The following record of the tombstones in Westfield United Presbyterian Church Cemetery has been made with the hope of preserving the information about births and deaths, because the stones are deteriorating rapidly and there is often no ther source for vital statistics. My great thanks go to Anne and Don Fox, friends of mine and members of the Westfield Church, who were willing to make the first reading of the stones. Don also provided the history of the church and cemetery, a list of Veterans buried there which appears in the church records, and a copy of the record made by Henry Baldwin of the cemetery in 1908.

It was nearly two years after their reading that I was able to check the information and work on the stones which were badly worn. Even in that length of time some of the stones had become broken and fallen over, while others had disappeared. Every effort has been made to insure the most accurate record, but there are always some numbers or letters which are questionable. Anything like this is underlined in the record.

Westfield United Presbyterian Church is one of the earliest churches in Lawrence Co., Pennsylvania. It is located along traffic route 551 and 108 in North Beaver Township, about two miles southwest of Mt. Jackson. The present church building, erected in 1871, has been well kept and frequently remodeled so that it is one of the most attractive rural churches in the area.

The cemetery, located to the north of the church, actually pre-dates the church. In October 1802 one of the pioneers, Francis Nisbet, died and was buried on the property of Charles Clarke. When other settlers asked where he had been buried they were told, "On the high ground in the west field". From this phrase came the name "Westfield", now applied to both the cemetery and the church, which was founded in the spring of 1803.

A trust fund has been established, controlled by the Trustees of the Westfield Church, the proceeds of which are used to maintain the cemetery. If these funds are inadequate they are supplemented from time to time from the general funds of the church, so that the burial ground is well cared for at all times. Some years ago a number of the older stones, which had been broken, were discarded, so it is know that there were burials for which there is now no record.

A u-shaped driveway, with entrances both east and west of the church, surrounds the main part of the cemetery. There are a number of graves east of the eastern part of the driveway and also some west of the western part of the driveway, with additional space for expansion, particularly to the west.

More detailed information about early settlers and the church appears under North Beaver Township in the HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY, PA, published in 1877 by L.H. Everts & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., edited by S.W. & P.A. Durant. Another history published in 1908 by Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, IL and edited by the Hon. Aaron L. Hazen gives additional biographical material.

This list is taken from one found in an old record book of the Westfield Presbyterian Church. It does not include veterans from W.W.I or W.W.II.