November 10, 1863 Patrick King’s First Headstone

Many years ago, while clearing an area to create a space for the bar-b-q grill, a headstone was found in the back yard of our house. Being a historian and genealogist, questions quickly came to mind. Was there also a body? Who was Patrick King, son of John and Margaret? Was his November 10, 1863 death related to the Civil War?

Detail from the Patrick King headstone on display in the author's back yard.

The 1860 Town of Covert, Seneca County, New York census records the following family: John King age 47, Margaret King age 45, Jane King age 13 and Patrick King age 14, all born in Ireland. It continues with Alice King age 11, John King age 9 and Margaret King age 7, all born in Seneca County.

That basic data agrees with the headstone. A comment by Theresa Elliott at the time we found the headstone noted that the King family had lived in our home for a number of years in the late 1800s.

Looking into cemetery records, Patrick and other family members are recorded as buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Ovid. A trip to the cemetery shows the large single stone for the family members buried there. A second question is answered. Most likely Patrick was buried at Holy Cross cemetery in Ovid. It could be presumed that when Margaret King died in 1889, and then John in May 1890, that one family headstone was ordered. Not wanting to destroy the original stone, it was taken to the family home, and there it remains.

John and Margaret King, with children Patrick, Thomas and Margaret
Holy Cross Cemetery, Ovid, NY
Photo from the Author's collection

  The third question, “Was his death related to the Civil War?” may not be answered. One reliable source for Soldier records is the 1865 Census of Soldiers and Sailors. This data was collected by the Town Clerks and included very detailed information on each of the names listed. One copy was kept by the Town Clerk and one copy sent to Albany for their records.

Ovid, Lodi, Romulus and most other towns within this area completed this census and copies are available. No copy either locally or at the State Archives has been found for the Town of Covert. Nor does his name appear in other readily available sources. Neither the original stone, nor the family headstone, note anything to indicate that he served.

Dewitt’s Diary, Sunday, November 10, 1963

Temperature 40, mostly clear early. Cloudy by mid-morning and a few sprinkles.

I skinned the coons. I hope they are worth something. Leland went down and fished with Lem. No Fish.

Temperature 60 at noon. Sun shone very little. Mild today. Trying to rain several times this afternoon.

Temperature 50, raining lightly tonight.