To the Trustees of the Cortland Rural Cemetery:

    At the annual meeting of the lot owners of the cemetery held November 7th, 1910, the undersigned committee was duly appointed to prepare and present a revision of the old by-laws for the consideration and adoption of the board of trustees.

    To this we added a brief historical sketch of the cemetery, together with a complete list of the trustees and officers from the date of its organization.

    Your committee herewith submits the result of its labors, and trusts that the same will command your approval and adoption for the guidance and benefit of the association.

GEORGE J. MAGER,
CHARLES F. BROWN,
NILES F. WEBB,
Committee.

       *Deceased

    On the 7th day of November, 1853, the following gentlemen, viz: Joseph Reynolds, Morgan L. Webb, Orson M. Welch, Horace P. Goodrich, Isaac Fairchild, George K. Stiles, Augustus L. Ballard, William Elder, Anson Fairchild, Carver Campbell, David H. Hale, Abram Mudge, Benjamin Howland, John J. Adams, Simeon Lucas, James Freeman, George S. Taylor, Richard Cornwell, Miles Goodyear, David Cloyes, B. Franklin Blodgett, Edwin F. Gould, David Fisk, and Henry Bowen, residents of the Town of Cortlandville, met in the Presbyterian Church in the Village of Cortland, for the purpose of forming an association to purchase and hold land to be used exclusively for a cemetery- a place for the burial of the dead, pursuant to an act passed by the Legislature on April 27, 1847. All of the above-named gentlemen have since died, and the remains of the majority of them are now resting within the confines of that hallowed ground.

    The meeting was organized with Joseph Reynolds as chairman and Edwin F. Gould as secretary. A committee consisting of William O. Barnard, Morgan L. Webb, and Timothy Rose was appointed to solicit subscriptions for funds wherewith to purchase a suitable plot of ground for a cemetery. Thirteen of the gentlemen who were present at the first citizens' meeting contributed fifty dollars each for that purpose. Fourteen acres of land were subsequently bought of David R. Hubbard, which formed a nucleus for the present cemetery. This plot of ground was dedicated with appropriate exercises on August 11th, 1854.

Reading of Scriptures
                           Rev. L. D. Davis, Pastor of the Methodist Church

Anthem---"The Great Jehovah fills the Place."
                                         Sung by the Presbyterian Church Choir

Dedicatory Prayer
                    Rev. H. R. Dunham, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church

Hymn---Composed for the occasion by Prof. J. Madison Burt, of 
       the Cortlandville Academy.    Music by Prof. J. R. 
       Blodgett of Buffalo.  Sung by the Choir of the
       Presbyterian Church.

Introductory               Rev. Dr. Bowen, Pastor of the Baptist Church

Dedicatory Address........................Rev. D. W. Bristol, of Ithaca, N.Y.

Singing by full Choir---"Before Jehovah's Awful Throne".

Benediction...................................................................Rev. Henry Bowen

    Orson M. Welch, William O. Bernard, and Morgan L. Webb were appointed a committee to present a corporate name by which the association should be called and known. After due deliberation the committee reported that the corporate name shall be "The Cortland Rural Cemetery".

    Prior to 1854 the Village Cemetery consisted of about two and a half acres of land behind the old Cortlandville Academy on the land which now forms part of the State Normal School. Most of the bodies that had been buried there were removed before September 17, 1867, on which day the corner stone of the Normal School building was laid. At this time there was also a little cemetery of one acre of land on the hill in the rear of the present residence of Justice Nathan L. Miller, formerly owned by James S. Squires. This acre was later exchanged for two acres adjoining the present cemetery. Six acres were subsequently purchased, which made the total acreage of the Cortland Rural Cemetery, twenty-two acres. Norman Chamberlain was the superintendent.

    About that time there was also a small burying ground near the south-east corner of Homer Avenue and West Main Street and still another on the McGraw road, a short distance from the residence of the late Frederick Conable, which cemetery is still in existence.

