Section G

Back to Sections D and U

Leaving the Zorich grave in Section U, we backtrack a bit, going to the southeast and across the road to find the distinctive grave of Benjamin Harris. We are now in Section G, one of the largest section in Weston Cemetery. Besides having a neat marker, Harris is notable for establishing the Harris Homes in Rensselaer. A few rows to the west of the Harris grave is that for Abraham Leopold. He was born in Germany and after coming to the United States, bounced around a bit before settling in Rensselaer. He was a successful merchant and built several buildings at and near the corner of Van Rensselaer and Washington Street. Today the Lafayette Bank and Trust occupies part of a building he built, though it has been remodeled several times over the years. He also developed a subdivision on the east side or Rensselaer, the Leopold Addition to Rensselaer. Leopold Street was named after him, Emilie Street after his wife, and Milton and Rachel Streets after two of his children. In the picture above are two small pink markers behind the large Leopold stone. One of them is for his granddaughter, Pauline Mossier. She was one of over 600 people who died in the 1903 Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago. Further to the west is a marker for one of the Fendig lots. Among the graves on this lot are those of Ralph and Lillian Fendig. Ralph was a pharmacist and Lillian an artist. They were benefactors to local cultural organizations. The art gallery at the Rensselaer Carnegie Center is named after Lillian and the Rensselaer Summer Children's Theater is named after both Ralph and Lillian. We now walk to the south passing many large monuments that testify that this hill is full of people who played important roles in Rensselaer though most are completely forgotten today. As we get close to the road on the south, we find the modest grave marker of the most prominent person buried in Weston, Charles Halleck, a long-time congressman who played a role in much of the political history from the 1940s until the mid 1960s. His importance on the national scene is shown in his long obituary in the New York Times. A bit to the west of the grave of Charles Halleck are the graves of his parents. His father Abraham had a notable career in business and politics, though it was overshadowed by the accomplishments of his son.

Pages: Introduction From the Entrance to Section A Sections B and C Sections D and U Section G Across The Creek to The Bridge Section P and Westward Sections M, L, K and the New Addition ******* To the west and north of the Fendig marker is the marker of Bessie Tillman, who died saving two children from a runaway team of horses. Her story is both tragic and heroic. Oren Parker fits this description of someone socially prominent while alive but largely forgotten today. He lived most of his life in Rensselaer. Early on he was a partner in the Rowles and Parker Department Store. After some years he retired from that. For a few years he sold cars. He helped found the Farmers and Merchants National Bank and was on its Board of Directors. H owned farm land and devoted time to managing it. His name is remembered today because he built a house on the corner of Park and Washington that is referred to as the Oren Parker house. An outstanding example of craftsman style, it is one of the architectural gems of Rensselaer. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and even has a Wikipedia entry. A better illustration of a socially prominent person who is now largely forgotten is Henry O Harris, a brother of Benjamin Harris. A banker and an investor in real estate, when he died in 1919 his wealth was estimated to be a quarter of a million dollars, a tremendous amount of money for that time. He built a large brick mansion where Washington Street crosses McKinley that was long ago demolished to make way for the medical office that now sits on that site. He was financially very successful and has one of the largest monuments in Section G but otherwise not notable. His son Elbert has a monument only slightly smaller immediately to the east. George Hosmer best illustrates the socially prominent person whose only lasting contribution to Rensselaer is a large cemetery monument. He is buried alone on his lot, he left no family, and his fortune went to relatives back east.

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