St. James Churchyard
Many prominent people are buried there,
and Ilie tombstones of more Ilian a eentnry
ago contain inscriptions which arc* typical
of tlic* limes.
RE you one of many people
who like to wander through
graveyards, reading inscrip¬
tions on tombs and appreciating
the sacred quiet of these places?
If you are, we know that you
would like to visit the historic
burial ground at St. James Episco¬
pal Church in the heart of Wil-
mington. Many prominent indi¬
viduals are buried here. And. as
you walk from tomb to tomb, there
is unfolded before you a story of
life as it existed many years ago
! in this section of the state: life
which ended often in sudden death,
due to tragic accidents and mis¬
haps.
Among the well-known people
who are buried here are Cornelius
Harnett, a famous Revolutionary
patriot; Thomas Godfrey, author
of "The Prince of Parthia," the
|i first drama produced in America;
Major George W. Glover, husband
of Mary Baker G. Eddy, founder
of Christian Science, and many
! others.
A century and more ago, it was
customary to have rather elaborate
epitaphs extolling the virtues of
the deceased. Collectively they
furnish a rare human interest story.
i In presenting some of them to you,
we do so in full appreciation of
the heartfelt love and devotion
which prompted their inscription.
This is no endeavor to make light
1 of them in any way.
The inscription over the grave
of Cornelius Harnett is:
Slave to no sect.
No private path he trod,
but looked through Nature
Up to Nature’s God.
Over the remains of a young man
is the following:
How loved, how valued once
Avails thee not;
To whom related or by whom
begot.
A lump of dust alone remains
of thee:
It’s all thou art and all the proud
shall be.
A husband’s grief over the loss
of his wife, leaving a surviving
child, is told in this inscription:
«!/
LOUIS T. >10015 L
Lo, where this stone in silence
weeps.
A friend, a wife, a mother sleeps.
Her infant image here below.
Lies sleeping in its father's woe.
And one can readily understand
the love and devotion which
prompted the following inscription
over the graves of two children,
two and four years old, who died
on successive days:
Sweet babes!
Your stay on earth was short.
And you are now happier
With your Saviour in Heaven.
A rather unusual one is the fol¬
lowing over the grave of a young
lady:
Transferred to Heaven,
She has no share in the dull
moments of this world of care:
Ye thoughtless fair, her earthly
death bemoan,
And while you mourn her fate,
think of your own.
A brother offers the following
epitaph:
Oh, silent grave, to thee I trust
This precious part of mortal dust.
Keep it safe in sacred tomb
Until a brother asks for room.
It is very seldom that you find
a grammatical error in a tombstone
inscription, but there is one on the
stone which was placed by a mother
over the grave of her son. The man
who did the carving used “was"
instead of "were," and the inscrip¬
tion' reads like this:
He was esteemed by all
Who was acquainted with him.
And his death was much lamented.
This stone placed by his loving
mother.
A man whose name indicates
that he was of Irish extraction and
popular because of a witty nature,
has the following inscribed on his
grave-stone:
Nature having blest him
With a most benign heart
And an uncommon view of humor,
His company was earnestly
solicited
By all his acquaintances.
Truth, integrity and kindness
Did all his actions gruce.
A friend he was to Liberty
And to the human race.
Mourning the death of his
daughter, a grief-stricken father
inscribed:
My daughter dear
Lies buried here:
Death has entered
And hopes are blighted.
But why complain.
It is her gain,
For she’s with Christ united.
Especially touching are the in¬
scriptions over the graves of small
children in St. James burial
ground. This one is typical of
many:
From all the changing ills.
Polly secure shall sleep.
Her little heart no pang shall feel;
Her eyes no more shall weep.
Probably one of the most unique
monuments in the church-yard is
one over a young woman of French
extraction, in that the inscription
is in both English and French. It
reads as follows:
In memory of .
A native of Rochefort. France.
Died Aug. 29. 1810
Aged 33 years.
She was a dutiful daughter, a most
affectionate wife
and the best of mothers.
Sa memoire restera a jamais dans
le couer de ceux a qui elle
fuit si chere.
Literally interpreted, the French
phrase says: "Her memory will re¬
main forever in the hearts of those
to whom she was so dear.”
And so we leave the hallowed
ground of this God’s acre, feeling
that the impressive words on all
the monuments have one central
theme — a firm and unwavering
conviction of a future immortality
and an unalterable belief in the
comforting assurance of the in¬
spired words: "I am the Resurrec¬
tion and the Life!"
7