    The first board of trustees consisted of nine members, viz: Joseph Reynolds, Morgan L. Webb, Abram Mudge, Wm. O. Barnard, Timothy Rose, Henry Stephens, Horace P. Goodrich, David Fisk, and Anson Fairchild. These were divided into three classes, to hold office for one, two and three years, respectively, viz: Henry Stephens, Timothy Rose, and Abram Mudge to hold office one year; Anson Fairchild, Horace P. Goodrich, and David Fisk, two years, and Morgan L. Webb, William O. Barnard, and Joseph Reynolds, three years.

    The association was thereupon legally organized and the proceedings recorded in the office of the county clerk on November 10, 1853.

    The first meeting of the trustees was held in the office of James A. Schermerhorn in the Village of Cortland on November 12, 1853.

    The names of the officers of this and subsequent, annual meetings will be found in a complete list on another page.

    David Fisk and Joseph Reynolds were employed to cut the surplus timber on the cemetery grounds, for which they paid the association at the rate of three shillings (37 ½ cents) per cord of three-foot body wood; the tops being given to them for removing the brush.

    On November 12, 1855, Augustus L. Ballard, Stephen D. Freer, and Morgan L. Webb were appointed a committee to submit a set of by-laws for the government of the association, which articles are more or less embodied in the following:

---

    The corporate name shall be "The Cortland Rural Cemetery."

    The management shall be vested in a board of nine trustees or directors, three of whom shall be elected annually to serve three years.

    The annual meeting of the lot owners shall be held on the Monday preceding the general election of this state, in each year.

    The officers of the association shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

    Notice of the annual meeting of the lot owners shall be published in a local newspaper two weeks previous to the day of the meeting.

    At the annual meeting of the lot owners the Treasurer shall present a full and detailed written report of the transactions of the association for the year past, together with a statement of the financial condition of the association.

    Trustees to succeed those whose terms of office are about to expire shall be elected by ballot. As soon as possible after adjournment of the annual meeting the trustees shall meet for organization, the election of officers, and to transact such other business as may properly come before them. The President shall appoint a committee of three trustees, who, with the President shall constitute the executive committee of the board. A majority of the trustees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

    The trustees shall have the entire control and management

of the affairs of the association, and shall appoint a Superintendent to serve during the pleasure of the board.

    All vacancies in the board of trustees shall be filled by the remaining members of the board, until the next annual meeting of the lot owners.

    The President shall preside at all meetings of the board and may call special meetings whenever he may deem it necessary; and the President, or, in his absence, the Vice-President or Secretary, shall do so, when requested in writing by two or more members of the board.

    The Vice-President shall perform all the duties of the President during his absence, and, in case of the absence of both President and Vice-President, the trustees may elect a chairman, protem.

    The Secretary shall keep a record of the transactions of the Board of Trustees, and perform such other services as may be required of him. He shall also keep record of all internments, the same to be furnished by the Superintendent.

    The Treasurer shall have control of the moneys of the association. He shall keep an account as Treasurer in one or more banks of the City of Cortland, in which shall be deposited the moneys received. He shall keep an account of all sales of lots and of any property belonging to the Association. He shall annually, at the meeting of the board, or when required, render an account of his official acts and submit a report of the state of the treasury and shall give a satisfactory bond for the faithful discharge of his duties, the same to be approved by the board.

    The Executive Committee shall have the general management of the affairs of the Association during the recess of the Board of Trustees. They shall have power to suspend any officer or employee of the Association and to fill the vacancy until the next

meeting of the Board. They shall have the direction of all improvements and alterations within the cemetery grounds.

