The Pursell Tombs

While doing research on my family, I came across a member of the Newhall Family who moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. And, when I’d located her grave, I’d been shocked to learn she had been buried in an escapable tomb!

Eliza “Lida” Jane Newhall was born on a nice summer day in August, 1857, to Abner Wyman (A.W.) Newhall, and Eliza Thomas.

Eliza’s heritage, I know absolutely nothing about, but Abner was born in Vermont before traveling down to the Chemung County area where he ran mills along the river in Horseheads, NY.

Lida married a man by the name of Thomas T. Pursell in 1876, and had children with him. Thomas Pursell was born in December of 1854 to John & Susannah Pursell. After his marriage, the couple was noted on the census, living on Mulberry St, Williamsport, PA, and Thomas was working at the fire station as an engineer.

Thomas passed early summer in 1937 at the nice age of 82 years old. He was entombed on June 15th, and later that summer an article was published about his unique burial.

Not only was the tomb planned to hold his immediate family, and above the ground, his body merely covered by a blanket, with boards, an axe, a hammer and bread, next to him. The tomb was also ventilated, but once he didn’t rise again after sixty days, the tomb was sealed forever. Thomas built this tomb entirely by hand with his father, and spent eighteen months planning and building it. In person and in photos, you can see the names, and the ventilated chimney allowing circulating air into the vault.

Thomas was the last person to be buried in the vault, and the vault’s design was actually patented towards his father, John Pursel, who had a phobia of being buried alive.

Lida’s hatch has the sentence “Daughter of A.W. Newhall of Horseheads” written under it, which was my clue that I’d found the correct Lida from my own tree.

Lida Newhall was my 4th grand aunt, the sister of my 4th great grandmother, Lovina Newhall Thomas, a woman who married the grandson of Philip Thomas, founder of Erin & Red Chalk, NY, and is buried in the Breesport Cemetery.