blocks off of main street which was a SECEDER CHURCH at the time and the West Conocoheague Presbytery Congregation. I have records of this church where John and his brother David and other members of my family are mentioned by name. This church along with the present day Greencastle Presbyterian Church merged the East & West Conocoheague Presbyteries into the Conocoheague Presbytery. In the very begining all of the Presbyterian churches were Convenanter in time the reformation movement established the Seceders and Associate Reformed and they all became one with the merger in 1825. Regarding both Church Hill & Seceders cemeteries, I visited both this Summer and both (at the time) had the weeds cut down etc, however in the case of Church Hill the stones are badly weathered and many are unreadable. In the case of Slate Hill, there are the two memorials and two unreadable stones. It has been estimated that there were 100 or so burials here, but they are badly under the plow, even the dimensions of the cemetery aren't known, but it was probably around an acre more or less.There are quite a few private cemeteries as an example Conocoheague Institute has one on the Stone Hill Farm and there are about 25 burials there and several different family names, this is a typical beyond the corn field private cemetery. Also not too far away by road is a another private cemeteruy which is right in the middle of a vast corn field, this was partially under the plow and Conocoheague Institute dug up all of the old stones, re-set them and put a nice split rail fence around it. They did a great job of it. Gordon Crooks

According to J. B. Scouller's "History of the Big Springs Presbyterian Church": "The West Conecocheaque church was located about one and a half miles from Mercersburg on the road leading to Green Castle. It stood upon a slate hill and was generally know familiarly as the Slate Hill Church." It was a Seceder church. Josette

Thanks for the explanation of the church separation and merger. However, could you further explain several things. 1. What is the Fairlawn Cemetery, and where is it, and what does it have to do with the time frame and area we are considering. 2. Are you saying there was actually no church at Slate Hill, it just being the Seceder Cemetery for the Mercersburg Presby Seceder Church? 3. Does anyone have an extimate of who was buried in the "100 or so burials" at Slate Hill? 4. Am I correct in assuming that Mercersburg Presby Church and West Cono. Presby Church are completely different churches? Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Crooks@verizon.net" <gordoncrooks@verizon.net> To: <PAFRANKL-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2009 2:15 PM Subject: [PAFRANKL] Slate Hill Cemetery >I have a actual burial at Slate Hill Seceder Cemetery in 1838. What none of >you are looking at is that Fairlawn Cemetery was not established at that >time. The choice of burial before 1838 and back into the 1700's was limited >to several cemeteries 1. Fort Cemetery also a Seceder Cemetery located on >Church Hill Road, Slate Hill Seceder Cemetery located off of Route 16. >There was also a very small cemetery located just outside of Mercersburg >which might have been Brethren, but I am not sure. Now the original West >Conocoheague Presbytery Congregation consisted of these two churches >originally and were both Convenanter. In time they became seceders and >eventually Associated reformed with the end of the schism and merger in >1825.. Now my John Crooks who was buried in Slate Hill WAS A SECEDER and so >was his father and grandfather, only the great grandfather was a true blue >Convenanter in the early 1700's. > > John Crooks was buried by his father Robert who would have NOT buried him > in a cemetery which was NOT his churches cemetery. Secondly his church was > the Mercersburg Presbyterian Church located just a few blocks off of main > street which was a SECEDER CHURCH at the time and the West Conocoheague > Presbytery Congregation. I have records of this church where John and his > brother David and other members of my family are mentioned by name. > > This church along with the present day Greencastle Presbyterian Church > merged the East & West Conocoheague Presbyteries into the Conocoheague > Presbytery. In the very begining all of the Presbyterian churches were > Convenanter in time the reformation movement established the Seceders and > Associate Reformed and they all became one with the merger in 1825. > > Regarding both Church Hill & Seceders cemeteries, I visited both this > Summer and both (at the time) had the weeds cut down etc, however in the > case of Church Hill the stones are badly weathered and many are > unreadable. In the case of Slate Hill, there are the two memorials and two > unreadable stones. It has been estimated that there were 100 or so burials > here, but they are badly under the plow, even the dimensions of the > cemetery aren't known, but it was probably around an acre more or > less.There are quite a few private cemeteries as an example Conocoheague > Institute has one on the Stone Hill Farm and there are about 25 burials > there and several different family names, this is a typical beyond the > corn field private cemetery. Also not too far away by road is a another > private cemeteruy which is right in the middle of a vast corn field, this > was partially under the plow and Conocoheague Institute dug up all of the > old stones, re-set them and put a nice split rail fence around! > it. They did a great job of it. > > Gordon > Crooks > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > PAFRANKL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message