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The first St. Stephen's Church of Wilkes-Barre, chartered in 1817, began constructing an edifice on Franklin Street in 1820. The building was completed in 1822 and consecrated in 1823. The church yard was used for burials.
When the fourth parish building on this site was erected in 1882 it was upon a portion of the old burying ground. By this time many of the remains had already been removed to other cemeteries such as Hollenback. All unclaimed remains which were come upon during the work of excavating for the foundations were removed to a common lot in the City Cemetery, in North Wilkes-Barre. Such remains as were claimed by relatives were removed and buried in family lots, but some graves were evidently overlooked.
There was no record of the burials in the churchyard other than that furnished by the stones then standing, which were as follows:
Samuel Bowman, June 25, 1818.
John Ellsworth, March 10, 1823.
Peleg Tracy, March 15, 1825.
Dominique Germaine,Feb. 27, 1827.
Ebenezer Bowman, March 1, 1829.
George Denison, Aug. 20, 1831.
Samuel D. Bettle, Nov. 10, 1832.
Lucy E. Miner, May 15, 1842.
William B. Norton, July 20, 1842.
Mary W. Denison, Aug. 19, 1842.
Ralph Peters, Nov. 11, 1842.
George B. Denison, March 11, 1843.
Hannah Tracy, Sept. 28, 1846.
Amos Sisty, Feb. 16, 1847.
William R. Bettle, Dec. 21, 1847.
Horatio F. Bowman, Dec. 21, 1847.
Esther Ann Bowman, July 21, 1848.
Caroline B. Denison, July 1, 1853.
James D. Eichelberger, Oct. 5, 1852.
Thomas Davidge, Nov. 25, 1849.
Hannah McClintock, 1833.
Ann E. Myers, May 27, 1848.
Martha A. Myers. April 29, '38.
John Myers, Jan. 25, 1850.
Elizabeth M. Emily, April 29, 1837.
(Dally Record, March 29, 1897)
