"Merrit Beardsley was born February 22, 1857, in the vicinity of the Town of Oxford, Chenango County, New York. He was the son of Sarah Walker and William Loyal Beardsley. Merrit lived on his family's farm with his parents, grandfather William, brother James, and a farmhand Isack. It is believed that due to an incurable feverish illness, at the age of eight, Merrit died December 15, 1865. His father, William, was a stonecutter and operated a quarry in Oxford. Legend says, to ease Merrit’s fear of being buried in the dark, William and Sarah gave their word to Merrit that he would be laid to rest above ground with a window to catch the sunlight.
​
Today, his peculiar tomb with a window sits quietly beneath towering hemlock trees."

Binghamton Press Bureau (1952)

Binghamton Press Bureau 1954

Binghamton Press Bureau (1947)