Chester Rural Cemetery

Chester Rural Cemetery
Chester Rural Cemetery
Details
Established	1863
Location	Chester, Pennsylvania
Country	United States
Coordinates	39°51′37″N75°22′5″W / 39.86028°N 75.36806°W
Type	Public
Size	36 acres (15 ha)
No. of graves	31,000
Find a Grave	45940

Last updated November 01, 2024

Chester Rural Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery founded in March 1863 in Chester, Pennsylvania. Some of the first burials were Civil War soldiers, both Union and Confederate, who died at the government hospital located at the nearby building which became the Crozer Theological Seminary.

The cemetery is landscaped and had a large lake that was drained in the 1950s. It covers 36 acres and contains approximately 31,000 graves. Two monuments in the cemetery have been documented by the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System: the statue "Sorrow" by Samuel Murray atop the Alfred O. Deshong memorial, and the Civil War Memorial, by Martin Milmore.^[1]^[2]

On April 13, 1917, 55 unidentified victims of the Eddystone explosion at the Eddystone Ammunition Corporation were buried in a mass grave at the Chester Rural Cemetery. An estimated 12,000 people attended the funeral service.^[3]

Soldiers Circle

Veterans from the Civil War and other conflicts are buried in this area of the cemetery. There are also memorials to commemorate each war since the Civil War.

On September 17, 1873, the Soldier's Monument was dedicated to the memory of the soldiers and sailors of Delaware County who died in the Civil War. The dedication was attended by 8,000 people. The main speaker at the dedication was the U.S. Congressman John Weiss Forney and many dignitaries attended, including Major General Galusha Pennypacker.^[4]

On the front of the Civil War Memorial is the following inscription:

The people of Delaware County erected this monument to commemorate the patriotism of their citizens, soldiers and sailors who fell in defense of the Union in the War of the Rebellion 1861–1865^[5]

Chester Rural Cemetery was a part of the United States National Cemetery System during the Civil War with a leased lot within the cemetery for soldiers that died in the nearby hospital.^[6] Many of the soldiers' graves, including Confederate soldiers,^[7] were moved to Philadelphia National Cemetery in Philadelphia in 1892.^[8]

Notable burials

Henry Graham Ashmead (1838–1920), journalist and historian of Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822–1893), Explorer of the West, a founder of California, hero of the US-Mexican War, US diplomat
Clarence D. Bell (1914–2002), Pennsylvania state senator
William H. Berry (1852–1928), Pennsylvania State Treasurer and 10th mayor of Chester
Dorothy Chacko (1904–1992), US physician and Padma Shri awardee^[9]
Robert Chadwick (1834–1902), Pennsylvania state representative
Joseph R. T. Coates (died 1921), Civil War Major, Mayor of Chester
Walter H. Craig (1880–1937), Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County from 1923 to 1925
Edward Darlington (1795–1884), US congressman
Alfred O. Deshong (1837–1913), industrialist, philanthropist and art collector
John O. Deshong (1807–1881), businessman and banker
Peter Deshong (1781–1827), businessman and banker
Samuel Edwards (1785–1850), US congressman
David Reese Esrey (1825–1898), businessman and banker
John K. Hagerty (1867–1945), Pennsylvania state representative
John B. Hinkson (1840–1901), lawyer, businessman and sixth mayor of Chester
Mignonette Kokin, aka Margaret Galetti (1880–1957), vaudeville dancer, singer and actress
John Larkin, Jr. (1804–1896), businessman, banker and first mayor of Chester
John J. McClure (1886–1965), Pennsylvania state senator
Edward Nothnagle (1866–1938), Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County (1926–1936)
William G. Price, Jr. (1869–1960), businessman and Pennsylvania National Guard officer
James William Reese (1920–1943), Medal of Honor recipient
William Cameron Sproul (1870–1928), Pennsylvania governor
John R. Sweney (1837–1899), gospel music composer
David Trainer (1814–1890), textile manufacturer and banker
Henry Clay Vedder (1853–1935), Baptist church historian
Young Singleton Walter (1811–1888), Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County from 1877 to 1880, owner of Delaware County Republican newspaper
William Ward (1837–1895), US congressman
William Ward Jr. (1865–1949), Pennsylvania representative and two-term mayor of Chester
Jonathan Edwards Woodbridge (1844–1935), American shipbuilder
William P. Worrall (1827–1887), Pennsylvania state representative for Delaware County from 1875 to 1876

Related Research Articles

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St. Paul's Church is an Episcopal church founded in 1702 in Chester, Pennsylvania. The church is a part of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. It is located at 301 East 9th Street and is an active worship center.

