FORKSTON  CEMETERY

Forkston, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania

 

A Guide to Using the Maps

 

 

The Forkston Cemetery is divided into five sections, labeled Sections A through E.  Entering the cemetery, Section E will be on one's left and Section D will be immediately to one's right.  Travel to the back, west end, of the cemetery and exit on the north side, heading east.

 

Section A is the oldest part of the cemetery.  In 1890 a map was drawn of Section A with all graves numbered 1 through 232.  Two lists were prepared associating the grave number to the individual buried.  One list was written in grave number sequence; a second list was written in alphabetic name sequence.  From July of 1890 forward the Burial Register recorded the burials by date as they occurred.  Also in 1890 the Cemetery Association gradually move away from the sale of individual graves to selling the larger Lots which had the capacity of holding as many as eight graves.  Each Lot was numbered and the owner's name assigned to the Lot.  The name of the Lot owner is typed across the top of the Lot on the maps.

 

The area on the map containing the Lot number and owner's name is not the location of the headstone.  It is just a map label for the Lot.  The headstone in Sections B through E, if there is one, is typically position on the map where one would see the individual plot numbers 1 through 8.

 

Visiting the Cemetery

 

The maps present a slight challenge when visiting the cemetery.  The maps were drawn from the groundskeeper's perspective.  Traveling to the back, west end of the cemetery and holding the map up, the top of the map is the east end and the bottom is the west end.  Section E is to the right and Section A is to the left.  The problem with this perspective is that the visitor is looking at the back side of the headstones where there is no writing.