Bethel Burying Ground Project

Six-week-old Isabella Davis died this date, September 10th, in 1849 from an undiagnosed illness that caused a fever (Catarrh). Eli and Rebecca* Davis were sixty-four and forty-four years of age respectively when the infant died, according to the 1850 U.S. Census. Also in the home were ten-year-old Rebecca and two-year-old Benjamin. Mr. Davis was born in Maryland** and Ms. Davis was born in Pennsylvania as were all the children, according to the 1850 Census.

Eli Davis was a self-described “cake dealer” with a shop at 7th and Lombard Streets a block away from Bethel A.M.E. Church. This location is illustrated by the red pin in the lower right-hand corner of the above map. The red arrow in the upper left-hand points to the Davis family home at 17th and George Street (now Samson Street). In the 1850 U.S. Census, Mr. and Ms. Davis valued their property at $2,000 or approximately $66,000 in modern currency. In the 1847 Philadelphia African American Census, it was reported that Mr. Davis earned $6 a week and Ms. Davis earned $.50 a week as a laundress. The census also reports that Mr. Davis was a Freemason.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS

The day before six-week-old Isabella Davis died, “a gang” of white men invaded the home of a Black man living near the Davis’ home. He was severely beaten “in an act of wanton wickedness on the part of the assailants,” according to a newspaper report.*** Sadly, this type of violence against African Americans was common, while the white police force literally stood by and watched. Black men and women were hunted in their own communities.

Speaking in Philadelphia the following Spring, Frederick Douglass had this to say about the racist violence in Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia from time to time, the scene of a series of most foul and cruel mobs, waged against the people of color –  and is now justly regarded as one of the most disorderly and insecure cities in the Union. No [Black] man is safe- his life – his property – and all that he holds dear, are in the hands of a mob, which may come upon him at any moment – at midnight or mid-day, and deprive him of all.****

Those buried at Bethel Burying Ground, in addition to living under apartheid conditions, had to fight everyday just to survive.

Rebecca and Eli Davis lost their infant daughter on a clear September day with a light northerly wind. The temperature never made it out of the mid-60s. She was buried at Bethel Burying Ground.

*It appears that the doctor misspelled Ms. Davis’ first name. The 1850 U.S. Census has her named as “Rebecca,” as does her death certificate.

** On Ms. Davis’ death certificate in August of 1857, Eli Davis’ place of birth was reported as Nantucket, Massachusettes.

***North American, 11 September 1849.

****The North Star, 30 May 1850.

Note: This posting is a revision of one from one year ago. That one has been deleted.

Two-month-old Charles Bulah* died this date, September 9th, in 1846 of Convulsions and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. After comparing census records and city directories, I believe that the infant’s parents were William and Ann Bulah. Mr. Bulah was thirty-six-years-old at the time of his son’s death while Ms. Bulah was twenty-one-years-old. He was born in New Jersey and she was born in Delaware. The Bulahs also had a five-year-old daughter Elizabeth who was born in Philadelphia, according to the 1850 U.S. Census. 

The red pin illustrates the location of the Bulah home on Quince Street. The narrow thoroughfare extended from Lombard Street to Walnut Street, west of 11th Street. The red star illustrates the location of Penn Square, the future location of Philadelphia’s City Hall.

The Bulah family lived in one room at #25 Quince Street for which they paid approximately $4 a month. Working as a coachman, Mr. Bulah would have earned anywhere between $4 and $7 a week. Ms. Bulah worked in the home. She would give birth to another daughter, Mary Ann, in late 1849 or early 1850, according to the federal census.

Quince Street in 1915

In the state of  Ohio, on the day that the Bulah infant boy died, the Ohio State Supreme Court upheld the United States Supreme Court decision to allow enslavers to pursue, arrest and return alleged slaves to the state from which they allegedly fled. All this without notifying the local government that had no real authority over the situation. This court decision further set the stage for the draconian 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. 

Two-month-old Charles Bulah died on a “cool and raw” day.

