Post by Nubian Zuri* on May 17, 2009 20:30:26 GMT -5
After 200 years, 3 slaves get a final resting place
Remains reburied in Sussex cemetery
The 200-year-old remains of three black slaves from Sussex County were reburied Thursday afternoon in a small graveside ceremony in Newton after being stored at Space Farms Zoo and Museum for 30 years.
The three men, named Tom, Dan and John, were discovered in the 1970s when the land, once owned by Henry Simson Sr., was being developed.
The ceremony was held in a small African-American cemetery nestled between St. Joseph's Cemetery and the Old Newton Cemetery. About 20 people gathered in drizzling rain to honor the dead, including members of the Sussex County Historical Society.
When the remains were unearthed 30 years ago, the driver of the bulldozer did not know what he had discovered. He brought them to Fred Space, owner of Space Farms Zoo and Museum in Sussex, to be identified, according to the Spaces.
"The guy doing the digging didn't know what to do with them," said Parker Space, Fred's son. "He thought of the Spaces because of their dealings with artifacts."
Initially, the Spaces did not know what to do with the remains either, though they confirmed the remains were human. They caught a break when a part-time employee, who was studying in New York City, brought the remains to the American Museum of Natural History to be studied, said Parker Space. There, employees were able to confirm that the remains were those of three black men and dated back to about 1800, he said. The museum put preservatives on the bones and sent them back to Space Farms, where they remained in storage.
Meanwhile, Bob Simpson, a retired clergyman from the United Methodist Church, had been tracing his genealogy since he was 14. During a trip to the New Jersey State Archives, he found the will of an ancestor, Henry Simpson Sr.
"It was very complex," said Simpson of the will, noting it stated every piece of property Henry Simpson Sr. owned in detail. Between the amounts of cattle and crops owned was a list of seven slaves. Five males and two females were listed, though only the men were named along with a list of how much in pounds Henry Simpson Sr. believed they were worth.
Simpson did more research and found out about the digging up of the graves and the transportation of remains to Space Farms.
"I often thought that I was going to bury them in our cemetery," said Fred Space. However, when Simpson recently contacted him about the remains, the plans began to change.
Simpson believed it was his family's responsibility to bury the men, said Louis Ruggiero, president of Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home in Newton. Upon hearing the remains were still unburied, Simpson met with long-time friend Fred Iliff to discuss their options. Iliff knew the funeral home would be able to help.
"We believe everyone deserves a proper burial," said Ruggiero of his funeral home, which was established in 1900. "In all our years, we have buried those who have fallen between the cracks."
The funeral home buried the remains of an unidentified female slave 15 years ago, taking care of most of the costs for the burial. The same was true for this ceremony.
Simpson, who has a doctorate in history, began the ceremony by reading the history of the men and the process of identifying them, as well as acknowledging people's help in the burial process.
"I don't think there are many times when 200-year-old bones are re-buried," began Simpson. He later went on to say that his family is "indebted to this young man right here, Fred Space, for preserving the remains."
After acknowledgements, Simpson led the group in a prayer and invited John Callanan, the United Methodist chaplain at Bristol Glen, to close the ceremony.
"I wanted it to be brief, but also be meaningful," said Simpson of the ceremony.
The attendees agreed that it was a great idea and turned out well. As for Fred Space, he was relieved that the remains long under his care had "a proper burial and got recognition."
"It's good to have them at rest somewhere," Aaron Tirpack, an apprentice at the funeral home said.
The historical cemetery was donated to a local African American church around 1840 by an area farmer, according to Alex Everitt, the President of the Sussex County Historical Society. Finding a spot for the three men was difficult because most of the people buried there had no headstone to mark their place.
For these three men, a gravestone was donated by the Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home. It was engraved with the words "A Slave Family," followed by the men's names and the dates 1790-1800, which are their suspected death dates. Also engraved were the words "We are all brothers."
New Jersey abolished slavery in 1846, the last state in the North to do so.
Domenick, left, and Louis R. Ruggiero carry a casket holding the remains of three black slaves to be reinterred Thursday at the African-American cemetery located near Old Newton Cemetery in Newton.
A gravemarker is inscripted with the names of the black men who died at the turn of the 19th century. Their remains were unearthed 30 years ago on Sussex County land that once had been owned by a New Jersey slaveowner. The remains had been stored at Space Farms Zoo and Museum in Sussex.
