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• Derry Presbyterian

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• Hershey Mennonite

• Hoffman

• Hoover Huber

• Landis Farm

• Landis Strickler

• Lyonsville

• Nissley

• Reiser

• St. Paul Sand Hill

• Shope Farm

• Spring Creek

• Spring Creek Meeting

• Stauffer Mennonite

• Stoverdale

• Union Deposit

DERRY PRESBYTERIAN  CEMETERY

A four-foot limestone wall with an iron gate surrounds this historic pristine graveyard. The gate was added in 1842. Even the trains traveling over a grade level crossing on Derry Road do not interrupt the peaceful solitude of those resting here. The cemetery is located on Derry Road and is documented on the map of Derry Township published in the Dauphin County Historical Atlas of 1875, pp. 48 and 69.

The land upon which the present church, manse, session house, and cemetery are situated was deeded to the Derry Presbyterian congregation in 1741 during the pastorate of the Rev. William Bertram and given by John, Thomas, and Richard Penn, sons of William Penn. The oldest grave is that of John Campbell who died in 1735. Four former pastors are buried there." Rev. William Bertram (1746), Rev. John Roan (1775), Rev. James Adair (1808), and Rev. Ira Reed (1998).

Over the years a number of recordings have been made of the stones in this cemetery. In most cases the names and dates agree. In some cases, first hand viewing, photographs, or rubbing the stone in question can reconcile differences in the recordings. In other cases, stones are badly weathered, cracked or broken where the information in question was carved. When conflicts could not be reconciled sometimes double entries were made in our database representing the same individual so that each family genealogist can consider all information available. If two entries exist, they would have the same stone number. In general, the oldest recording of the data was usually given greater consideration.

Information available on the Internet from Dave Schubert's Genealogy Page indicates that Rev Thomas Hastings Robinson, D.D., and Dr. William Henry Egle recorded the stones in July 1878. Egle later published the list in "Notes and Queries" sometime between 1879 and 1895 in a series of newspaper columns in the Harrisburg "Daily Telegraph". Egle was the State Librarian of Pennsylvania for twelve years.

Another chronicler of local cemeteries, Oscar Stroh, also published the inscriptions from Derry Presbyterian Cemetery in his booklet Dauphin County Tombstone Inscriptions.

About 1920, Clara Moyer and May Silks recorded the cemetery, and in 1980, Winifred Reed, wife of Pastor Ira O. Reed, compiled a list. Another list was prepared about 1995 by the Derry Township Historical Society and in 2000 Winifred Reed supplied an updated list of recent burials. In 2001, a volunteer of the Derry Township Historical Society compiled all of the previous lists and reconciled as many conflicting records as possible. Some problems were reconciled by trips to the cemetery but many of the stones could no longer be found or read with certainty.

In the 1930s, stones located in the Zion Lutheran Graveyard in Hummelstown were recorded as part of a Works Progress Administration project to preserve local history and provide employment by paying people to read and copy gravestones. Unfortunately when the listing was placed in the Pennsylvania State Library, the microfilm was erroneously entitled "Old Derry Church", creating additional confusion. (Please see pp. xii-xiii of the introduction to the listing of the Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery.)

A listing was also published in the Keystone Seekers, a quarterly publication of the Capital Area Genealogical Society. A map of the cemetery was also prepared with each stone being assigned a single number.

This listing was completed in 2001. 

We would be happy to conduct a cemetery search or do more extensive research for you.  The cemetery search would include all Derry Township cemeteries plus others that are closely associated with our township.  Most of the names in our cemetery database are not available elsewhere on the Internet.  The cost is $5 per surname and you may supply up to three alternate spellings (total of four).  If you find your ancestors in the list below and require additional information, please contact us . 

For more thorough research, please request a copy of our research policy.   In addition, our obituary list and our name index of “lost and found” ancestors may be of interest to you.  Please check our main library page for these and other links, as we continue to update our information on line.

A list of the names carved on the stones in this cemetery include: