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Bonsteins History Pictures

Drylands Cemetery, Northampton County, PA

the cemetery is located on PA 191 south of Newburg Road in Lower Nazareth Township, Northampton County, PA.

On the Amer-Hessian mailing list Barbara and I also discussed the Drylands Cemetery, PA. She took some pictures of Dryland Cemetery which are below.

Here is some of "OUR" correspondence.

Hi Nelda, 

I went into our Local History collection today to see what I could find about the Drylands Cemetery.  The researcher who copied inscriptions in 1899 saw the original stones.  Ditto for the 1920 researcher.  Apparently sometime after this, most of the stones in the oldest section were removed, and, in their place, three monuments were erected.  One lists the men who served in the Armed Forces (the monument you listed) and the other two list the rest of the men, the women, and the children who were buried there.  The names are in alphabetical order. As the monument notes, the men listed on it were veterans, but that does not guarantee wartime service. My ancestor Henry Stemler was captured in Trenton and was a prisoner of war in Lancaster.  

After his work release?/discharge?/escape?/parole?, Henry settled in Heidelberg Twp, Northampton County, and served in the militia; this service is recorded in the PA Archives. However, Henry did not serve in the US forces in the Revolution.  Perhaps like Henry, Jacob also served in the militia, but had no Revolutionary War service? 

Barb 

Hi Barbara, 

It is possible, but mother said a lot of things that are proving out to  be true.  One of these was that her father George, said Johann Jacob Bonstein served on the American side during the Rev War.. as well as being a Hessian.  Did you do a check to see what this militia did do? For your Henry Stemler? Did it, the militia have a name? Is it possible to get pictures of the monuments? I have found out there are quite a few descendants buried there. Not all with the Bonstein surname. The pictures would be almost as good as a headstone picture. May I use your comments in this email on my site.. I can code the addresses or remove it completely.. Thanks Nelda

Hi 

You can use the comments if you wish, but I prefer no address be used, just email. I will take a picture of the monument the next time I go over that way. Henry served in the county militia; he is first listed in 1785.  This was the same Associated military organization formed at the start of the Revolution; service was compulsorily and being listed did not guarantee that the persons named actually saw combat or other duty.  Men were called out by classes, so as not to strip any locality of men (this was the frontier and the greatest danger was from Indian attacks).  For a good idea of what military service in Northampton County during the Revolution was like, read Sweet Land of Liberty: the Ordeal of the Revolution in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, by Francis S. Fox  (Penn State University Press, 2000) 

Barb

The monument at Drylands Cemetery

Northhampton Co., PA; 

This is the picture Tanya Johnson nee Bonstein sent me.

Nelda, 

Here are pictures of the Drylands memorials.  They are located behind the church on the land that was the early burial ground.  Now there are only these three stones and 2 sign boards (picture 1) located in a large grassy plot.  The homes are behind the church land.  

Pictures 5 and 6 are of the center stone, which contains the names of those who served in the Armed Forces.  Pictures 2, 3, and 4 are of the left hand memorial which is for non veteran men, women and children; the large sign board contains the surnames A-Kl, and Catherine Bonstein is listed there.  Pictures 7 and 8 are of the right hand stone; the board there lists names from Kr-Y. 

Barb 

More Bonstein pictures

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