Project Overview
Project Overview
Embedded Files
First Presbyterian Church's Brainerd CemeteryPicture by Sarah Mayer
How the project started:
How the project started:
Brainerd Cemetery is one of two cemeteries operated by the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury. According to our records, the earliest burial occurred in the "Old Yard" in 1738. From information gleaned from church maps, records and longtime members, we know that behind the "Old Yard" was an area that had been designated both as the "Colored Section" and the "Potters' Field." The earliest burial in the segregated section was that of Edward Ditmars in 1846 (born 1784), and the most recent burial was 2010.
In 2021, Richard Grubbs & Associates, Inc. scanned this area of Brainerd Cemetery, and the results of this survey showed 252 disturbances. In other words, it showed 252 graves. Some of these graves even included stacked burials. While a handful of these graves had headstones, but most did not.
This discovery led the congregation to wonder how best to address this issue and honor those who had been relegated to seemingly eternal anonymity.
With the help of Dr. Chris Burton's leadership and guidance, a small group of interested members began building the necessary foundations to do this work.
We asked a lot of questions and had a lot of discussion. We wondered:
How do we do this work responsibly and ethically--especially as a majority white congregation?
What are the theological implications of this work? What does repentance look like?
How do we best honor those who had been buried there?
What does this work mean for the congregation?
What does this work mean for the town?
How do we share these stories in a way that is invitational and not judgemental?
With these questions in mind, we began to explore a variety of resources in order to uncover the names and stories of those individuals buried without headstones in Brainerd Cemetery.
Resources we utilized:
Resources we utilized:
Church records
The church's internal cemetery database
Member rolls
Baptism records
Marriage records
Death records
Church Archives
Burial Books & Ledgers
Organizations
Cranbury Historical & Preservation Society
Morven House
Witness Stones Project
Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum
Books
Cranbury: A New Jersey Town from the Colonial Era to the Present -John Whiteclay Chambers II
What Kind of Christianity: A History of Slavery and Anti-Black Racism in the Presbyterian Church - Dr. William Yoo
If These Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley - Elaine Buck & Beverly Mills
Oral Histories
We spoke to longtime residents of Cranbury and longtime members of the church in order to create a more detailed image of the historical context.
Experts
Alongside Dr. Chris Burton, we consulted
Elaine Buck & Beverly Mills
John Whiteclay Chambers II
Curators at Morven House
From this research, we discovered a wealth of information. We uncovered stories that brought tears to our eyes; we've been moved by both beauty and tragedy.
From this research, we discovered a wealth of information. We uncovered stories that brought tears to our eyes; we've been moved by both beauty and tragedy.
You will find these stories and more in our website.
You will find these stories and more in our website.
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