South Side Cemetery Association of Saratoga Springs - Whitford Cemetery

05/13/2023

I posted the message below earlier today. Something was nagging at me and I decided to go back to the cemetery this afternoon. I was trying to sort out my William Ramsdales. As I was reading the family stones I noticed one mostly buried. I had left my shovels at home but with the heel of my sneaker I was able to partially dig it out enough to read. There I found the missing daughter Margaret! Another name added to the Southside census and Find a Grave record. I plan to head back soon with proper tools to more fully reveal her stone.

There is now room to stand so you can see the inscribed side of the stones. Here lies the family of William Ramsdale who, with his brothers Silas and Jonathan Ramsdill, came to Saratoga and lived with their step-father Benjamin French. There is no record to date for why the brothers used different spellings of their last name. Williams’s wife Mary and sons Zachariah, William and Harrison are also buried in Southside. Their daughter Margaret lived in Malta until she died in 1881 at the age of 72. Her burial location is unknown.

05/13/2023

Sometimes Mother Earth wants to reclaim her own. Some excavation was needed to restore this Ramsdale plot and locate the back border stone. The Russell-Welch plot was buried even further and needs additional digging to fully reveal the back border stone. More info under photos.

05/13/2023

Special thanks to VFW post 420 (Gurtler Bros) for all their help in cleaning stones in the cemetery today! We made great progress and will continue to see improvement over time. Initially you’ll notice the stones turn a pink color as the cleaner kills the biological material growing on them. As times goes by the cleaning agent will wash off and they will return to their original white color. 🤞

12/30/2022

You know you’re a true cemetery nerd when you get a gravestone repair kit for Christmas…and are super excited about it! 🪦🪦🪦

12/11/2022

This week's Southside family tree mystery...tracing the Snyder family!
Charity & Jemima Curtis married Jeremiah Shonts- a common occurrence that after a spouse died the widow/widower would marry their sibling. Jeremiah & Charity's daughter Charity married George D Snyder (b. 1833). This has tied the Curtis, Shonts and Snyder burials together. We've connected Alice, Benjamin, Earl S and Ella Snyder together but can't find how the remaining Snyders are related. We have Fannie, John W, Judson, Julia, Mary, Polly, Priscilla & William. Polly married a Knickerbocker which ties that family into our tree as well. Any descendants know the ties and want to help us out?

Mary Polly Snyder Knickerbocker; wife of Philip Knickerbocker, daughter of Johannes & Gritje Melius Snyder Husband: Philip Knickerbocker Daughter: Elizabeth Knickerbocker>

11/16/2022

This fall the Saratoga County History Center is hosting a class for the Academy of Lifelong Learning entitled "Very Grave Indeed" about 19th Century mourning, death and burial practices. This week the class toured Malta Ridge Cemetery to view gravestones of early local residents and learn gravestone cleaning techniques. https://bit.ly/3WZUoYj

11/13/2022

Sadly, after only a few weeks with the new fence someone hit and damaged it! If you know anything about who did this, please DM us. Your information will be kept confidential. You can also email us at [email protected].

If you would like to donate to the repair, checks made to "South Side Cemetery Assoc of Saratoga Springs" and mailed to PO Box 711, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Thank you!

10/30/2022

Interesting find while trying to read a fallen stone- the holding base is inscribed “Cleaver S Springs”. Manufacturer maybe?

10/29/2022

Spooky sightings at the cemetery today! 🤣 Reminder to self: don’t go to the cemetery this close to Halloween. LOL