A Tale of Two Cemeteries

This past Tuesday, I decided to take advantage of the drier weather outside, and resume my search for Winston Churchill's maternal ancestors in Pompey Hill, New York.   It ended up being 'a tale of two cemeteries': one alone and abandoned; the other, better maintained and fruitful.

My first stop was on Henneberry Road, in the town of Pompey: a long road leading from the hamlet of Pompey Hill into wooded hill country.   I passed by homes nestled in the woods, plus a farm or two.  I was in search of Sweet Cemetery, where Leonard Jerome's grandfather, Aaron, was said to be buried.   In the event, the cemetery was so small, I passed right by it; I had to turn around and look closely, as it was surrounded by old and gnarly trees.    Not only that: the ground inside was overgrown, with broken gravestones.  

With those challenges in mind, I was still determined to see what I could find in the cemetery.   Getting out of the car, I crossed the road, and discovered the gate would not open.   It was almost rusted shut, and the only way in was through a broken part of the encircling stone wall.   I gingerly climbed through the hole--the wall was just past my knees--and stepped round the loose stones and a huge tree root, and entered the cemetery grounds.

I didn't see a gravestone for Aaron Jerome among the few markers I found.   They were quite old: probably dating back to the American Revolution, or just afterwards.   A couple of them had been tipped over by vandals.   I also found a more recent burial: a local woman who loved gardening.   But the garden at her grave was sadly neglected: there was a bronze marker, with a small bouquet next to it.   Needless to say, I was most disappointed in what I found.   It was as if Aaron Jerome had been buried in an unmarked grave, aged only 37.

I retraced my steps out through the stone wall, and went back to my car.   I only took the one photograph (above left).   I drove back to Pompey Hill, and decided to visit the Jerome family plots in the larger, and better-maintained, Pompey Hill Cemetery across US Route 20.   On a previous visit last year, I did find two Jerome family plots in that cemetery.

I couldn't remember exactly where the Jerome plots were, so I spent more than a few minutes wandering about.   It was a sunny but cool day: there was a bit of a breeze, as I wandered amongst the gravestones, and reading the inscriptions.   Eventually, I found what I was looking for.

In the first Jerome family plot, I found the grave of one Miss Jennie A. Jerome (photo right).   She was the third cousin of Winston Churchill's mother, Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill, and she spent her whole life in Pompey Hill.   She died in 1947: right around the time that Mr. Churchill sent twelve signed photographs of himself, to be raffled off and raise money for the rebuilding of the Pompey Presbyterian Church, which had been destroyed by fire in 1946.   Churchill referred to his cousin's death, in a letter written from his country home at Chartwell, in Kent, in August 1947:

Chartwell,
Westerham
Kent


August 30, 1947


Dear Mr. Durston:
Thank you for your letters of August 23 and 25.    I am indeed sorry to learn of the death of Miss Jennie Jerome, my mother's third cousin.   It is good of you to let me know about it.


I am glad to know that the photographs have arrived safely, and to think that they will be of some help in raising funds for the restoration of the Pompey church.


It would certainly interest me to visit the graves of Lieutenant Murray {possibly the father of Leonard's mother, Aurora Murray Jerome} and others of my forebears as you suggest.  Should an opportunity present itself, it would be a pleasure to me to come to Pompey and Syracuse, where I feel I have so many family and friendly connections.


Yours sincerely,
Winston S. Churchill
And in a handwritten postscript below his signature, Churchill writes:
Pray let me know how the photos go.


The "Mr. Durston" is one E.C. Durston.   I will have to find out some information on him; I found several letters he had written, in the Jerome family files at the Onondaga Historical Association.

It was really wonderful, to find Miss Jerome's grave, and connect her to her famous British cousin.   A fruitful visit to Pompey Hill Cemetery.

A Gift to the Citizens of Pompey Hill--From Winston Churchill

This past Saturday, I paid a visit to the Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse, New York.   It was for the purpose of research, to discover more about Sir Winston Churchill's maternal grandfather, Leonard Jerome, and Churchill's family ties to Upstate New York.

