Formed nearly two centuries ago, the cemetery has fallen far from the prominent place that it once was. Today, few graves remain at the site, and there is no roadway access for those that wish to visit as private property has landlocked the site.

The cemetery is located just beyond the intersection of Kortwright Road and Wellman Road, on a steep hill that follows the intersection. The only marker that exists today for the site is a newer sign that the neighboring property owner saw installed about five years ago. Only one grave remains standing and readable at the site, though a few other graves are still there in lackluster condition. The ground around the area is littered with sunken patches, caused by the coffins being disintegrated by time. Though the cemetery has mostly ceased to exist now, the memories of it and those buried there continue to live on.

It seems as though the cemetery was largely populated by four families during its prime, with two others of different lineage also believed to be buried in the cemetery. The King family is the first with a significant number of members that have been laid to rest at this location. The King family seems to have the least information available about them of any of the individuals buried there. What is known is that Wintergreen is the final resting place of Abigail King, wife of Jesse King, who passed away Feb. 22, 1835 at the estimated age of 52 years old. Though it does not appear that Jesse was buried there, the child of the two, Jesse Jr., was laid to rest in wintergreen. Jesse Jr. passed away on May 1, 1841 at the age of 26. The last member of this family is Cyrus King, the other child of Abigail and Jesse Sr. Cyrus passed away on Jan. 14, 1833 at the measly age of six years old.

The Marsh family also has a significant few members that have been laid to rest in the cemetery, yet much like the King family there is very little known about the Marshs’ either. Elijah Marsh was the first from the family to be laid to rest, having passed away Feb. 13, 1830 at only seven months old. Thomas Marsh would also be buried at the cemetery, but even old accounts seem to be unable to locate a death date or age as the gravestone has long been broken and missing information. All that is known of the death of Thomas Marsh is that it occurred one October. Daniel Marsh is the last of the family buried in Wintergreen, having passed away Aug. 16, 1858 at the age of 37.

The grave of William Way, the only intact and standing grave that remains in the cemetery today.

The Woodin family is one of the better documented families that found a final resting place at Wintergreen, with a likely factor of this being that the cemetery was initially owned by the Woodin estate. A deed has been found that gives some more information as to how the property has been transferred through time.

“Conveys all that certain piece of parcel of land lying in the Town of Busti, aforesaid, being a part of lot 33 Town 1 Range 1w, being known and described as the burying ground lot, 8 rods by 10 heretofore fenced out as reserved in a deed this day made by Abram and Ann M. Woodin to Hiram L. Barton,” as stated in the deed of sale according to the Fenton Historical Society Deserted Cemetery Series.

While mentioned, Abram Woodin is not buried at the cemetery, and not a great deal is known as to why. It is believed that Abram was born Oct. 3, 1809 and died after moving to Michigan on Nov. 23, 1860. Abrams history does place him in the area for quite a long time though, having lived with parents Jeremiah Woodin, 1786-1872, and wife Martha Walling, 1793-1861, who came to Warren County, PA in 1816. The couple would eventually move to Sugar Grove, PA, before moving to the town of Busti, where the two would settle on lot 41. Then only two Woodins that are actually buried in the cemetery are Amanda Woodin, whose birth and death dates are unknown, and husband Hiram Wooding, who lived from 1828 to 1865. Neither of the two have stones to mark their graves in the cemetery, although ancestors have been able to recount knowledge of the pair. A lady from the Eggleston family of the Town of Harmony detailed that Hiram and Amanda are actually her grandparents, and recalled them being buried without headstones in Wintergreen. The only further information that Eggleston could recall was that Amanda’s mother was named Betsy Way, an individual who is also laid to rest in Wintergreen.

The Way family, while somewhat of an extension of the Woodins, is the final large group of relatives to have been buried in the cemetery. Through much of the information that has been provided over the years on the Ways, historians have been able to draw a better metaphorical picture of the backgrounds of those buried there. The previously mentioned Betsy Way is the oldest of this lineage to be buried there, having passed away on June 26, 1846 at the age of 55. Born in 1791, Betsy was considered to be crippled from birth, and records do not ever indicate that she was married. Betsy was born to Timothy Way and wife Mollie Baker, who were married in Pittsfield, MA in 1778. Despite the account from a member of the Eggleston family, records indicate that Amanda Way was not born from Betsy. Instead, Amanda seemed to have been born from Chauncey Way, born 1813 in Cayuga County, and wife Sophronia Trask, born in 1834 and daughter of Elziah and Azuba (Farlin) Trask. William Way is another member of the family that is laid to rest in Wintergreen. William passed away March 25, 1854 at the age of 32, after marrying Catherine Purdy who was born in Clymer on Oct. 9, 1846. A shared stone, which is no longer standing, was erected for Diana Way and James Way as well, both of whom passed incredibly young. Diana would pass on Apr. 2 in an unknown year at the age of three, while James would pass on March 30, 1850 at the age of five. Both were believed to be the children of Alvin and Lois Way. The last member of the family is Earl Way, who passed Oct. 6, 1869. Not much is known about Earl’s history, besides the fact that he was believed to have been born to an E. Way. As of 1966, Earl’s grave had been damaged significantly, with the bottom of the stone completely missing. Because of this the only information from the stone that seems to be remembered was a small section with his name, although nothing exists of the stone today.

While a relic of history that connects residents to those that built these communities, only one grave remains to this day, that being the grave of William Way. Though a seemingly deserted cemetery, the knowledge and memory of those who would come to rest here is not something to be easily forgotten.

A rock, which used to mark the location of a grave, protrudes from the ground.

Remnants of yet another grave marker.

An old sign on a tree that is no longer readable, which formerly marked the location of the cemetery.