*** ONLINE AS OF AUGUST 5, 2011 ***
    



St. Mary's Cemetery - Union Twnp (New Castle) PA

St. Mary’s Cemetery is a burial ground located in Union Township in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. It is associated with the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, which was founded in New Castle in 1852. It was the first Catholic church established in New Castle. It was originally a mission of S.S. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Beaver, but soon became an independent parish. A church building was erected on the west side of New Castle along Washington Street in 1853, and a small burial ground for Catholic parishioners was also started beside it.

In the early 1870’s the congregation underwent a period of expansion and opened a new church at the intersection of North and Beaver Streets in New Castle in 1871. In May 1873 the Crawford Kiefer farm, totaling about sixty acres, was purchased for $6,000 in Union Township and a new church cemetery was laid out on about ten acres of the property. The remains in the old burial ground were soon reinterred in the new cemetery – located at the intersection of Harbor Road and English Avenue.

The financial-based Panic of 1873, which led to the “Long Depression” of 1873-1879, led to severe fiscal complications for the church. Many suddenly unemployed parishioners of the St. Mary’s packed up and left town in search of work. At least a portion of the Union Township property was sold off to prevent the church from going bankrupt. The congregation recovered during the 1880’s and years later a massive gothic stone and brick church was dedicated in New Castle in September 1927.

Due to declining membership the St. Mary’s and Madonna of Czestochowa churches were merged in 1993 to form the new Mother of Hope Parish, with Madonna Church eventually being closed in 2004. St. Mary’s Catholic Church and its cemetery out in Union Township remain in active service today.

Among the notables interred in St. Mary’s Cemetery include the Reverend Joseph F. Gallagher (1844-1906), the popular pastor who served St. Mary’s Church from 1879-1906, Tim Hennessey (1851-1924), a wandering nomad well-known throughout New Castle during the early 1900’s, George Chip (1888-1960), a local boxer who held the world middleweight championship in 1913-1914, and George Zambelli Sr. (1924-2004), the longtime mastermind of the Zambelli fireworks company and son of the company’s founder.


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Comments

  1. The grave marker FEE, James J. Is my grandfather.
    My grandmother, Elizabeth, is celebrating her 96th birthday this week. June 5th 2013.
    He just recently had the baseball field in Union twp rededicated to him early this year. I believe 37 or so years after it was originally named for him. (I wasnt born yet to share details) he is currently an inductee of the lawrence county hall of fame. He was the union twp supervisor for many years… (very capable man for only having one leg)
    Another marker, Jodi Mangino…was a dedicated parishioner of St. Mary’s and as a young girl I assisted her in her ccd classes. Her story is a great one. Im not sure I have ever known a more beautiful person.

  2. i am looking for something else, my aunt is buried at st. Marys.

    who would i contact to see if she ever had a marker put on her grave, she was buried behind the mosalum sp. my grandparents are also there but have stones.

    any help would be appreciated. thank you.

  3. (EDITOR’S NOTE) Pat, I would suggest calling the St. Mary’s Parish in New Castle and inquire about their burial records. The phone number is (724)658-2564. Hope this helps. Also, if you send me the names of your relatives I’ll try to take and post photos of their gravesites. Jeff

  4. I am looking for the grave site of rose sweeney, my aunt. I am certain that she has no memorial marker. Is there a particular procedure for seeking this information?

  5. Hi there Pat and Betty… You would need to call the Catholic Cemeteries of Lawrence County office they are the ones who take care of St. Mary’s.

  6. I would like information regarding my great great grandfather’s burial site at St Mary’s. He was Colonel Edward O’Brien.

  7. Just wondering if you could photograph the marker (if there is one) for Patrick Hanrahan, died Apr 24, 1895, reportedly aged 72. Thanks for your website and your help!
    Anita

  8. I need to know if my brother-in-law’s ashes are in the same grave with my husband/his brother, Thomas L. Dagnon. There is no marker for Bob as far as I know, his name is Robert E. Dagnon. My husband’s name is Thomas L. Dagnon, the marker has a sailboat on it and it says, “he did not float through life, he was always underway”. Tom was buried in February 1993. I can’t remember exactly when Robert was buried. Marty Mogonagle would probably know. Thanks for any help you can give me. Donna Dagnon

  9. My great-uncle John O’Donnell emigrated to Newcastle PA. He worked at Johnson Bronze and died of pneumonia at Newcastle Hospital on 26th December 1928 aged 28 years. He was buried at St Mary’s cemetery,Newcastle. In 1935 his aunt Margaret O’Donnell Dowd (Housekeeper for many years to Fr.Florence O’Shea at 124 N Beaver Street, Newcastle) died and was also buried in the same plot. In her will she requested that her name be inscribed on the tombstone so I am assuming there is a marker on the grave. Would it be possible to get a photograph of the stone and the grave? I would be so grateful. Many Thanks Pat Shearin 69 Lansdowne Park Limerick, Ireland

  10. Did something happen at St. Mary’s to have so many missing headstones? My family (Winter) was fairly well-noted in New Castle. Two were written up in Lawrence County biographies. And they owned Winter Bros. and Winter Company clothing store in N.C. The obits all say St. Mary’s. I walked the cemetery up and down twice and failed to find any headstones for Winter. Find a Grave notes the names but no headstones. Thank you.

  11. I am looking for the burial site of my uncle, Edward Ryczaj who passed away July of 1918. Any information or picture of the gravestone would be most helpful.

  12. Looking for the burial site of my great, great maternal grandfather, Timonthy Mack (or McGillicuddy).

    Worked for the PA Railraod and was bed ridden for approx. 25 years after a wreck on Harbor Bridge in Union Township, Lawrence County, PA.

    Date of Death: February 2, 1902

    He was a member of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church at the time and buried in its cemetery according to my records.

    His wife’s name was Anna Vail Mack and he had 3 sons: Joseph Mack, Patrick Mack and Jeremiah Francis Mack who was my maternal great grandfather. Jeremiah was a glass blower in New Castle, PA.

    Thank you!

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