Bethel Burying Ground Project

Nine-year-old Simon Carson died this date, September 16th, in 1841 of an “Inflammation of the Brain” and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. The child’s father was Robert Carson, a porter, who died six months before Simon passed away. Mr. Carson died on March 26, 1841 of a “Lumbar Abscess” at thirty-one years old. He was also buried at Bethel Burying Ground.

The identity of the child’s mother is not definitive. Records suggest the child’s mother was Hannah Carson who was employed as a dressmaker, according to the 1847 Philadelphia African American Census. She was thirty-six years old at the time of her son’s death. She had another son, Joseph, who was six years old at the time of his brother’s death. Both children attended the Raspberry Alley School.

At the time of the son’s death, the family lived in one room on Paper Alley, only two blocks north of what is now Philadelphia City Hall in the center of the city. The narrow alley, now known as Cuthbert Street, was an unpaved dirt backstreet that flooded when it rained and iced over in the winter, making it difficult to navigate. The Carsons paid about $2.75 a month in rent, according to the 1847 Census. The red pin in the map below shows the location of the Carson home.

Shepard Gibbs was the gravedigger for the Bethel Burying Ground at this time. He likely reopened the grave of Mr. Carson and interred Simon with his father. This was not an unusual practice for cemeteries during this era.

Six-week-old Isabella Davis died this date, September 10th, in 1849 of “Catarrh” fever and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. Eli Davis was the sixty-four-year-old father of the child, according to the 1850 United States Census. “Rebacker” is actually forty-four-year-old Rebecca Davis, the mother of Isabella. They had two other children, Benjamin, who was one-year-old at the time of Isabella’s death and ten-year-old Rebecca (Jr.).

1850 United State Census

Other records on the Davis family are flimsy. The Davis family appeared to have moved a good deal but basically lived around the South 7th Street area, specifically the Washington Square area, according to city directories. Mr. Davis was listed as a porter and, at another point, as a “dealer.” Usually, this means a used clothes dealer. Ms. Davis, at one time, was reported as being employed as a washerwoman. In August of 1857, a death certificate was issued for a “Rebecca Davis,” the spouse of Eli Davis. The cause of death was reported as “cancer.”

The red pin indicates the Washington Square neighborhood where the Davis family resided.

Eli and Rebecca Davis interred their daughter at Bethel Burying Ground on a clear September day where the temperature reached a high in the mid-60s with a light northerly wind.

The unnamed two-year-old son of Charles Savage died this date, September 1st, in 1847 of a chronic stomach inflammation and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. The name of the child’s mother was not recorded. Mr. and Ms. Savage had three other children – one under five years old and two between the ages of five and fifteen years old, according to the 1847 Philadelphia African American Census. There was also another unidentified female adult who was part of the family. Mr. Savage was employed as a driver of a furniture cart, earning $5 a week. Ms. Savage was a homemaker. The three adults were not born in Pennsylvania, while all the children were native of the state.

The family of six lived in a 12’x12′ room in Church Alley, a short narrow back street near the Delaware River. They paid $4 a month for the small, poorly ventilated space. The children in the Savage family attended Jonathan Tudas’ private school on Hurst Street, several blocks from their home, according to the 1847 Census.

The Savages’ two-year-old son was buried on a humid, rainy day in September of 1847. The 1850 Federal Census has no mention of a “Charles Savage” in Philadelphia that fits the information in the 1847 Census. 

Fourteen-month-old Patience Medab* died this date, August 30th, in 1849, of a respiratory infection and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground (BBG). Her parents were Mary, thirty-two-years-old, and George, thirty-nine-years-old. Both were born in Virginia, according to the 1850 Federal Census. He was employed as a shoemaker and Ms. Medab as a laundress. It appears the family tragically lost another daughter, two-year-old Elizabeth, in September of 1847. She also was buried at BBG. Sixty-eight-year-old Patience Medab, whom I believe was the baby’s namesake and paternal grandmother, died from complications of a stroke in April in 1843 and was buried at BBG.

The Medab family lived in a 10’x10′ room at 41 Quince Street for which they paid $4 a month. Mr. and Ms. Medab attended church services, belonged to a beneficial society and claimed to own only $100 in personal property, according to the 1847 Philadelphia African American Census. 

The Medad family lived on Quince Street between Spruce and Locust Streets and 11th and 12th Streets. In 1847, there were forty-two Black families on the busy street that had a total of ninety-two family members including the Medads.

“The Shoemaker”, Watercolor Painting by Jacob Lawrence (1945)

Shoemaking was a skill that enslaved Black men were allowed to learn and practice on plantations in the North and South. It was also a trade that could be easily passed down from father to son. According to city directories, Quince Street was home to several  Black men who reported their occupation as shoemaking. It was faster to learn than other occupations such as clockmaking or silversmithing and the tools necessary were relatively inexpensive. However, the cost of establishing a shop, purchasing leather, and waiting to establish the clientele while maintaining a family at the same time was beyond the reach of most Black men in Philadelphia during the 1840s. Therefore, most Black shoemakers did “piece work” and they only were paid for making one pair of boots or shoes at a time. 

Fourteen-month-old Patience Medab was laid to rest in the family plot on a day when the morning was covered in a “dense fog” that eventually burned off to become a “warm and sultry” afternoon with the temperature reaching 82 degrees.

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*Other spellings of the family name include “Medad” and “Meadab.”

Frances Wilson delivered a stillborn male child on August 29th in 1845. The child subsequently was buried at Bethel Burying Ground (BBG). Tragically, Ms. Wilson delivered a stillborn female child on July 14, 1843, who also was buried at BBG and, on New Year’s Eve in 1848, she lost a three-day-old son who was interred at BBG as well. All the babies would have been buried in the same grave.

In 1845, Frances was twenty years old and married to Albert Wilson, age unknown. They had three children, Iram (5), Albert (3), and George (1). In 1847, Frances would give birth to another son, Charles, according to the 1850 Federal Census. 

Albert Wilson was employed as a coachman, according to a city directory. It is unknown if he was a public driver, similar to a taxi cab driver of today, or if he worked for a single family. Mr. Wilson disappears from public records in 1849. His spouse, Frances, is listed as the head of the family in the 1850 Federal Census. There is no death certificate for Mr. Wilson in the existing records. He may be buried with his children at Bethel Burying Ground. There is, however, an item in a local paper in 1847 that suggests that Mr. Wilson lost his coachman job and was looking for a career that offered more opportunities. The address and age in the advertisement match Mr. Wilson’s.

SITUATION WANTED

A SITUATION, by a young man of color, 25 years of age, in a Gentlemen’s office, as waiter, or tender, or about a store. He writes a fair hand, as is willing to make himself useful. The best city recommendation given for character and capacity. Apply No. 14 Buckley Street. (“Public Ledger,” 19 Oct 1847)

It appears that the Wilson’s owned their home at 14 Buckley Street. It was sold in 1855. I was unable to find any additional records on the family. The Wilsons buried their stillborn son on a clear day in August that only reached a high of 68 degrees.