Tag Archives: Cemetery Chronicles

Cemetery Chronicles: Nathan Young Leet

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The oldest crypt in the Dunmore Cemetery, located on Block Four, holds the remains of Nathan Young Leet. Born in 1830 in Susquehanna County, as a young man Leet attended Yale College and later was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in medicine.

Following graduation, Leet returned to Susquehanna County and practiced medicine there until the Civil War. Leet served from 1862 to 1865 as an assistant surgeon with the Pennsylvania Drafted Militia and the 76th PA Infantry. By the end of the Civil War, he was  promoted to full surgeon.

At war’s end, Leet settled in Scranton and formed a partnership with early Lackawanna Valley physician, Dr. Benjamin Throop. Drs. Throop and Leet specialized in diseases of the ears and eyes, but Leet’s skill as a surgeon and his ability to deal with traumatic injuries made his services highly sought after. From an office on Scranton’s Wyoming Avenue,  Leet ministered to those of prominence, but was also sought out by laborers, miners and railway employees.    

Over the course of Leet’s medical career, he held the office of Scranton Coroner from 1880 to 1884. He also served as Chief Surgeon at Moses Taylor Hospital from 1892-1901. He was a member and First Vice President of the National Association of Railway Surgeons, honorary member of the New York State Railway Surgeons Association, and Chief Surgeon of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railways

This is a recent image of Leet Crypt, Block Four, at the Dunmore Cemetery.

Citing “advance of years,” Dr. Leet resigned his position as Chief Surgeon of Moses Taylor Hospital in 1901. On December 6, 1902, Nathan Young Leet, M.D. died. The cause of death was heart failure exacerbated by the flu. At the time of his death, Dr. Leet was the oldest practicing physician in Scranton. 

As stated previously, the Leet crypt is the oldest in the Dunmore Cemetery. It is a wonderful example of natural aging and structural change. The Leet crypt appears much different today than in earlier years. Built into the side of a hill, the crypt originally had three spires on top and an iron gate on the entrance. 

With age and land changes, the façade of the crypt shifted, and the iron gate is no longer in existence. Evidence suggests that over the years the façade of the crypt was reinforced with the spires that originally adorned the top of the crypt. Due to the conservation efforts of the Dunmore Cemetery Association, the crypt was preserved and still stands.     

Cemetery Chronicles: Pinnell family established iron foundries

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“Family is not an important thing, it’s everything.” 
(Michael J. Fox)

Northeastern Pennsylvania has always been a hub of industrial activity. In its early years, coal was not the only manufacturing resource in this area. Iron foundries also dotted the region. 

John Wesley and Junia Pinnell, along with their daughters Lydia and Lucinda, rest peacefully in Section Nine of the Dunmore Cemetery.

The production of everything from train rails and wheels to automotive parts took place in all corners of this valley. Touhill Iron, Scranton Pump Company, I.A. Finch, Dickson Manufacturing, and Lackawanna Iron and Steel provided the country with vital products that were used nationwide. One of those foundries, operated locally, was owned by John Wesley Pinnell.

Born in New York state and raised in Dunmore, John Wesley Pinnell began his career in Jersey City, NJ, as a partner with Edward Gibson in the  Gibson and Pinnell Iron Works. This joint venture was short-lived. Following the dissolution of this partnership, Pinnell returned to Dunmore and partnered with his brother, Jones T., in Pinnell Brothers Foundry which was located on Apple Street. 

John Wesley eventually went into the metalworks business for himself, establishing his business on  Green Ridge Street. He finally relocated the foundry to 1200 Capouse Avenue and conducted business there until his death. Although Pinnell was a successful businessman, he is not noted here today for his manufacturing career. Pinnell and his family share an interesting trait that makes them unique in the Dunmore Cemetery for a numerical reason.

John Wesley Pinnell was born in July 1852. His future wife, Dunmorean Junia Dilley, was born in 1856. John Wesley Pinnell and Junia Dilley were united in marriage in 1876. Following their marriage the couple were blessed with the birth of three daughters: Lydia born in 1880; Hope, born in 1884, and Lucinda, born in 1892. 

