Allens' Hill Cemetery 

formerly was part of the St. Paul's Church Yard 

North Side Belcher Rd., near Co. Rt. 40

Richmond, NY

ACTIVE Cemetery

If you would like to submit Ontario Cemetery data to this site please contact Dianne Thomas.    

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Allens Hill Cemetery Pictures

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by Town Historian, Peggy Treble  -  Thank you !!

 by Dianne Thomas

 Dianne  found these articles listed below, in various papers, for those buried this cemetery: 

The Livonia Gazette , Livonia, NY    Thursday,       June 12, 1941 

Grave of Revolutionary War Hero, Who Is Buried in Cemetery at Allen's Hill, To Be the Scene of National Ceremony.

The grave of Sergeant Daniel Bissell, Revolutionary war hero, who is buried in Allen's Hill cemetery, will be the scene of a national observance some time in the future and will receive a bronze placque by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, according to Dr. H. B. Weinburgh of Lansing, Mich., national senior vice-commander of the organization.

In a communication from Dr. Weinburgh to Fred M. Bell of Honeoye, Ontario county clerk, asking the latter to locate the Bissell grave. Dr. Weinburgh said that Daniel Bissell was one of only three soldiers awarded the Badge of Merit by General George Washington for their valorous services in the fight for independence.

The other two heroes who received the Badge, were reported to be William (or Daniel) Brown and Elijah Churchill, also sergeants in the Revolutionary war.  The inscription on the gravestone of Sergeant Bissell in the Allen's Hill cemetery reads, "Daniel Bissell, Esq., died August 5, 1824. He found favor with Washington from whom he received the Badge of Merit".

Records of the adjutant general disclose that Bissell enlisted from the town of Windsor, Hartford, Conn., at the age of 24. He had brown hair and was five feet, eight inches tall. The records further state that he deserted from the army in August, 1781, ending as far as the adjutant general's office was concerned, the story of Daniel Bissell.  But on May 3, 1783, Bissell was awarded the Badge of Merit. 

Between the dates of his alleged desertion and the conferring of the decoration, is a story of bravery that brought him close to death many times. Information gathered regarding Bissell's war career, say that "After General Washington informed the youth of the mission he wanted him to perform as a spy, Bissell's name was written into the regimental muster roll as a deserter.

After establishing himself in New York, to protect himself from suspicion and to insure usefulness to the American cause, Bissell enlisted in the British army, being assigned to the same regiment given to Benedict Arnold for his services to the King*. Gathering information Washington needed, Bissell made ready to make his break for his chiefs headquarters when he was stricken with fever.

For weeks he lay at the point of death. In his feverish delirium, he told enough of his story for one of his attending doctors to guess the secret of his presence behind the British lines. Either out of friendship or adherence to the Hippocratic oath, the doctor did not reveal Bissell's identity and he escaped, the English surgeon helping him to break through the lines. Bissell made his way to Washington's headquarters in Newburgh. where he told the story of his year and one month within the British lines in maps and dictated documents.

The Badge or Merit which Bissell is said to have received, was described as a heart of purple silk, bound with braid and edged with lace. The decoration given to the three heroes was the first awarded in the newly-formed nation and the second in the world.

The present Military Order of the Purple Heart was founded by twenty-six World war veterans on Sept. 21, 1932, at Ansonia, Conn. The objects of the organization arc listed as "patriotic, fraternal, historical and educational; to preserve end strengthen comradeship among its members; to assist worthy comrades, to perpetuate the memory and history of our dead and to maintain true allegiance to the government of the United States of America and fidelity to its constitution".

The revised decoration is a heart-shaped medal, gold in color, with its center of purple enamel.  On the observe is a relief bust of George Washington in the uniform of a general of the Continental army. On the reverse appears the inscription: "For Military Merit", with the owner's name engraved beneath. The Washington coat of arms is incorporated in the ring that attaches it to a purple ribbon of watered silk, bordered with a narrow white stripe.

Dr. Weinburgh gave no indication when the national ceremony at the graves of the three war heroes would take place or what form it would assume.

The Livonia Gazette , Livonia, NY    Thursday,       June 15, 1961 

Twenty Years Ago (June 12, 1941)   -  The grave of Sgt. Daniel Bissell, Revolutionary war hero, who is buried at Allen's Hill cemetery, was to be the scene of a national observance at a future date, it was announced, and would receive a bronze plaque placed by the Order of the Purple Heart.

The Lima Recorder,    Wed.,     Sept. 30, 1964 

Soldier Served Under Washington -  By Mae "McCarthy.

The Wayside Seekers Club held a work a meeting at the Allen's Hill Methodist Church on Sept 17. Luncheon was served by the WSCS of the church.  At the conclusion of the meeting, members visited the grave of Sergeant Daniel Bissell, Revolutionary War soldier and spy, at the Allen's Hill Cemetery.

Bissell was deeply trusted by George Washington' and carried out innumerable  missions; including entering British lines, in New York. His exploits of high bravery won for him the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart..  He was reputed to "be the first to earn the Purple Heart."   

Sgt. Bissell was a native of Windsor, Conn. In about 1807 the Bissell family moved to New York and made a home at Allen's Hill. 

Here Sgt. Bissell lived out his days. On his gravestone one can read "In the memory of Daniel Bissell ; died Aug. 5. 1824. age 79 years. He had the confidence of George Washington and served under him."

The grave of Sgt. Bissell is in a portion of the cemetery,  formerly known  as St. Paul's Cemetery,  and belonged to St. Paul's Episcopal Church.  This church once stood nearby, but has been gone for many years.  In more recent years the cemetery was turned over to the Allen's  Hill Cemetery Association.  Some finances for the upkeep are still available from the trust funds and bequests of St. Paul's Church through the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.

Livonia Gazette   Thursday  June 13, 1965       

Memorial Day, May 27, 1965 took on a special meaning for the descendants of John Garlinghouse, Revolutionary War soldier and his wife, Jane Leonard Garlinghouse, at St. Paul's Church Yard in Allen's Hill.  More than 75 of his descendants, their families and friends gathered at his gravesite in the cemetery to dedicate three new bronze markers for John Garlinghouse as well as his two sons, Joseph and Benjamin Garlinghouse who served in the War of 1812. 

Html by Dianne Thomas

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