When I arrived at the OHA's Research Center, I found two small boxes, and one large box, of Jerome family archives waiting for me.   In the first small box, I found typewritten genealogical records of the Jerome family dating back to the first Jerome to settle in Central New York: Timothy Jerome.   He was born c. 1688, on the Isle of Wight, off the coast of southern England.   He died in Wallingford, CT on February 3, 1749/50 (why there are two different years I'm not sure).   This explained why there was only a memorial stone to Timothy, in Pompey Hill Cemetery.

Timothy's son, Samuel Jerome, was born in Saratoga County, but moved to Genesee County in western New York, in 1789.  In 1791, Samuel visited the salt springs near present-day Syracuse, along Onondaga Lake.   His descendants say he died in Canada.

Samuel's son, Aaron, was born in Wallingford, CT, on December 4, 1764, and died in Pompey, NY, on August 14, 1802, at the age of only 37.   He is buried in the Sweet Cemetery, near Pompey.   That will be one of my next stops: to find Aaron's grave, and get a photo of it.

Aaron's son Isaac, was born in Charlton, Saratoga County, NY, on October 26, 1786.   He died in Syracuse, NY, on July 20, 1866.   He married Aurora Murray (born in Chatham, NY, on January 18, 1785) in New York City, on April 6, 1867.   They are both buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse.   During the War of 1812, Isaac was a Lieutenant of Grenadiers, 98th Regiment, Onondaga County Militia (1815).   He was made Captain in 1816.

Leonard is one of Isaac Jerome's children.

With that family background in mind, here is 'the rest of the story':

In 1946, the citizens of Pompey Hill lost a big part of their history, when the Pompey Presbyterian Church burnt down.   It was quite likely that this was the Jerome family's home church.   One of Churchill's cousins, Miss Lillian Jerome, wrote a letter to him in 1946, inquiring whether Churchill would be interested in sending a donation, to aid in the rebuilding effort.   Here is what Churchill wrote in reply:

"Chartwell,
Westerham,
Kent
April 10, 1947


"My dear Miss Lillian Jerome:


"I had hoped to be able to write to you long ago and to send you a subscription to the restoration fund of the Church at Pompey.   But alas, the matter did not prove so simple as I had thought.   As I felt some publicity might be given to this matter, I deemed it wise to obtain permission from the Treasury before sending my donation, and now, after some months of correspondence on the subject, my application has been refused.


"It has however occurred to me that you might like to have twelve signed photographs of myself that would-be subscribers might care to purchase as souvenirs and as a contribution to the admirable work of rebuilding Pompey Church.  Pray let me know if you think this is a good idea.


"I wish you all success in your campaign for the restoration fund.


Yours sincerely,
Winston S. Churchill"

And Churchill did just that, with this photo (left).   I can only imagine the excitement Miss Jerome must have felt, when she received these photographs.   I do wonder why the British Government at the time would not let Churchill send a donation--particularly since he was not Prime Minister at the time?

The resulting sale of these twelve signed photos netted a total of $400 towards the church's rebuilding.   I even found a list of those lucky people who won the raffle!

Wouldn't it be a great thing, if any of those photos are still in the hands of the families who won them?   I am sure they would be worth a lot of money, just for Churchill's signature alone.

And here is Churchill's signature, which appeared at the bottom of the photograph (photo left).

During my OHA visit, I also discovered this bit of news: Churchill was invited several times during his life, to visit his Jerome relatives in Pompey Hill, while visiting the United States.   One early visit was preempted by his serious run-in with a New York City taxi in the 1930s; during the 1940s, his wartime meetings with President Roosevelt made such personal visits impossible.

In July 1955, however, Churchill's daughter Sarah did pay a visit to Pompey Hill, while appearing in a summer stock play in nearby Fayetteville, New York: No Time For Comedy, which co-starred one Butterfly McQueen, of Gone With the Wind fame!

From the newspaper reports I found, Sarah enjoyed her visit with her Jerome cousins very much--particularly the cool hilltop breezes, in the heat of summer!   She visited the site of her great-grandfather Leonard's home, and even pumped some spring water for a drink!

This won't be my only visit to the Onondaga Historical Association.   There will be more in the near future.   Can't wait to go back.