“. . . a violent gale blew all day, and many of the wharves were even with the water – for 10 years so violent a wind has not been known on the Delaware [River] – it was so rough that the steamboats rocked on it like small vessels.” (North American, 1 October 1849)

This rough weather may be the reason the physician was not able to visit the body and sign the death certificate for two days while the small body lay in the home.

*The family name is spelled “Beulah” in the 1850 U.S. Census.

Sixty-year-old Joseph Furrow* died this date, September 1st, in 1853 of “Debility from Ulcer” and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. Mr. Furrow was formerly enslaved. His freedom was purchased for $375, according to the 1847 Philadelphia African American Census. In the 1850 U.S. Census, Mr. Furrow reported that he did not know what state in which he was born. The low $375 amount likely reflects that he was a child at the time of his liberation. Mr. Furrow was employed as a huckster and laborer during his life in Philadelphia. 

Mr. Furrow was widowed shortly before his death. In the 1850 Census, his spouse Hester Furrow was alive. However, Mr. Furrow’s death certificate mentions that Ms. Furrow was deceased. She is most likely buried at Bethel Burying Ground but there isn’t a death certificate available for her. In 1850, she was fifty-seven-years-old and was employed as a domestic. Also listed in the family was seven-year-old Cornelia Furrow and four-year-old James Furrow. It appears that they were grandchildren. Tragically, James would die of Tuberculosis in December of 1852 and be buried at Bethel Burying Ground. His parents were reported as Arnold and Pleasant Furrow and they lived at Joseph and Hester’s address. The young couple was not listed with the family in the 1850 Census.**

The red pin illustrations the location of Bethel A.M.E. Church and nearby Lombard Row (red arrow), the residence of the Furrow family.

The Furrow family lived in a single room at #8 Lombard Row, a very narrow thoroughfare, located between 7th and 8th Streets off of Lombard Street. The Furrows paid $2.60 a month in rent, according to the 1847 Census. In 1847, there were fourteen Black families living on Lombard Row with a total of sixty-one family members. They were employed as waiters, cooks, laborers, and domestics. Fourteen of the sixty-one were reported to be formerly enslaved.

Above is an undated photo of Lombard Row (now South Perth Street). Below is a current photo.

Mr. Furrow died at home on a cloudy overcast day in early September where the temperature rose to 84 degrees in the afternoon. His family interred him at Bethel Burying Ground.

*The last name is spelled “Furrah” in the 1850 U.S. Census. The 1847 Philadelphia African American Census, the death certificates, and all the city directories report the spelling as “Furrow.”

**

The unnamed six-month-old son of Mary and Jacob Johnson died this date, August 23rd, in 1844 of Inanition and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. The word ‘inanition’ literally means starvation. Today we might know it as a “failure to thrive.” The child was not able to use the nutrition that he was being fed. This condition may arise from a number of medical conditions, such as diabetes or a thyroid hormone disease. 

Mary Johnson was twenty-four-years-old at the time of her son’s death and was employed as a laundress. Jacob Johnson was twenty-six-years-old and was occupied as a hat dryer.* Both were born in Pennsylvania, according to the 1850 U.S. Census and the 1847 Philadelphia African American Census. The latter census reported that the Johnsons had two other children. They had a boy and girl with the ages ranging with one under 5 years old and the other between 5 and 15 years old. By the time of the 1850 U.S. Census, the Johnsons only reported having a two-year-old daughter named Julia. The Johnsons may well have had other children buried at Bethel Burying Ground.

The Johnson family lived on Green Street in the Southwark District of the County as indicated by the red arrow. The street was only a block away from the Bethel Burying Ground (purple arrow) where their infant son was interred. The family would have lived in one room for which they would have paid approximately $3 a month. In the 1847 Census, Mr. Johnson reported his income as $7 a week which was above the average wage for a Black man during this period. Ms. Johnson would have earned between $.75 to $1.50 a week as a laundress.

