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Baldwin - Southard Cemetery, bellmore, cemetery, historic, long island, nature, new york, seaford, stream, trees, water
Located on Lakeview Road in Bellmore, NY, the Baldwin-Southard cemetery is connected to Mill Pond. Not too far from Sunrise Highway and right off Bellmore Ave. I found this historic burial ground to be peaceful and somewhat void. What a difference it must be from the past. Considering the surrounding area used to be a private farm and Lakeview used to be Mill Road. These days houses and cars fill up the street, yet it still has a sense of tranquility.
Upon walking into the park, a welcome sign greeted me with history of the former farm. It stated the owners were John and Ann Southard and it is likely the cemetery was on their farm located in the back corner. The only stone that remained was for a young girl named Lucy Ann, which I assumed was their daughter. Lucy’s early death at the age of 13 made me wonder what could’ve happened to such a young girl? How did this loss affect the family and the production of the farm? It was questions like these that really got me thinking of the past. History has some great stories to share. So I started to look further.
While doing some research I came across some genial records on Lucy Ann and found a match. Included in this record were Lucy’s parents, John Southard and Ann Whitmore, as well as her birthdate, July 25, 1828. The one thing that didn’t match up was the date of her death. The date listed here was Jan. 29, 1841 while the sign at the cemetery read June 29, 1840. Considering the burial stone was not in the best condition, I could understand the mistake. I couldn’t find any information on her death, but I do know John passed away three years later at the age of 44. I wonder if the deaths of Lucy and John were the result of some sort of illness. Whatever the cause, I assume John was also buried with his daughter at the cemetery. In 1884, at 83 years old, Anne’s death followed.
Both around the same age, John and Ann got married in 1826 while they were in their late 20s. Then gave birth to Lucy two years later. I also found out they had a son. Warren M. Southard was born Dec. 14, 1838 in Seaford, only two years before his sister passed away. Warren lived a long life and made it to 72 years old. Even though he outlived everyone in his family, Ann lived the longest. I wonder what her secret was? Warren’s wife, Harriet, had a good 50 or so years with him before his death.
Looking at a 1906 map, the cemetery was surrounded by land owned by David Bedell, William Fanshaw and Foster Smith. There was nothing recorded about the Southard farm on this map but there was a Mrs. G. B. Southard listed as a property owner just south of the cemetery. Could this be another family member? From what I have learned, Warren and Harriet didn’t have any children so I thought maybe she could be a sister of John or an in law. Who knows who the mysterious woman is? What we do know is that the Southard family lived and worked in Bellmore for a number of years. They have a history here and will be remembered by all thanks to the small memorial at Baldwin – Southard Cemetery.
The next time you pass this special place, think about how life used to be for the Southards. Wonder how they defeated their struggles and celebrated their achievements. Feel the earth beneath you and know that they lived glorious days and sad days standing on this same land. Remember that we are all connected. Time can make a difference but its the stories that keep us all alive. Holding on to memories, yet striving for a new view.
The Design Inspirationalist 
Hello Melissa,
Enjoyed reading about the Baldwin – Southard Cemetery. Did you know that some of the headstones that are located at the cemetery at Old Bethpage Village? The cemetery there is only a fake one as no one is buried there. The headstones there have names such as John Southard, Mary Ann, John and Jacob Baldwin. Surnames of Denton, Smith, Williams and Whitmore plus a few others. The story told to me some years ago by a former, long time employee was that sometime around 1970 they wanted a realistic looking cemetery at Old Bethpage but money was scarce. Supposedly the stones were taken from the Southard Cemetery to fill this need. Researching the names on the stones it does seem to suggest that these people lived not all that far from that area.
Thanks, Jim R
Thank you VERY much for such a comprehensive view! I too am interested in the cemetery & the Southard family. They were deeded a tract of land from Long Island Sound, to Jones Beach(!)It was called Higgs Head Beach. I’m sure the actual resident owners (American Indians) had no part in the land transfer. Being British Subjects, they had to agree to abide by Dutch rule to obtain the land grant.
John Southard’s Will is executed with an “X” & as was typical of the times, his wife could not make a contract or own land. It was hers, but had to be overseen & supervised by a man. Ann moved to Seaford & wrote poetry (per Merlin Southard, in purple ink). I realized that Public Education profoundly changed an illiterate society! John had a brother, Tom, who moved to Ohio after the brothers had arguments concerning the land. He had a descendant named Merlin, now deceased, who wrote beautifully about the family history. He had no descendants, so I suppose a lot was not preserved after his death. I went to research the deceased buried in the cemetery. It was still Queens County back then- until 1899-but there are NO records of any of them. Births & deaths were usually only recorded in family Bibles. When Rockville Centre built the Church & became the Archdiocese, at least some weddings were documented, with birthdates.
I believe the cemetery has been TERRIBLY violated! As I understand it, Southard descendants gave it to the Town of Hempstead to care for it in perpetuity Instead, headstones were ripped out- leaving the decedents buried without ANY demarcations of where they lie. That sort of treatment traditionally has been done for people the world prefers not to remember. It’s a disgrace! I saw a house built in what used to be the cemetery grounds. A man was in the yard, & I approached him & asked him if he if he knew his house was built on graves. He said the Town of Hempstead gave him a waiver to build it, as long as it was a slab house, without a basement. The headstones were moved to the Bethpage Restoration Village- without ANY mention anywhere at that location of the people whose headstones were robbed. But every year on Halloween they have a Ghoul Show amongst the headstones!😡I called the Town of Hempstead & asked if they had gravesite location information sufficient for resetting headstones- they DON’T! These people were our Town founders. I believe Ruth Baldwin was the earliest burial-1809. So they were participants in the Revolutionary War!
I used to play in the graveyard in the 50’s when I was a kid. I remember seeing Lucy Ann’s headstone when I was 6 or 7 & thinking, “Well, I guess she lived a full life she made it to double digits!”
Her remains are NOT where the headstone lies in pieces. She lies further North.
Sadly, this is a case of profound betrayal of the Southard family by the Town of Hempstead! They told me that headstone removal “isn’t such a big deal”
So I asked if I could remove Kate Murray’s father’ sheadstone & the lady freaked out, admonishing & warning me NOT to consider such a “terrible” thing!🤦♀️