    The Superintendent shall have the power to employ and discharge any or all laborers employed on the cemetery grounds, and to fix their compensation subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. He shall keep a map of the cemetery grounds, showing the avenues and walks. He shall have the control and direction, under the Executive Committee, of the improvement of the grounds, and shall be subject at all times and in all matters to the order of the Board or of the Executive Committee. He shall have charge of, and keep an account of the personal property, tools, and implements of the Association, and shall render a written inventory annually, or when called upon to do so by the Board. He shall be in attendance at internments, and cause all graves to be properly prepared, opened, and closed.

    The term "cemetery" as used in these pages, shall be construed to include all lands now owned or hereafter acquired within the limits of the Cortland Rural Cemetery.

    The body of a person who has died from contagious disease will not be admitted to the Receiving Vault.

    For use of Receiving Vault for a body to be buried other than in this cemetery, a charge of three dollars will be made.

    Monuments must have a foundation not less than four feet deep and deeper if deemed necessary by the Superintendent. The location, other than the center of the lot, must be approved by him.

    When the removal of a monument or headstone is desired, permission must first be obtained of the Superintendent.

    A reward of ten dollars is offered for the detection and

conviction of any person taking vases, plants, flowers, shrubs, or other property from any lot in the cemetery.

    No disinterment will be allowed without permission of the Superintendent.

    Orders for internments should reach the Superintendent at least twenty-four hours before time of burial.

    The Superintendent will, during reasonable hours, show such lots as are for sale. After a selection has been made, the purchaser will pay the Superintendent for same, and the Treasurer will give a deed or other evidence of purchase; but such deed will not be given until the lot is fully paid for.

    The erection of all monuments and tombstones shall be under the personal supervision of the Superintendent, and enclosures of any kind are strictly prohibited.

    No person shall catch, wound, or kill a bird, nor remove a bird's nest, eggs, or young birds in the cemetery.

    All foundations for monuments and headstones shall be laid by the Superintendent, or under his immediate supervision, at the lot owner's expense.

    No private vault shall be constructed within this cemetery, except in such lots and places a shall be especially designated by the Trustees for that purpose; nor shall any tomb be constructed therein unless the place thereof be first submitted to and approved by the Executive Committee.

    The right to remove or trim trees in any part of the grounds is reserved wholly by the Association; and if any trees or shrub shall by means of its roots, branches, or otherwise become detrimental to adjacent property, it shall be the duty of the Superintendent to remove such parts thereof as he may deem necessary.

    No other persons than such as are employed by the Association shall be allowed to dig a grave or make internment in the cemetery,

and no work of any kind shall be done without due notice being first given to the Superintendent.

    Workmen in the employ of the Association are forbidden to receive gratuities for work done for individuals.

    The prices of lots are at present, 25 cents, 35 cents, and 50 cents per square foot, according to location. These prices are, however, subject to change at any time at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.

    All persons applying for privilege of internment must impart to the Superintendent the following information, so far as the same can be obtained:

    Name of deceased.
    Place of death.
    Place of birth.
    Age.
    Time of birth.
    Sex.
    Time of death.
    Cause of death.
    Section.
    Number of lot.

    The following are charges for burials:

    Opening and closing grave of an adult……………………………….....$5.00

    Opening and closing grave four feet or less in length…………….….…3.00

    Opening and closing private vault…………………………….…..............2.00

    For Burial during winter season an extra charge will be made.

    These prices may be changed at any time at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.

    The grounds will be open at all hours of the day for funerals and to lot owners and their families, and such other persons as the Superintendent may admit.

    Children unaccompanied by their parents or guardians will not be allowed on the grounds.

    Driving on the grounds in automobile, carriage, motor cycle, bicycle, or other conveyance at a rate faster than four miles an hour, is forbidden.

    No person shall fasten a horse or other animal except at a place provided for that purpose, nor leave one unfastened without a keeper.

    Dogs and guns are not allowed in the cemetery.

    No person may pick flowers within the cemetery, either wild or cultivated, on grounds not his or her own, nor injure any bush, plant, shrub, or tree. The Association is so desirous of enforcing this rule that a reward of five dollars will be paid to anyone giving information and proof for a conviction of this offense.

