The St. Mary’s Cemetery Restoration Committee of Guernsey Hollow will hold its annual St. Patrick’s Day Fundraiser at the Horseshoe Inn Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m. The group has been working to restore the old St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, known by locals as Guernsey Hollow Cemetery, for over a decade. Submitted photo

SOUTH VALLEY — The St. Mary’s Cemetery Restoration Committee of Guernsey Hollow invites the public to its seventh annual St. Patrick’s Day Fundraiser hosted at the Horseshoe Inn, 1105 W. Perimeter Road, in Onoville, Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m.

The fun includes live Irish Music, corned beef and cabbage dinners, 50/50 drawings, a Chinese auction, and a raffle for a Henry .30-30 rifle with octagon barrel and brass receiver. The winner does not have to be present to win. Raffle tickets are available at Have It Now in Jamestown, Ashville General Store, and the VFW in Randolph.

Gary Olson, president of the cemetery association, said if the winner prefers cash, they will give them 75-percent of what they paid for the rifle. He said a Henry .30-30 rifle is a sought after item by lots of people who revere the Henry name.

The St. Mary’s Cemetery Restoration Committee of Guernsey Hollow continues to focus on restoring the cemetery to its rightful place in the South Valley community. Olson said the cemetery is known by locals as Guernsey Hollow Cemetery, but the restoration group refers to it as St. Mary’s Cemetery at Guernsey Hollow.

Significant progress has been made by the nonprofit volunteer organization and numerous projects are at various stages of completion. Olson said the volunteers have done some cleanup including clearing the brush from the front of the cemetery and resetting stones, as well as maintaining the lawn. Over 100-tons of overburden has been trucked in for the front yard.

Olson said restoration and plans for the re-installation of the cemetery fence are ongoing, security options for the cemetery are being examined and evaluated, and burial records are being sought.

According to Olson, when the St. Mary’s Catholic Church closed, the records all went to the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Randolph. Several years ago, they were fortunate enough to get access to them. He said members Gene and Loretta Smith have been working diligently to create a map of families and people who are connected to the cemetery, and maybe buried in the cemetery. He said the cemetery began as a family burial site for a family by the surname of Murphy. They are seeking burial records and any information that will shed new light of what went on there.

“St. Mary’s Church served primarily Irish-Catholic immigrants in the community. Many were from the Irish diaspora of the Potato Famine and were escaping to the New World to try to build a better life for their families and themselves,” he said. “The church was served by the friars from St. Bonaventure and Father Coyle at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, in Jamestown.”

Olson said the inhabitants worked in the lumber industry and were primarily shingle makers who would hibernate all winter and make shingles. They often got a penny apiece for them in the spring. He said all that remains of the settlement are a few foundations, crepe myrtle and apple trees.

“One of our members who has people buried there had a copy of the deed that was turned over to the Catholic Church for them to help with the cemetery,” he said. “The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo Division of Cemeteries has taken responsibility and they are helping us a bit.”

According to Olson, a member of the committee discovered the brass bell from St. Mary’s for sale on the Craig’s List site a few years ago. The seller who was from Canada had family connections to South Valley and to the church. He said they were able to purchase the bell that they understand to be from St. Mary’s and install it at the cemetery.

Although Olson has no ancestors buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery, he’s deeply committed to the hallowed ground. He discovered the old burial grounds while out for a drive with his wife and mother-in-law one Sunday afternoon. As they approached the Onoville area, his mother-in-law said there was an old cemetery nearby.

“As we were driving by, I happened to look to the left and there was a path through a bunch of brush where I got a glimpse of a headstone. When I walked up there, I saw the cemetery had been heavily vandalized with gravestones knocked over, campsites, fires, ouija boards, condoms, beer cans – it was awful,” he said. “I got back in the car and said, ‘Somebody has to do something.'”

Olson got in touch with Ray Sugg who, at the time, was Highway Superintendent for the Town of South Valley, and his wife, Jaymie Ferrara, who owns the Horseshoe Inn. They formed a group that started meeting at the Horseshoe and talking about what they could do. He also credits the late Gene Shields from Randolph for trying to make things happen.

“I went around the county and did some presentations and got members that way, so we’ve continued along our path trying to make a difference,” he said. “It’s been going on for about 10 years.”

The committee welcomes new information to help identify records of individuals who are buried at the cemetery. For more information about the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery Restoration Committee, visit their Facebook page or contact Olson at (716) 763-6105.