The Furney Burial site is approximately 20 feet off the Joe Indian Road (White Hill Road). If you turn off Main Street onto George Street in Parishville, this will take you over White Hill, past the roads into Sterling Pond, and 11.2 miles from the intersection, there is a small wooden sign on a tree on the right hand side (west side) of the road. (October 2008). There is a path to the two stone markers. It appears to me that Joseph and Rebecca Furney are buried here, and while their five children are listed on the main stone, with their year of birth, there is no date of death for the children.

The sign marking the burial site could be easily missed if you are traveling towards Parishville, from the State Highway 56 end. The measured coordinates for these gravestones are N 44 30.420', W074 44.271'.

Some person or persons obviously have gone to some trouble to mark this site, and put up the sign.

(If you continue just another 7/10ths of a mile beyond this site, you will also see a sign for the Coulon Cemetery, on the same side of the road as the Furney site. 2.2 miles from Coulon Cemetery, (again heading in the same direction towards Route 56, you will see a road and a sign for Blake Cemetery. All these cemeteries are easy to visit, and easy to find with the new signs). Somebody deserves a large thank you!

The main stone lists Joseph as having been born in 1836, died in 1903. Rebecca, his wife, was born in 1834 and died in 1911. The five children are listed as Rebecca, born in 1860, Mary, born in 1862, Florence, born in 1863, Joseph, born in 1870, and Ransom, born in 1872. There are no dates of death for the five children. There is also a GAR stone on this site which reads, Joseph Furney, NYI, 1837-1903. Co. L, 6th Reg. Also there is a GAR metal marker with Co. L, 6th Regiment imprinted on that. There also was a new American flag mounted in the flag holder (October 2008).

 Checking the local newspapers that are now on line (Northern New York Library Network @ http://www.nnyln.org/), I could find no additional information on Joseph Furney, but did find the following note in the Wednesday, March 1, 1911 Courier and Freeman, under the "Blake" caption: "Mrs. Joseph Furney, an old lady over 70 years of age died at her residence in Wick Monday. She leaves three daughters, Miss Cora who resides with her, Mrs. Louis Shampine of Wick, and Mrs. Nelson Laundry of this place."

In the September 16, 1936 edition of the Courier & Freeman, there is an obituary for Rebecca Furney Laundry. "Injuries suffered in a fall on Aug. 30, proved fatal Friday night to Mrs. Rebecca Furney Laundry, 74, Colton, who died in the Potsdam hospital. Mrs. Laundry had suffered from rheumatism for some time and as she was coming downstairs in her home, she stumbled, falling the entire length.

Taken to the local hospital, it was found that she had dislocated her hip which resulted in complications, causing her death. She had been a patient at the institution for twelve days.

A daughter of Joseph and Rebecca Furney, she was born in Massena on May 29, 1862 (the family stone says 1860). She spent her early life there and 52 years ago was married to Nelson Laundry. For the past nine years they had resided in Colton where Mr. Laundry owns a large farm.

Besides her husband, she leaves three sons, Glen and Morton, Ogdensburg; Nelson, Colton; two daughters, Mrs. Abbie Stevens, Oswego and Mrs. Carrie Heath, Colton; and a sister, Mrs. Mary Shampine.

The funeral was held at the home Monday afternoon, Rev. F.A. Phelps officiating. Interment was in Parishville Center Cemetery." (Which is better known as Chapel Hill Cemetery). (On her stone in Chapel Hill Cemetery, the date of birth is given as 1856).