Allegheny County, PA

 Pridgeon Cemetery

a.k.a. - Prideon Cemetery

Grandview Drive and Salem Heights Drive

Pine Township, Allegheny County, PA

(partial survey)

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this page was last updated 20 Aug 2019

General Views 1 , 2 , 3

(contributed by Rich Boyer)


     Cemetery is located on the former Pittsburgh Bible Institute.  The mission of the institute was to train Christian missionaries.  Cemetery is now administered by:

Salem Heights Christian Life Center
500 Salem Lane
Gibsonia, PA  15044-6164
(724) 935-1329


(recollections of Katharine Elaine Thompson Dow, contributed by Beverly Dow Mazzarella)

     My mother, Katharine Elaine Thompson (now Dow) was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Grace Hamilton (Wittaker) Thompson and Joseph M. Thompson. Grace's mother was Emma McCreight Whittaker, sister of Rebecca (Aunt Bessie). As an infant, my mother was being pushed in a baby carriage; and as her mother walked under a coal chute, which was delivering coal to a basement in Baltimore, Maryland, the coal chute broke and fell on her - killing her. The baby carriage, carrying my mother, was pushed out of harms way. My mother was the youngest of 7 children. Her father (being 51 when she was born) was unable to take care of an infant, so he sent her to live with her maternal grandmother's sister, Rebecca Pridgeon (aka Aunt Bessie), in Gibsonia, PA.

     Aunt Bessie's house was about a mile from the Bible Institute, where my mother attended school. Adjacent to the school was the girl's orphanage. Aunt Bessie's house sat on the side of the hill. They had about 600 acres of land, some of which was sold off in unfavorable deals. Rev. Charles Pridgeon built the orphanage (as well as the bible institute) and dedicated the building to his sister, Dr. Lily, shortly after her death in 1928. He had a small summer cottage on the property, which he called 'the prayer cottage', as well as his parsonage in Pittsburgh.


Tombstone Photos

(partial survey)

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Ballard, Bertha B., 1883 - 1984, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Brooks, Rev. John H., 14 May 1907 - 27 Mar 1993, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Brooks, Mabel E., 21 Mar 1910 - 09 Dec 1990, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Burk, Ellen I., 1882 - 1964, Missionary, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Buxton, Cyrinthia, 1846 - 1929, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Carothers, Elizabeth Grace, 1888 - 1966, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Clay, James W., 1918 - 1932, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Clementson, Edgar Lewis, 1880 - 1959, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Clementson, Grace Dorchester, 1881 - 1967, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Dickson, Alice A., 1903 - 1980, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Dindler, Lulu C., 1888 - 1980, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Eberhard, Jacob, 1872 - 1971, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Eberhard, Violetta, 1878 - 1975, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Ehrensburger, Ulrich, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Gerstmayr, Dorothy V., 05 Mar 1915 - 27 Apr 2004, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Hilliard, Alfred, 1889 - 1968, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Hunt, Anna May, 12 Mar 1897 - 20 Jan 1980, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Hunt, Rev. William R., 03 Dec 1899 - 20 May 1993, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Kast, Loretta May, 1895 - 1966, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Kemper, Evelyn Harriet, 1900 - 1976, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Kemper, Ralph Thomas, 1893 - 1984, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Kentros, Zachary Sutlovich, 19 Apr 1991 - 22 Dec 1991, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Mateoschat, August, 1882 - 1951, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Mikula, Vincent, 1885 - 1950, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Newman, Rudolph, 1901 - 1987, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Nickerson, Ida, 1888 - 1940, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Parker, Edward O., 1889 - 1980, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Parker, Sophie M., 1891 - 1979, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Patterson, Sadie Thompson, 1898 - 1970, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Polinsky, Elizabeth G., 1896 - 1987, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Pridgeon, Charles Hamilton, 1863 - 1932, (contributed by Rich Boyer), [Rev. Charles Hamilton Pridgeon was born in Baltimore, Maryland on June 7, 1863.
Charles was the son of Johnson Pridgeon and Rebecca McCreight Pridgeon.  Who's Who in America gives his life history and accomplishments. At one time, I don't know the year, Charles was known as the fifth best educated man in the United States of America.  (recollections of Katharine Elaine Thompson Dow, contributed by Beverly Dow Mazzarella)], article from Who's Who

