Graveyard Bingo

We had one more free day before we left the area so we got out our Bingo cards and hit the road.

But before we started and since we weren't too far away, we decided to visit Carlo's Bake Shop which was featured on the TLC reality show Cake Boss from 2009-2020.  Neither of us have ever seen the show but since we'd heard plenty about it, we decided it was worth a stop.

But since neither of us had "bakery" on our bingo card, we moved on.  Sorry, Buddy.

Next stop was Rahway to see Abraham Clark (1726-1794), an American Founding Father.  He was a delegate for New Jersey to the Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence and later served in the House of Representatives in both the Second and Third Congress from 1791 until his death in 1794.

Next stop was New Castle, Delaware.  Boy, this road was bumpy!  But it really brings you back to "the day".

Immanuel Episcopal Church has been operating continuously since 1689 and is the oldest Anglican parish in Delaware and the oldest continuously operating Anglican/Episcopal parish in the country.  The church building was constructed between 1703 and 1708 and enlarged in 1822.  The interior and roof were rebuilt following a disastrous fire in 1980.

The graveyard is historical and I'm so glad we had the time to explore it a bit.

But we were here for a purpose and that was to see another signer.

George Read (1733-1798) was a Continental Congressman from Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in 1787, president of Delaware, and a member of the Federalist Party.  He also served as U.S. Senator and chief justice of Delaware.  He was a signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Still in Delaware, we moved on to Dover.

Christ Episcopal Church

Caesar Rodney (1728-1784) was an officer of the Delaware militia during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War, a Continental Congressman from Delaware, a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence, and president of Delaware during most of the American Revolution.

While there is a marker that appears to be a gravestone for Caesar Rodney at the Church, this is merely a monument.  Many sources cite that he is buried there; however, most Delaware historians believe the remains of one of Rodney's unidentified relatives is buried there instead.  Rodney is actually buried in an unmarked grave in his family's unmarked plot of their former 800-acre farm east of Dover Air Force Base.

We were on a roll and were on to Maryland.  A nice perk of this part of the country is being able to move from state to state easily.

William Paca (1740-1799) was a Maryland delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress, governor of Maryland, and a district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.  He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  

William Paca died on October 13, 1799 at his estate of Wye River, in Queen Anne's County, Maryland and was interred in a family cemetery on the estate.

 

While we were close - very close - We couldn't get onto the property but I was able to find a photo of the stone on findagrave.  

photo by FishGuyDave, findagrave.com

Still no bingo so we kept moving - Chester, Pennsylvania.

Also known as Old St. Paul's Church Burial Ground

Burials were provided in the churchyard beginning in 1703.  The site was the first burial location in Chester for the earliest settlers.  Those buried here are in graves that are no longer marked; however, there are notables interred here in graves having markers.  One of those being the reason for our visit.

I always cringe when I see colonial cemeteries intermixed with modern buildings.

John Morton (1725-1777) was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  Morton provided the swing vote that allowed Pennsylvania to vote in favor of the Declaration.  He chaired the committee that wrote the Articles of Confederation, though he died before signing.

And now on to the grand finale.

Laurel Hill Cemetery is a rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia.  Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the country after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston.  The 74-acre cemetery overlooks the Schuyfill River and grew to its current size through the purchase of four land parcel between 1836 and 1861.  It contains over 11,000 family lots and more than 33,000 graves.

Lots of construction going on which made it difficult to find anyone to help us find our way.  We typically manage okay but with 33,000 graves, it was a bit overwhelming.

Commandery of the State of Pennsylvania

Military Order of the Loyal

Legion of the United States

To the honored memory of those who have defended their country's rights in the

 perils of the great conflict between north and south

This cemetery is amazing and we saw a lot but there were two people we were specifically here to see.

George Meade (1815-1872) was a U.S. Army General who commanded the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War from 1863-1865.  He fought in many of the key battles of the Eastern theater and defeated the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg.

He was married to Margaretta Sergeant, daughter of John Sergeant, running mate of Henry Clay in the 1832 presidential election.  Interestingly, he had some notable descendants including his great great granddaughter, Happy Rockefeller (wife of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller) and great great grandson, Matthew Fox (actor in Party of Five and Lost).

And the main reason we visited this cemetery.

Thomas McKean (1734-1817) was a Delaware delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where he signed the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation.  He also served as a President of Congress as well as president of Delaware, chief justice of Pennsylvania, and the second governor of Pennsylvania.

And with that, our day was done.  BINGO!