The Rev. John Callanan, left, and the Rev. Robert Drew Simpson preside over the reburial of three black slaves in Newton on Thursday. Simpson's ancestor, Henry Simpson Sr., was the owner of the slaves.
www.dailyrecord.com/article/20090515/COMMUNITIES54/905150342/1005/NEWS01
Remains reburied in Sussex cemetery
The 200-year-old remains of three black slaves from Sussex County were reburied Thursday afternoon in a small graveside ceremony in Newton after being stored at Space Farms Zoo and Museum for 30 years.
The three men, named Tom, Dan and John, were discovered in the 1970s when the land, once owned by Henry Simson Sr., was being developed.
The ceremony was held in a small African-American cemetery nestled between St. Joseph's Cemetery and the Old Newton Cemetery. About 20 people gathered in drizzling rain to honor the dead, including members of the Sussex County Historical Society.
When the remains were unearthed 30 years ago, the driver of the bulldozer did not know what he had discovered. He brought them to Fred Space, owner of Space Farms Zoo and Museum in Sussex, to be identified, according to the Spaces.
"The guy doing the digging didn't know what to do with them," said Parker Space, Fred's son. "He thought of the Spaces because of their dealings with artifacts."
Initially, the Spaces did not know what to do with the remains either, though they confirmed the remains were human. They caught a break when a part-time employee, who was studying in New York City, brought the remains to the American Museum of Natural History to be studied, said Parker Space. There, employees were able to confirm that the remains were those of three black men and dated back to about 1800, he said. The museum put preservatives on the bones and sent them back to Space Farms, where they remained in storage.
Meanwhile, Bob Simpson, a retired clergyman from the United Methodist Church, had been tracing his genealogy since he was 14. During a trip to the New Jersey State Archives, he found the will of an ancestor, Henry Simpson Sr.
"It was very complex," said Simpson of the will, noting it stated every piece of property Henry Simpson Sr. owned in detail. Between the amounts of cattle and crops owned was a list of seven slaves. Five males and two females were listed, though only the men were named along with a list of how much in pounds Henry Simpson Sr. believed they were worth.
Simpson did more research and found out about the digging up of the graves and the transportation of remains to Space Farms.
"I often thought that I was going to bury them in our cemetery," said Fred Space. However, when Simpson recently contacted him about the remains, the plans began to change.
Simpson believed it was his family's responsibility to bury the men, said Louis Ruggiero, president of Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home in Newton. Upon hearing the remains were still unburied, Simpson met with long-time friend Fred Iliff to discuss their options. Iliff knew the funeral home would be able to help.
"We believe everyone deserves a proper burial," said Ruggiero of his funeral home, which was established in 1900. "In all our years, we have buried those who have fallen between the cracks."
The funeral home buried the remains of an unidentified female slave 15 years ago, taking care of most of the costs for the burial. The same was true for this ceremony.
Simpson, who has a doctorate in history, began the ceremony by reading the history of the men and the process of identifying them, as well as acknowledging people's help in the burial process.
"I don't think there are many times when 200-year-old bones are re-buried," began Simpson. He later went on to say that his family is "indebted to this young man right here, Fred Space, for preserving the remains."
After acknowledgements, Simpson led the group in a prayer and invited John Callanan, the United Methodist chaplain at Bristol Glen, to close the ceremony.
"I wanted it to be brief, but also be meaningful," said Simpson of the ceremony.
The attendees agreed that it was a great idea and turned out well. As for Fred Space, he was relieved that the remains long under his care had "a proper burial and got recognition."
"It's good to have them at rest somewhere," Aaron Tirpack, an apprentice at the funeral home said.
The historical cemetery was donated to a local African American church around 1840 by an area farmer, according to Alex Everitt, the President of the Sussex County Historical Society. Finding a spot for the three men was difficult because most of the people buried there had no headstone to mark their place.
For these three men, a gravestone was donated by the Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home. It was engraved with the words "A Slave Family," followed by the men's names and the dates 1790-1800, which are their suspected death dates. Also engraved were the words "We are all brothers."
New Jersey abolished slavery in 1846, the last state in the North to do so.
Domenick, left, and Louis R. Ruggiero carry a casket holding the remains of three black slaves to be reinterred Thursday at the African-American cemetery located near Old Newton Cemetery in Newton.
A gravemarker is inscripted with the names of the black men who died at the turn of the 19th century. Their remains were unearthed 30 years ago on Sussex County land that once had been owned by a New Jersey slaveowner. The remains had been stored at Space Farms Zoo and Museum in Sussex.
The Rev. John Callanan, left, and the Rev. Robert Drew Simpson preside over the reburial of three black slaves in Newton on Thursday. Simpson's ancestor, Henry Simpson Sr., was the owner of the slaves.
www.dailyrecord.com/article/20090515/COMMUNITIES54/905150342/1005/NEWS01