Pridgeon, Ella, 1867 - 1945, (contributed by Rich Boyer), [Ella Pridgeon, daughter of Rebecca and Johnson Pridgeon.  Her proper name was Sarah Ellen Pridgeon. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 30, 1867.  Ella taught school in Baltimore, Maryland. She was a devoted teacher and greatly loved and admired.  Ella was a very talented artist. She studied art in a Catholic school in Baltimore. Many of her paintings still exist.  (recollections of Katharine Elaine Thompson Dow, contributed by Beverly Dow Mazzarella)]

Pridgeon, Johnson, 18 Sep 1831 - 01 Apr 1911, (contributed by Rich Boyer), [Johnson Pridgeon was a jeweler and designed fabulous rings and pins. He also owned a silver mine in Leadville, Colorado. He had an Ingraham mantel clock in his cabin, which years later (circa 1978) was donated to the Clock Museum in Bristol, Connecticut.  Johnson was the husband of Rebecca McCreight.  (recollections of Katharine Elaine Thompson Dow, contributed by Beverly Dow Mazzarella)]

Pridgeon, Dr. Lily G. H., 1872 - 1928, (contributed by Rich Boyer), [Dr. Lily G. H. Pridgeon, daughter of Rebecca and Johnson Pridgeon, was born in Baltimore, Maryland on June 25, 1872. Her full name was Lily Gertrude Hilman Pridgeon.  She was a medical doctor and practiced medicine in Baltimore, Maryland and Cannonsberg, Pennsylvania. Lily was a dedicated and devoted doctor. She was an honor to her profession.  After her death, in 1928, her brother, Charles, had a bronze plaque placed in the orphanage he built. This plaque dedicated the building to Lily.  I remember this, as I was elected to pull the cord on the curtain at the unveiling of the plaque, at the dedication service.  (recollections of Katharine Elaine Thompson Dow, contributed by Beverly Dow Mazzarella)]

Pridgeon, Louise Hamilton, d. 29 Mar 1905, (contributed by Rich Boyer), [This is the child of Louise and Charles Pridgeon, who died at time of birth on March 29, 1905.  (recollections of Katharine Elaine Thompson Dow, contributed by Beverly Dow Mazzarella)]

Pridgeon, Louise Shepard, 1865 - 1928, (contributed by Rich Boyer), [Louise Shepard Pridgeon was a celebrated opera singer.  Louise became close friends with the Booths. They were founders of the Salvation Army. Louise was deeply religious; with that, Charles Pridgeon felt she would be a perfect minister's wife. They were married and established many missions.  I have a medal given to Louise, at the height of her singing career, by King Leopold of Belgium.  (recollections of Katharine Elaine Thompson Dow, contributed by Beverly Dow Mazzarella)]

Pridgeon, Rebecca, 14 Oct 1844 - 19 Jul 1936, (contributed by Rich Boyer), [Rebecca Pridgeon was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the daughter of Rebecca McCreight and David McCreight. Her mother's father was a Hamilton and was in a direct line to the throne of Scotland.  Rebecca married Johnson Pridgeon and they had three children ??? Charles, Lily and Sara Ellen, aka Ella. They were very proud that all three children had chosen such fine vocations.  Rebecca was my grandmother's sister and was called Aunt Bessie. Aunt Bessie and her sister, Emma, kept the Hamilton name in the family. Aunt Bessie named her son Charles Hamilton, and her sister, Emma, named her daughter Grace Hamilton Wittaker. Grace married Joseph M. Thompson.  Grace was my mother (recollections of Katharine Elaine Thompson Dow, contributed by Beverly Dow Mazzarella)]

Read, Georgiana, 1876 - 1941, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Reinwald, Margaret, 1870 - 1946, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Rudge, Dorothy M., 1912 - 1989, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Shepard, Caroline E., 14 Sep 1833 - 01 May 1911, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Shepard, Frank, 07 Jul 1831 - 24 Jul 1911, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Steele, Elleta I., 1892 - 1989, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Summers, Betty, 1885 - 1982, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Summers, James Muir, 1881 - 1971, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Thomas, Alfred, 1889 - 1974, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Voychuck, Anna K., 25 Jul 1895 - 06 Oct 1993, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Welsh, Virginia K., 1916 - 1984, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Winter, Julia, 04 Aug 1905 - 29 Jul 2000, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Wood, Cassius H., 1878 - 1967, Father, (contributed by Rich Boyer)

Wood, Lillian R., 1876 - 1962, Mother, (contributed by Rich Boyer)


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