However, the Green Street address in the Spring and Summer of 1844 would put the Johnson family in the wrong place at the wrong time. In May and in August, there were a number of nativist mob assaults on the Irish Catholic population in Philadelphia. They were vicious and deadly with attacks on several Catholic churches. The center of one of these battles was the Church of St. Philip Neri on Queen Street in Southwark. There were days of rolling battles between the mob, police and, finally, the military. The mob at one point fired a cannon at the church. The Johnsons’ home backed up on the church! The yellow arrow on the above map points to the location of the church. There are no reports of anyone in the Johnson family being physically harmed. However, according to city directories, the family quickly moved six blocks to the west in a denser Black community.**

Mary and Jacob Johnson lost their baby boy on a rare chilly day in late August that saw rain in the afternoon. They buried their son at Bethel Burying Ground.

*A hat dryer would work in the drying room of a hat manufacturer. The wool for the hat would be cut, stitched, blocked and dipped in a stiffening agent before it was hung by the hat dryer. The acids and other chemicals used in the process, such as mercury, were deadly occupational hazards.

**For more history on the 1844 riots and reading suggestions, please go to –https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia nativist_riots.

The above death certificate states – This is to certify that I was called to see Elizabeth Brooks whom I found to be afflicted with Cholera morbus & Liver disease in a very advanced state. She was cured of the Cholera morbus but discontinued taking medicine for the Liver disease and as I am informed by her mother has departed this Life on Monday Augt. 20th 1849. G.A. Snyder M.D.

The person that signed Ms. Brooks’ death certificate was Dr. George A. Snyder, an herb doctor or botanic physician. He was treating Ms. Brooks for Cholera and the resultant liver damage. It was not unusual for the African American community to utilize the service of a “root doctor.” The 1847 Philadelphia African American Census lists ten Black men and women as herb doctors. What is uncommon about Dr. Snyder was that he was a white man. 

According to historian Natalie Lewis, herb doctors also were called conjurers, root doctors, and healers. Black Philadelphia herb doctors owed their origins and knowledge to their African heritage. Again from Ms. Lewis, “Africans, when taken from their homeland some 400 years ago, brought with them more than their words. They also brought their experience working with herbs, and they transmitted their botanical knowledge to their children.” *

Sadly, there is no census or city directory information on Ms. Brooks. The red arrow on the map above shows the location of Dr. Snyder’s home and office.  It is safe to assume that Ms. Brooks, and possibly her mother, lived nearby. Dr. Snyder lived on Powell Street which crossed from 5th to 6th Streets before the area became Independence Square. There was a sizable number of Black families residing in the alleys and courts in the area around the State House, now known as Independence Hall (see the red pin on the map). There were numerous hotels, restaurants, and taverns in the area where Blacks worked as waiters and domestics. Could Ms. Brooks and her mother have worked in these professions?

California House Riot of August 1849.

What we do know about Ms. Brooks is that, while she laid on her death bed in the stifling heat of August, the streets of Philadelphia were full of vicious white mobs murdering Black men and women and burning their homes, businesses, and churches. The Klu Klux Klan-like gangs raged for several days and nights unchecked by the police who instead arrested Black men for defending themselves.

Ms. Brooks died on an August day on which the skies were clear and the temperature reached 82° by late afternoon. Her mother buried her at Bethel Burying Ground. Please say her name – Elizabeth Brooks.

*Encyclopedia of Black Studies, Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama, eds., p. 422.  

Forty-six-year-old Sarah Howard died this date, August 15th, in 1851 of heart disease and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. A year before her death, the 1850 U.S. Census captured the family’s information. Ms. Howard was married to George Howard, a fifty-six-year-old porter who was born in Maryland. She was not employed outside the home. They had three children: John (14 y/o), Thomas (8 y/o) and Mary T. (6 y/o). All were born in Pennsylvania. Also living with the family was sixty-year-old Hester Hammer and nine-year-old Elizabeth Purver. Both females were born in Pennsylvania as was Sarah Howard.

According to the 1849 Philadelphia City Directory, the Howard family lived across Queen Street from the Bethel Burying Ground (red pin above). The following year, they were living on Morris Street (eventually Montcalm Street). It was located between Christian Street and Fitzwater Street and between 9th and 10th Street. See black arrow above. On Morris Street, the Howards would have paid $3 – $5 a month in rent. That would have been equivalent to a week’s pay for Mr. Howard. 

