Monongahela Cemetery

05/25/2026

America is free.....because of the brave who rest here.

05/10/2026

Everyone has a story. . .

HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADSTONES: How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?

It’s all too easy to forget that behind each headstone there is a family’s life story filled with both joy and heartache. The tombstone of William and Mary Ellen Crux in Section 3 is now weathered with age, but its story of love and loss remains timeless.

William Crux was born on April 16, 1835 in Ossining, New York, one of six children born to English immigrants Thomas Simmons Crux (1798-1869) and Jane Waddell (1799-1872). There isn’t much information about the family’s early years; by the time of the 1850 census, the family had moved south to Fairfax, Virginia.

On December 24, 1860, William married Mary Ellen Burris (1831-1909), a native of Maryland, in Washington, D.C. It is unclear how they met, but the young couple romantically chose Christmas Eve for their wedding date.

William and Mary Ellen resided in the College Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. and began growing their family, ultimately giving birth to ten children, nine of whom survived to adulthood.

William was employed in the grocery business and sold dairy and farm products when he enlisted to serve in the Civil War on July 1, 1863. He returned home safely after the war’s end, and the family remained in D.C. until about 1882, when they moved to Braddock and became early members of the First Baptist Church of Braddock.

William made a major career shift and began working as a blacksmith at the blast furnaces of the Edgar Thomson Works. He served as a foreman for several departments, and retired at age 68, well past the standard age limit of 63. When he retired, he was one of Andrew Carnegie’s oldest employees, and one of the first men to benefit from the newly-created steelworkers’ pension fund.

On December 22, 1908, the Crux family’s life took an unexpected and tragic turn. William, age 73, was in East Liberty and sprinted to catch a streetcar at Penn and Highland Avenues to return home to Corey Avenue in Braddock. The trolley was crowded and William leaned heavily upon the passenger next to him when it was discovered that he was dead from an apparent heart attack from the exertion of running. He died two days before his and Mary Ellen’s 48th wedding anniversary. We can only imagine the family’s shock and despair.

Mary Ellen’s grief was all-encompassing and greatly affected her health, causing her chronic asthma to flare up as her intense sorrow and anxiety caused her muscles to tighten around her airways, making it hard for her to breath. She died of sudden heart failure on February 16, 1909, mere weeks after her cherished partner’s death. Her broken heart just couldn’t survive without her beloved husband. The Crux children and their families were left to pick up the pieces as they buried their mother next to their father’s newly-dug grave.

As a postscript, most of William and Mary Ellen’s children remained in the vicinity and five of their ten children were also buried at Monongahela Cemetery.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

1. Photo of headstone of William and Mary Ellen Crux, Monongahela Cemetery, Section 3.

2. Undated photo of William Crux.

3. “Dies After Run for Car.” The Pittsburgh Press. December 23, 1908, page5.

4. Obituary of William Crux. The Pittsburgh Post. December 25, 1908, page 2.

5. Obituary of Mary Ellen Crux. The Pittsburgh Post. February 17, 1909, page 6.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day!

05/01/2026

A career built on respect, stewardship, and the beauty of Monongahela Cemetery.

04/17/2026

Today, we honored Jacob Soles, one of the Union soldiers who helped carry the mortally wounded President Abraham Lincoln from Ford’s Theatre, with a commemorative marker presented by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. It was a meaningful day as members of the community gathered alongside descendants of Jacob Soles to remember his place in history. We were also joined by WTAE-TV, who shared that they plan to run promotional spots, with the full story to be featured later as part of an upcoming series. We will share more details as they become available.
We are honored to preserve and share these stories, ensuring that the legacy of those who came before us is never forgotten.

04/16/2026

We have received a few inquiries about the location of Section 1 for the Jacob Soles commemorative marker placement this Friday, April 17 at 10:30 AM.
Section 1 is located directly in front of the cemetery office.
We are also honored to welcome members of the Soles family, as Jacob Soles was their great-great uncle.
We hope you will join us for this meaningful and commemorative occasion.

04/13/2026

The Soldiers that carried President Abraham Lincoln, as we remember, honor and reflect - some helped shape a nation!

04/09/2026

Everyone has a story. . .

HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADSTONES: Her Tragic Romance

When Tillie Boyer became engaged to be married, it was the happiest day of her young life. Her joy, however, became tinged with fear when her fiancé was called to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War. And when her beloved made the ultimate sacrifice and didn’t return home, she never recovered from her heartbreak.

Unfortunately, we do not know the name of Tillie’s betrothed, but her grief was so severe and her commitment to him so strong that she remained faithful to him for her entire 97 years of life.

Esther Mathilda “Tillie” Boyer was born on May 8, 1839 in Cambria County, one of ten children of Jacob Boyer (1789-1876) and Nancy Swartz (1802-1882). During the 1850 federal census, the Boyers lived in Jenner Township, Somerset County, where her father worked as a blacksmith. By 1860, the family moved to East Wheatfield Township in Indiana County.

We do not know what happened to Tillie immediately following the end of the Civil War and the loss of her beloved fiance. The next available record shows her living with her nephew, Levi Peterson, and his family at Ohio Street in Johnstown, PA in 1910.

Life was not easy during those days for unmarried women, or “spinsters,” who were often relegated to dependence upon the kindness of relatives. But by 1920, Tillie’s life took a new turn with her residence at the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Home at Hawkins Station in Swissvale.

The G.A.R. Home, as it was called, opened in 1890 to provide housing and serve as “a high-minded alternative to the poorhouse for women whose husbands, brothers, and sons had served their country” during the Civil War. It would seem that Tillie considered herself to be and was viewed as a widow because of the war.

The home burned down in 1900 and was immediately rebuilt with a 53-room facility that included a chapel, hospital, and reception rooms. In 1937 30 more rooms were added to house its growing population.

The stately residence was a piece of Civil War history hidden in plain sight along Woodstock Avenue in Swissvale, built below the grade of the sidewalk. Elegant and expansive, the building’s front entrance featured a landscaped lawn running down toward the railroad tracks. [By 1960, the residence was converted to a nursing home, closed down in 1996 and a new facility built in Turtle Creek. The abandoned and vandalized building was demolished in 2018.]

The residents and activities of the G.A.R. Home were frequently featured in the news and Tillie received her share of publicity throughout her tenure, as one of the oldest, and later, the oldest resident.

Included below are some news articles in which Tillie was featured. Tillie’s devotion to her long-lost love did not go unnoticed. An article in the May 20, 1917 Pittsburgh Press described Tillie’s story as “one of the saddest” in the home. “Over a half century ago she bade goodbye to a handsome young soldier who was eager for the war to end that he might claim her as his bride. But he never came back ... Who can say she has not given of her very best for her country?”

In 1935, Tillie was the oldest G.A.R. Home resident and featured in a newspaper article in the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph titled, “At 97, She Longs to See President and Ocean.” She had lived a long, full life, and those were the only two ambitions she had left. But Tillie herself said, “I don’t suppose I’ll get to it.” She died the following year on April 11, 1936, and her tragic story was publicized for one last time.

Tillie is buried in Monongahela Cemetery in an unmarked grave in Section 4, Lot 113, near her sister Susan Boyer Cramer.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

1. Undated postcard of the Ladies G.A.R. Home, Swissvale, PA.

2. Excerpt from “Women of Wars Gone By are Patriotic Inspiration to Maids and Men of Today.” The Pittsburgh Press. May 20, 1917, page 64.

3. “Ladies G.A.R. Reunion.” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. August 25, 1928, page 3.

4. Excerpt from “Women-Folk of Civil War Veterans Are Cared For In Unique Home Maintained by G.A.R. Auxiliary.” The Pittsburgh Press. February 2, 1930, page 13.

5. “At 97, She Longs To See President And Ocean.” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. March 11, 1935, page 17.

6. “Death Caps Her Tragic Romance.” Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. April 13, 1936, page 4.

04/05/2026

03/20/2026

Spring has officially arrived—Friday, March 20, 2026 at 10:46 AM—and even the cemetery is starting to wake up, stretch out, and soak in a little sunshine 🌷

01/15/2026

HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADSTONES: North Braddock Pioneers

The married couple’s tombstones are more modest than many in Section 1 of Monongahela Cemetery. The husband’s stone is heart shaped, reflecting the love his wife held for him, since he passed away first. The wife’s stone is small and plain. However, these two unassuming headstones do not reflect the breadth of history that James and Sarah Meigs experienced during their lives.

