Holcombville Church Cemetery - Richford, NY
Posted by: 
ripraff
N 42° 22.283 W 076° 09.275
18T E 404937 N 4691657
This is at the Faith Tabernacle Church, by the side of Route 79.. It is hard to find Holcombville, it is probably now part of Michigan Hill State Forest.
Waymark Code: WMTXQ9
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 01/20/2017
Views: 4
The graves are mostly from the late 1800s and the early 1900s. The most recent is 2007 but that is for a reverend and family, so they might have a unique reason for being buried here.
This is near the birthplace of John D. Rockefeller. See the letterbox description:
(
visit link)
John D. Rockefeller Birth Place, Michigan Hill State Forest, Rockefeller Road, Richford, NY
"DIRECTIONS: From Route 79 East (heading towards Lisle and Whitney Point), turn left onto Michigan Hill Road. Faith Tabernacle Church and the Holcombville Cemetery are at this intersection. Follow Michigan Hill Road for several miles until you see signs for a Quail Preservation Area on your right. Just beyond this will be Rockefeller Road - turn right onto it. There will be a small stream running on either side on the road and a sign denoting the site of John D. Rockefeller's birth place on the left side of the road. Park on the side of the road."
There is also a geocache at Rockefeller's birth place that shows 2.1 miles north from here.
Michigan Hill State Forest (
visit link)
Of special interest, John D. Rockefeller, of the former Standard Oil Company, was born in the town of Richford. The foundation of his childhood home is located adjacent to Rockefeller Road on land that is now part of Michigan State Forest, and is marked by a sign which designates the historical site.
Michigan Hill State Forest, like many of New York's state forests, was once cleared and farmed by European settlers and Revolutionary War Veterans. Unfortunately, the upland soils of the Allegheny Plateau are thin, relatively steep, and acidic. As such, the ground is not fit for intensive farming. When combined with harsh winters and a short growing season, it is easy to understand why farmers abandoned these lands in pursuit of more fertile property in the Midwest.