    Persons defacing any monument or head stone, or disturbing the quiet and good order of the cemetery by noise or other improper conduct, or violating any of the rules of the Association, will be arrested and punished according to State laws governing cemeteries.

    That the Association may preserve peace and good order within the limits of this hallowed resting place of the dead, it is important that there should be a strict observance of all the proprieties due the place whether embraced within these regulations or not.

    For special care of lots, such as sodding, mowing, cleaning monuments, filling of sunken graves, etc., the Superintendent will make an annual charge according to the size of the lot.

    The grades of all lots will be determined by the Superintendent.

    Heavily loaded wagons will not be allowed to enter the grounds in wet weather or in early spring.

    No monument of building material will be permitted on the grounds more than ten days before the time at which it is intended to commence setting the same, and all surplus materials and rubbish must be removed by him at the expense of the owner.

    The Superintendent shall reside at the cemetery and shall have the general direction and control of the premises and property, under the supervision and direction of the Trustees.

    He shall see that the regulations for Owners of Lots, internments, and visitors are properly observed.

    These By-laws and Regulations, or any part thereof, may be amended or suspended at any meeting of the Board of Trustees, by a two-thirds affirmative vote of all the members of the Board, but the resolution for such amendment shall be presented and read at a previous meeting of the Board.

    A printed copy of these By-laws, Rules, and Regulations shall be kept posted in the office of the Superintendent.

    Every owner of a lot is entitled to vote for Trustees at the annual election. In case two or more owners of the same lot, a majority of such owners may designate one of their number to cast one vote for each plot of ninety-six square feet. Such owner must be of full age, and in possession of a legal title of his plot, or lot in the cemetery.

Payments for Care of Lots

To the Lot Owners of Cortland Rural Cemetery:

    For several years past many persona and lot owners of this Association have paid in to the Treasurer, sums from $100 to $300, according to size of lot, for perpetual care, which consists of mowing, grading, seeding or sodding when necessary.

    A receipt is given for the fund left, giving assurance that the lot will be properly cared for, and is a great relief to the friends that are living at a distance to know that the graves of family and friends are not neglected, as is so often the case, in small or private burial grounds, where no one will look after them.

    The entire fund for this purpose is invested in Real Estate Bond and Mortgage and will continue to be.

    All other income, except for the "Perpetual Care Fund" is expended upon the development and ornamentation of the grounds.

    For further particulars inquire of the President, Treasurer or Superintendent.

    Any person desiring to create a fund, the income from which to be used in caring for any lot or lots in said cemetery, may deposit with the Treasurer thereof, such sum as he or she sees fit, which said sum the said Treasurer, under the direction and control of the Board of Trustees, shall invest in good permanent securities, and the income thereform, after paying the expenses of investing, shall be applied annually, under the direction of said Board of Trustees, to the purpose of the trust thereby created; and the said Treasurer is hereby authorized to take and hold any such fund, whether created by donation or bequest, and shall report annually to the Board of Trustees then number of such funds in his hands, the amounts of the same, and how the same are invested.
(As amended by Laws of 1890. Chapter 377, sec. 13)

    Persons disposed to make bequests to the Cemetery Association for the purpose of insuring perpetual care of their lots are respectfully requested to observe the following form:

    I give and bequeath unto the Cortland rural Cemetery Association the sum of …………………… Dollars, the income thereof to be applied, in the discretion of the directors or trustees of said cemetery, to the care of Lot No………………. in said cemetery; to mow the grass and to keep the monuments, stones, tablets, or other memorials, together with the trees, shrubbery, turf, and soil thereon, or that may be placed thereon, in good repair, condition and preservation, and the receipt from the treasurer thereof will be a sufficient discharge to my executor or executors for the same.

    No bequests for less than forty dollars will be received.

Transcribed by Susan Eligh - July, 2006.

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