James Meigs was born in 1822 in Staffordshire, England, a land-locked county located in the West Midlands (center) region of England. Staffordshire would become famous for its ceramic heritage of fine and extensive potteries, but in the early 1800s, with a population of 239,000, it was dirty and crowded.

We don’t know his exact circumstances, but around 1846, James emigrated to America and ended up in the state of Illinois. He lived there for about 11 years, and moved to Washington, PA, where he met and married Sarah Ellen Cresswell in 1857. Their first son was born in 1859.

After living in Washington for five years, the family moved to Braddock. Accounts vary as to whether the Meigs family moved to Braddock in the early 1860s or 70s, but in either case they were considered by many to be community pioneers. (Braddock was incorporated in 1867 with coal mining as its primary industry; North Braddock wasn’t incorporated until 1897.)

James owned holdings in several coal mines until his retirement around 1880. The family (they had a total of five sons) lived at 38 Corey Avenue for years and were members of the Wesley Free Methodist Church in North Braddock.

It would have been interesting to converse with James about his perspective on life because he had several near-death experiences and could be considered a walking miracle. His obituary states that at age 19, he fell 96 feet down a mine shaft and was unconscious for three months. Given that the accident occurred in 1842, with limited medical treatment available, it is amazing that he lived.

Years later, an article in the February 21, 1897 edition of The Pittsburgh Press, announced that James, one of the “best known residents” of North Braddock, was “stricken with paralysis” and unconscious. His attending physician said he would not survive to the next morning. No follow-up article could be located, but somehow James survived and apparently thrived.

He did not pass away until nearly three years later, on January 2, 1900, when he died suddenly of a heart attack. His obituary stated that he “had been in the best of health for some time” and complained of feeling sick only ten minutes before his death. We can assume that James had a vigilant guardian angel during his lifetime!

Sarah Ellen Cresswell was born in Maryland on July 4, 1811. While she did not survive near-death experiences like her husband, her long life spanned an incredible era of American history.

Sarah’s father, John, was a miller (someone who operated a water or wind-powered mill to grind grain) who bravely fought during the Revolutionary War and was a survivor of the Continental Army’s infamous winter encampment at Valley Forge, PA. During the period of December 1777 to June 1778, nearly 2,000 soldiers died from disease, malnutrition, and the cold, wet weather.

After surviving that ordeal, John nonetheless enlisted to serve again during the War of 1812, along with two sons. Tragically, John and both sons were killed during the war, which lasted until February 1815. Sarah, being born in 1811, never had a chance to know her courageous father.

We don’t know why or exactly when Sarah ended up in Washington, PA; perhaps her widowed mother had family there. We only know that James and Sarah were married and started their family there. Sarah birthed five sons – Lewis, Joab Britton, William, Albert, and Joseph. Lewis, the eldest, was deceased by the time of the 1910 census but the others lived long lives.

Sarah lived to the ripe old age of 102 years and her death was front-page news in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It was her keen wish was to live until her 103rd birthday on July 4, 1914, but she passed away on June 17, 1914. Amazingly, Sarah lived alone in the family home since the passing of her husband 14 years earlier, and obituaries marveled at the fact that she insisted upon doing all her housework until her death! Think of all that Sarah experienced during her long life that spanned so much of American history. And during a time when medical care was so limited, she must have also possessed a watchful guardian angel!

James and Sarah Meigs leave behind a legacy of love, resilience, and lives woven deeply into the history of North Braddock.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

1. “Stricken With Paralysis.” The Pittsburgh Press. February 21, 1897, page 9.

2. Obituary for James Meigs. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 4, 1900, page 8.

3. Photo of headstone of James Meigs, Monongahela Cemetery, Section 1.

4. “Braddock Woman, 102, Dies.” Front page obituary, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 18, 1914.

5. Photo of headstone of Sarah Ellen Cresswell Meigs, Monongahela Cemetery, Section 1.