Morris Street was a small neighborhood of Black artisans. The 1847 Census shows a remarkable number of Black dressmakers, seamstresses, tailors, confectionery bakers, Mantua makers*, and Drapers **.

Ms. Sarah Howard died on a warm day in August 1851 when the temperature at dawn was 65° and rose to 84° by 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Her family eventually buried her at Bethel Burying Ground.

*Mantua: a fashionable woman’s loose gown.

**Draper: a retailer or wholesaler of cloth for clothing.

Thirty-five-year-old Henrietta Anderson died this date, August 10th, in 1852 of unknown causes, according to the City Coroner. She was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. 

I believe Ms. Anderson is the “Henrietta Anderson” recorded in the 1850 U.S. Census. The birth dates and birth location are good matches. The 1847 Philadelphia African American Census records her occupation as a domestic worker. In 1850, she was married to John Anderson, a forty-three-year-old chimney sweep. He was born in Pennsylvania, as was Ms. Anderson. The same census (1850) reported additional family members that included eleven-year-old John Anderson who was born in New Jersey, ten-year-old John Bowen who was born in Pennsylvania and an eight-year-old boy simply recorded as “Ballard.” He also was born in Pennsylvania.

Journeymen chimney sweeps would often obtain small young boys from the workhouse or almshouses as apprentices. Their diminutive size would allow them to fit in chimnies to do the backbreaking scraping and cleaning. The labor exposed the workers to deadly lung diseases and cancers.

Mr. Anderson was alive in early 1850 (census) and dead by his spouse’s death in 1852 when she was reported to be a widow. I am unable to locate a death certificate for Mr. Anderson. The majority of these documents for those buried at Bethel Burying Ground no longer exist. Mr. Anderson is last recorded in the 1851 City Directory.

The Anderson family lived in the rear of #11 St. Mary’s Street only a block from Bethel AME Church. St. Mary’s Street was a rat infected, disease-ridden alley where only the destitute would live because they couldn’t afford anything better. It was often the first address of those migrating to the city – both free and formerly enslaved. The Anderson family of five lived in a shack in the back of #11. Often, these structures were converted horse stalls or pig pens with dirt floors. They paid $0.75 to $1.00 a week in rent. That would be the equivalent of what Ms. Anderson might earn in a week.

No one chose to live like this. 

Sankofa

‘Sankofa’ is a word in the Twi language of Ghana that translates to “Go back and get it” and also refers to the Asante proverb “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.”

The Sankofa bird appears frequently in traditional Akan art and also has been adopted as an important symbol in an African-American and African Diaspora context to represent the need to reflect on the past to build a successful future.

Eighty-year-old Ann Roads died this date, August 6th, in 1854 of Cholera and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. I could find little specific information on Ms. Roads. I did find two families at the same address with her last name. I also found the last name spelled ‘Rhoades’ and ‘Rhodes.’

Ms. Roads and, presumably, her family lived in the northeast corner of Philadelphia County (red pin above) on Perry Street. The Kensington neighborhood did not have a large African American population but there were pockets, such as Perry Street. The men in Ms. Roads’ family worked as brick masons and brickmakers at a local brickyard. The two families were headed by Alexander and Thomas Roads. Their census information can be view at https://lilac.swarthmore.edu/fmi/webd/DigitizedCensusWeb.

To illustrate the remoteness of the Perry Street location, I also have identified Bethel Church (red arrow-3 miles away) and the Bethel Burying Ground (yellow arrow-4 miles away) on the above map. 

The small pocket of African Americans on Perry Street consisted of twelve families with a total of forty-two individuals, according to the 1847 Philadelphia African American Census. They were employed as brickmakers, porters, seamstresses, laundresses, and woodsawyers. Many would worship at nearby Zoar African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The day that Ms. Roads died, there was a “tremendous storm… The lightning was keen and vivid, while the deep rolling thunder seemed to shake the very buildings.” (Daily Pennsylvanian, 7 August 1854). She was laid to rest at Bethel Burying Ground.