Sheffield group identifies, marks 33 unmarked graves at Center Cemetery

Sheffield — More than 18 months ago, resident Patricia Wright walked into the Sheffield Historical Society and asked archivist Jim Miller for help with her genealogy research. “I asked Jim where I could start with my research, and he said, ‘In the cemetery,’” Wright told The Berkshire Edge. “After a moment’s pause, I said, ‘Well, is that where my relatives and ancestors are buried?’ He said he didn’t know.” That exchange led Wright, Miller, and Sheffield Historical Society researchers Paul O’Brien and Jackson Karpicz to start a project to identify unmarked burial plots in Center Cemetery. Center Cemetery, located at 71 Berkshire School Road, was established in 1836. It has 2,630 stone markers and headstones, but some of the burial plots are unmarked. The project identified 15 unmarked plots among the cemetery’s 25 western plots, containing 33 individuals, several of them Wright’s relatives. According to the society, the burials range from 1871 to 1975.

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