Notable Figures in Lancaster Cemetery
Augusta Bitner
Legend says Augusta Bitner was a bride who died as a result of a fall at her own wedding day. In reality, this is far from the truth. Augusta was born on August 24, 1884, grew up on Marietta Avenue in Lancaster. On May 3, 1905 Augusta married Stanley Tevis and together they moved to Philadelphia. In their first year of marriage they had a daughter together name Sylvia. A week after Augusta and Stanley’s first anniversary, Augusta fell ill. Augusta ailed with typhoid fever for three to four weeks before she succumbed to the disease at the age of 21.
Augusta’s parents commissioned the elaborate statue before you to mark the burial site of their beloved daughter. The statue was made with white Italian marble with the inscription “The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want” on an adjacent ivy cover pillar. This was Augusta’s favorite hymn. The statue is an artist’s inspired sculpture but does reflect Augusta’s image.
George Kinzo Kaneko
George Kinzo Kaneko was a Franklin & Marshall exchange student from Japan but died suddenly in 1895 at the age of 29. Mr. Kaneko, whose prosperous family belonged to Japan's Samurai class, came to America in 1884 to learn English, and eventually studied at both Franklin & Marshall (1887-1891) and Lancaster Theological Seminary (1891-1894). He later taught Japanese at Franklin & Marshall and was a licensed preacher as well.
Upon his death, the government of Japan sent six Ginkgo trees in his honor. Three trees went to Franklin & Marshall and three were delivered to the Lancaster Cemetery. Franklin & Marshall later decided that their trees should be relocated to Lancaster Cemetery. Lancaster Cemetery is now home to the largest Ginkgo tree in the state of Pennsylvania.
Charles Demuth
"Deem," as some of his friends called him, was born in a Lancaster house on North Lime Street. At age 6, he and his family moved to the King Street home where he spent most of his lifetime. This home, which also served as Demuth’s studio, became the Demuth Museum in 1981.
Demuth's health was frail; from an early age he suffered from lameness and as an adult from severe diabetes. He graduated from Franklin and Marshall Academy and studied at Drexel Institute and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. As a young man he traveled to Paris where he was part of the Avant Garde scene. Though plagued by illness all his life, he produced over a thousand works of art, including the well-known "My Egypt" which was inspired by grain elevators in Lancaster.
During his lifetime he sold many of his works, enjoyed favorable reviews from art critics and was part of Alfred Stieglitz's American Place Gallery in New York. Although he studied and painted in Philadelphia, New York, Provincetown, Paris and Bermuda, Demuth created most of his finished artworks in his Lancaster home where he worked in a small second floor studio overlooking the garden. The garden was tended by his mother Augusta and was the source of inspiration for many of Demuth's paintings.
A Biographical History of Lancaster County Pennsylvania
Lancaster County’s history is shaped by the people who built it. In A Biographical History of Lancaster County Pennsylvania, Being A History of Early Settlers and Eminent Men of The County by Alex Harris, early settlers and community leaders are recognized for their contributions to the county’s growth and identity.
Among those featured, 68 men are laid to rest in Lancaster Cemetery. Their stories remain an important part of the community’s legacy.
Through the interactive map, you can explore the burial locations of each individual and access their biographies from Harris’s work. We invite you to explore, reflect, and discover the individuals who helped build the foundation of our community.
The Cemetery Gate
The Lancaster Cemetery gate was built in 1902 and dedicated on July 18, 1902 to replace a brick gate and chapel. The architect was Cassius Emlen Urban. He was the leading architect in Lancaster from the 1890s to the 1920s.