'Women at Rest' tour slated for Vale Cemetery

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jeff Wilkin

SCHENECTADY — Local historian and scholar Sue McLane will lead a tour titled “Notable Women at Rest in Vale Cemetery” starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

“We’re taking a look at some of the woman who played a role in Schenectady or New York State or America’s history,” McLane said. “So we’re talking about women who went outside the normal role expected of them in their time period.”

McLane, whose Johnstown business The Victorian Lady researches and develops programs about regional history, will cover 400 years of history. The Vale outing will visit about 10 sites in the large Schenectady cemetery.

The tour will include:

The grave of Clarissa Putman, the first love of Sir John Johnson, the son of Sir William Johnson.
The burial site of Virginia Sweet, who piloted planes during World War II.
The grave of Hannah Jackson, an African-American woman who was instrumental in securing the pension her husband earned during the Civil War.
The resting spot of Jane Yates, a member of one of Schenectay’s founding families.
The grave site of Urania Nott, the third wife of Eliphalet Nott, a long-term president of Schenectady’s Union College.

“We call it a walking tour, but we travel in a bus,” McLane said. “It is rain or shine, but it is a tour that is easy for everyone.”

Participants are asked to gather at the cemetery’s main gate at 907 State St. The group will leave from the caretaker’s house.

Adults will be asked for a $7 donation; children younger than 12 can ride for free.

Further information is available by calling 518-346-0423.