Uncovering the names and stories of those buried within Brainerd Cemetery of First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury
Embedded Files
The Cranbury 252
Mission of the project
Mission of the project
Through storytelling and artifact displays, we aim to breathe life back into the lives of those long forgotten and to invite others to join in the work with us.
We recognize that as we share these stories, a myriad of emotions may come up. We do not endeavor to condemn or judge but to simply share a fuller picture of the congregation's history and to memorialize those who have been regretfully forgotten.
While this project began as a way to identify the 252 unmarked graves in Brainerd Cemetery, it has expanded well beyond that. In our collections, you will find the names and stories not only of those buried in the segregated section/ potters' field but also the names and stories of former pastors, past members, and community members.
Use the menu on the left to explore their stories! Thank you for joining us in this act of witnessing to the lives of past saints and former neighbors.
Land Acknowledgement
Land Acknowledgement
This project is not the end of our work in righting the historic wrongs done to communities of color by our congregation. In fact, it is just the start. We recognize that this current project does not include the ways in which our congregation and community have harmed the indigenous peoples of this region. Therefore, we offer this land acknowledgement, drawn from Rutgers University, as a humble first step in that work:
We acknowledge that the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury and Brainerd Cemetery stands on Lenapehoking ground, the ancestral territory and homeland of the Lenni-Lenape People. We give thanks for the Lenape and other Indigenous stewards of these lands and water, and we pay respect to Indigenous people throughout the Lenape diaspora – past, present, and future – and honor those who have been historically and systemically disenfranchised.
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