Alfred Odenheimer Deshong was an American businessman, philanthropist and art collector from Chester, Pennsylvania. Deshong came from a wealthy family including his grandfather Peter Deshong and father John O. Deshong. He operated a successful quarry business with his brother and was a director of the Delaware County National Bank. He invested his fortune in the collection of art.

John Odenheimer Deshong was an American businessman and banker in Chester, Pennsylvania. He came from a wealthy family including his father Peter Deshong and son Alfred O. Deshong.

Peter Deshong was an American businessman and banker in Chester, Pennsylvania. His family maintained their wealthy status through generations including his son John O. Deshong and grandson Alfred O. Deshong.

John Larkin Jr. was an American businessman, banker and politician from Pennsylvania who served as the first mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania.

Jonathan Edwards Woodbridge was an American shipbuilder and naval architect from Richmond, Virginia. He served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War and was one of the Virginia Military Institute cadets who fought at the Battle of New Market.

William T. Ramsey was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1913 to 1920. Ramsey served as Majority Leader from 1917 to 1920. He also served on the Chester City Council from 1907 to 1911 and as mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania from 1920 to 1924.

References

↑ Sorrow SIRIS, Control Number IAS 44730002, accessed October 31, 2011.
↑ Civil War Soldier SIRIS, Control Number IAS PA000125, accessed October 31, 2011.
↑ "Some History of Eddystone". www.ridleytownshiphistory.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
↑ Martin, John Hill (1877). Chester (and Its Vicinity,) Delaware County, in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Wm. H. Pile & Sons. pp. 392–393. ISBN 978-5-87148-424-1 . Retrieved 17 January 2018.
↑ Chester. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. 2008. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-7385-6348-0 . Retrieved 31 December 2017.
↑ Holt, Dean W. (2009). American Military Cemeteries, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 397. ISBN 978-0786440238. See p. 233.
↑ Gammage, Jeff. "Confederate monuments are falling across the nation, but in Philly a memorial to Southern troops still stands". www.inquirer.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
↑ A brief history of Chester Rural Cemetery Chester, PA, accessed October 31, 2011.
↑ "Dorothy Chacko, Selfless At Home, Abroad". web report. Philly. 1 January 1993. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.

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[1] ↑ Sorrow SIRIS, Control Number IAS 44730002, accessed October 31, 2011.

[2] ↑ Civil War Soldier SIRIS, Control Number IAS PA000125, accessed October 31, 2011.

[3] ↑ "Some History of Eddystone". www.ridleytownshiphistory.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.

[4] ↑ Martin, John Hill (1877). Chester (and Its Vicinity,) Delaware County, in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Wm. H. Pile & Sons. pp. 392–393. ISBN 978-5-87148-424-1 . Retrieved 17 January 2018.

[5] ↑ Chester. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. 2008. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-7385-6348-0 . Retrieved 31 December 2017.

[Holt-6] ↑ Holt, Dean W. (2009). American Military Cemeteries, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 397. ISBN 978-0786440238. See p. 233.

[7] Gammage, Jeff. "Confederate monuments are falling across the nation, but in Philly a memorial to Southern troops still stands". www.inquirer.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

[8] ↑ A brief history of Chester Rural Cemetery Chester, PA, accessed October 31, 2011.

[Dorothy_Chacko,_Selfless_At_Home,_Abroad-9] ↑ "Dorothy Chacko, Selfless At Home, Abroad". web report. Philly. 1 January 1993. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.

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