(Click here for Google map - not named on map.  I tried to center the map on the cemetery.  It is only just possible to faintly make out the old road and what are possibly the north and east stone cemetery walls)

The Yeomans (pronounced YOO-mans) cemetery is located in Milan Township in Dutchess County, NY and has two surveys online that I know of, both at USGenWeb's Dutchess County site:  Dr. Poucher's survey made in 1914, and a more recent survey done by Garry and Judi Wilkinson.

This cemetery is located along the west side of the Taconic Parkway just south of Route 199.  We got to it by pulling off the Parkway and climbing down the embankment and over the cemetery wall.  I do not really recommend getting there this way as it is 1) not really safe to pull over on the Parkway, 2) probably not legal either and 3) there is a good-sized patch of poison ivy growing all along the edge of the Parkway in this spot.  The old cemetery road is still there.  It heads off to the west from the cemetery, but I am not sure where it comes out at the other end - possibly Willow Brook Road somewhere?  I was told that the road was on private property, but I have also heard that New York state law requires that public access to cemeteries must be allowed whether they're on private property or not - best to double check this before starting out.

The cemetery is long unused and many stones appear to be missing, but someone is obviously looking after it or it would be overgrown in brush and poison ivy.

Clicking a small photo will open a large photo.  Clicking a name will open a web page on that individual's family branch.

All photos were taken in May 2002.

 This is the view of the cemetery from the edge of the Taconic Parkway looking west into the woods.  We were very lucky that it was such a bright sunny day or I probably would not have seen the sunlight reflecting off the white marble stones in the clearing near the center of the photo.  There are some other stones in the lower left of this photo, but they are in deep shade and not as easily noticeable from a moving car.  (No, I did not take this from the car - this photo was taken after I got out and was looking for an easier way through the poison ivy patch growing along the edge of the Parkway.)

     Two views of stones along the west edge of the cemetery.

 My mother and aunt tried more than once during this trip to get a photo of me photographing the stones.  The headless apparition behind the tree on the left is one of the results (I must have been changing film).  It does give a good idea of the size of the stones, though (I am about 6 feet tall).

 View of the Bowman section of the cemetery, facing east.  Over the cemetery wall and up the embankment in the back is the Taconic Parkway (not visible off the top of this photo).  This part of the cemetery is in deep shade and I lightened this photo considerably with the computer.

This is NOT a complete listing of all the stones in the cemetery, just the ones that we took photos of.  We were primarily interested in BOWMAN / BOWERMAN stones, but did snap some photos of some of the other markers in the cemetery.  I am still kicking myself for not thinking of taking more of these - it wasn't as if I didn't have enough film with me.

1.  BOWMAN, Albert, Feb. 28, 1820 - Mar. 18, 1899.  The cable guardrail along the edge of the Taconic Parkway is clearly visible in the background of this photo.

2.  Louisa, wife of Albert BOWMAN, daughter of Wilbur and Eighmie or Ann STORY (each survey gives a different name for Wilbur's wife - maybe her name was Ann EIGHMIE?), died Mar. 31, 1864, aged 28 years, 27 days.  Most of this inscription is per the surveys above as I was unable to make out much of it.

3.  BOWMAN, Clarissa, wife of Mortimer C. NORTHROP, 1836 - 1907.  I enhanced the contrast a bit here to try to make the inscription easier to see.

4.  BOWMAN, Joseph A., DIED May 26, 1867 (break in stone) & 19 D's.

5.  Maria, wife of Joseph A. BOWMAN, died April 20, 1875, aged 75 years

6.  BOWMAN, Louisa, daughter of J. S. and Jane BOWMAN, Died Dec. 7, 1873, age 3 yrs, 8 mos. & 5 days.  Age and date of death are from the surveys above as I was unable to read much of that part of the stone.  Louisa's parents, John S. and Jane (MILROY) BOWMAN, are buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Pine Plains.

7. BOWMAN, Maltiah, (ca. 1765 - 1827).  Family documents indicate that Maltiah/Meletiah/etc. is buried in this cemetery, but there is some question as to whether a marker was ever placed on his grave.

8.  BOWMAN, Rhoba (Rhoda?), wife of Maltiah BOWMAN, died Sept. 8, 1871, aged 94 years.  Most of this inscription is per the surveys linked above as all I could make out were the word RHOBA at the top and "Aged ... years" about halfway down.  Both of the surveys list her as "RHODA", but it looks an awful lot like "RHOBA" to me.

9. BOWMAN, Sands, died October 23, 1837 aged 29 years, ? months, 17 days.

10. BOWMAN, Sarah, wife of Sands, died March 15, 1868, aged 56 years, 3 months, 6 days.

    The stones marking the graves of Sands Bowman and his wife Sarah (blue slate stones according to a descendant) apparently disappeared years ago.  Family documents indicate that Sands and Sarah's son planned at one point to move them to Stanfordville Cemetery and got as far as placing a marble stone for them in the family plot there.  There was apparently opposition to the move from the rest of the family and it is not clear whether the bodies were ever actually moved from their original graves in Yeoman's Ground to the new ones in Stanfordville.

11.  EVERETT, William A., DIED FEB. 12, 1872, AGED 62 YEARS, 1 mo. & 2 ds.

    
    

12.  HAPEMAN / TALMADGE stone
    1. HAPEMAN, George W., 1828 - 1907.
       
    2. TALMADGE, Frances, 1836 - 1862 (Frances' birthdate per the online surveys as it is not very visible in this photo)

       
       

13.  HAPEMAN, Peter, FATHER, DIED Feb. 11, 1870, age 76 yrs, 5 mos, & 6 days

14.  HAPEMAN, Phebe, MOTHER, Wife of PETER HAPEMAN, died Sept. 7, 1871, aged 77 yrs, 7 mos, 1 day.  Age checked with the online surveys above as it is partially obscured by vegetation in this photo.

15.  PRESTON, Moris, no dates or other information.

16.  SCISM, Peter.  I can just barely make out "In memory of PETER SCISM" at the top of the stone and the word "July" about halfway down.  The surveys disagree on the year of death.  Poucher's says 1878, while the newer one says 1823.  Both agree that he died on July 10th at the age of 80 years.

17.  THORN, Charlotte E. .  Died Nov 10,1882, aged 62 yrs 9 mos 14 days

18.  THORN, John , DIED, March 6?, 18??, Aged ?2 years?, & 6 ????  Both surveys list two individuals named John THORN, but disagree on the death dates and ages.  The most likely one appears to be Poucher's listing number 62:  "Thorn, John, d. 1883, Mar. 6, a. 52 y. 6 m."

19.  YEOMANS, Peter.  DIED, Oct. 5, 1853, PETER YEOMANS.  The online surveys agree that it also gives his age of 84 years, but I can't make it out in this photo.

20.  YEOMANS, Nancy.  DIED, April 9, 1849, NANCY, wife of PETER YEOMANS, aged 74 years.  There appears to be a two or three-line verse below this, but I can't make it out.

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