This waste water cover located on Scranton’s South Side was produced by the Pinnell Foundry.

The birth and marriage years of John Wesley and Junia, combined with the birth years of their children, might not seem remarkable but they make the family distinctive in the Dunmore Cemetery. The family is a bisextile family. Special dates in the Pinnell family, birth years and marriage, occur in intercalary years or – leap years. 

Junia Pinnell died from pernicious anemia at the age of 61 in July 1917. John Wesley died from coronary related health problems at the age of 74 in 1927. Along with their children, Lydia Pinnell Shaffer, and Lucinda Pinnell Osterhout the bissextile Pinnell family now rest peacefully in Section Nine of the Dunmore Cemetery. 

The building that housed Pinnell’s Iron Foundry on Capouse Avenue remained for decades and served in  a variety of manufacturing capacities. It was plagued by multiple fires and passed out of  Pinnell family ownership in 1970. Despite the passing of John Wesley Pinnell and his iron works in the history of Northeastern Pennsylvania, evidence of his foundry remains and can still be found in wastewater covers and storm drains throughout the area.

Cemetery Chronicles: The Fahrenholts

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“A person should always choose a costume that is in direct contrast to her own personality.”  (Lucy Van Pelt, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown)

From the mid-1800s to early 1900s costumed dances, parties, theatricals, and of course, Halloween events, were frequent, well-attended events in the Lackawanna Valley. One Scranton couple, now buried in the Dunmore Cemetery, provided costuming to countless merrymakers and performers for almost four decades.

Katherine Horn, born in Germany in 1839, came to the United States in 1859. John Fahrenholt, born in Germany in 1844, came to the United States in 1866.  The two were married in St. Luke’s Church in Scranton in August 1871. During their marriage, the couple had 11 children, but only three –  Violet, Theodore, and  Henry- survived to adulthood. 

Earliest accounts of the Fahrenholt’s show that, following their marriage, the couple assisted Katherine’s father, John, in the daily operation of his hotel located on Penn Avenue in Scranton.

By the 1880s, John and Katherine Fahrenholt were in business for themselves as suppliers of costumes. Fahrenholt’s, a full-fledged costume shop on Penn Avenue, carried a complete line of masks, wigs and makeup. 

Katherine designed and constructed costumes. John traveled throughout the Lackawanna Valley with portions of the store inventory for rental to those residing outside of Scranton. One regular town on the sales route was Carbondale where Fahrenholt’s supplied costumes for numerous parades and balls. 

In addition to providing costumes for valley residents, over their years in business, John and Katherine branched out in their financial endeavors. Visitors to Fahrenholt’s Penn Avenue establishment could also purchase an array of confections and ice cream. 

Over the years, the store was also stocked with a line of men’s clothing, a barber shop and John Fahrenholt was also a real estate and steamship ticket agent. One reason for the varied offerings was that despite the success of the costume store,  possibly it was not enough to consistently sustain the family. Damage and loss of costuming was an expected part of the enterprise. 

The Fahrenholts now rest in unmarked graves in Section 22 of the Dunmore Cemetery.

One example of this was the 1896 Carbondale Fourth of July parade. Torrential rains caused considerable damage to a substantial number of costumes.

In his discouragement on this occasion, John Fahrenholt stated that the costumes were reduced to being only usable for linings, and that despite not having any competition for 150 miles, the costume business did not pay. Regardless of this setback, Fahrenholt’s continued to dress partygoers and theatricals for another two decades.

Katherine Fahrenholt died at the age of 78 on July 28, 1917 of  a gastric ulcer. John followed her in death on December 23, 1918 at the age of 74r from acute gastritis. The couple who provided beautiful disguises to Northeastern Pennsylvania revelers for decades now rest peacefully together in Section Twenty-two of the Dunmore Cemetery.