Chester Rural Cemetery is a historic

rural cemetery A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries. They were typically built one to five ...

founded in March 1863 in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester ...

. Some of the first burials were

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

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 Alfred Odenheimer Deshong (September 30, 1837 – April 19, 1913) was an American businessman, philanthropist and art collector from Chester, Pennsylvania. Deshong came from a wealthy family including his grandfather Peter Deshong and fathe ...

memorial, and the Civil War Memorial, by Martin Milmore. 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. Sorrow Murray Deshong

Soldiers Circle

Veterans from the

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. On the front of the Civil War Memorial is the following inscription: Chester Rural Cemetery was a part of the

United States National Cemetery System The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. Congress ...

during the Civil War with a leased lot within the cemetery for soldiers that died in the nearby hospital. See p. 233. Many of the soldiers' graves, including Confederate soldiers, were moved to

Philadelphia National Cemetery Philadelphia National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1862 as nine leased lots in seven private cemeteries in the Philadelphia region ...

in Philadelphia in 1892.A brief history of Chester Rural Cemetery Chester, PA
accessed October 31, 2011.

Notable burials

Edward Fitzgerald Beale Edward Fitzgerald "Ned" Beale (February 4, 1822 – April 22, 1893) was a national figure in the 19th-century United States. He was a naval officer, military general, explorer, frontiersman, Indian affairs superintendent, California rancher, ...

(1822–1893), Explorer of the West, a founder of California, hero of the US-Mexican War, US diplomat *

Clarence D. Bell Clarence Deshong Bell (February 4, 1914 – July 26, 2002) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania's 9th Senatorial district from 1960 until his death in 2002. He also served as a member of the Pennsy ...

(1914–2002), Pennsylvania State Senator * William H. Berry (1852–1928),

Pennsylvania State Treasurer The Pennsylvania State Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of state government. The state treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms. The Pennsylva ...

and 10th Mayor of Chester *

Dorothy Chacko Dorothy Dunning Chacko (1904 - December 30, 1992) was an American social worker, humanitarian and medical doctor, whose efforts were reported behind the establishment of a lepers' colony at Bethany village, in Ganaur, Sonepat district in the India ...

(1904–1992), US physician and

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...

awardee *

Robert Chadwick Robert John Montague Chadwick (16 October 1879 – 11 March 1939), sometimes known as Monty Chadwick, was a New Zealand sportsman. He played first-class cricket for Otago and Hawke's Bay. Chadwick was born at Dunedin in 1879. He worked as ...

(1834–1902), Pennsylvania State Representative *

Joseph R. T. Coates Joseph Ridgeway Taylor Coates (died September 21, 1921) was an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania who served as mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania, from 1887 to 1893. He was an officer in the Pennsylvania Reserves infantry division of t ...

(died 1921), Civil War Major, Mayor of Chester *

Walter H. Craig Walter Hibshman Craig (February 24, 1880 – November 25, 1937) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1923 to 1925. Early life Craig w ...

(1880–1937), Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County from 1923 to 1925 * Edward Darlington (1795–1884), US congressman *

(1837–1913), industrialist, philanthropist and art collector *

John O. Deshong John Odenheimer Deshong (September 6, 1807 – May 28, 1881) 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. Early life Deshong was ...

(1807–1881), businessman and banker *

Peter Deshong Peter Deshong (1781 – December 26, 1827) 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. Early l ...

(1781–1827), businessman and banker *

Samuel Edwards Samuel Edwards (March 12, 1785 – November 21, 1850) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1819 to 1823 and from Pennsylvania' ...

(1785–1850), US congressman *

David Reese Esrey David Reese Esrey (December 4, 1825 – April 11, 1898) was an American businessman and banker from Chester, Pennsylvania. Early life Esrey was born in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania to Jonathan and Margaret (Kerlin) Esrey. He was educated ...

(1825–1898), businessman and banker *

John K. Hagerty John K. Hagerty (November 8, 1867 – November 18, 1945) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1921 to 1922. Early life Hagerty was ...

(1867–1945), Pennsylvania State Representative *

John B. Hinkson John Baker Hinkson (October 2, 1840 - May 22, 1901) was an American lawyer, businessman and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania, Chester from 1893 to 1896. Earl ...

(1840–1901), lawyer, businessman and sixth mayor of Chester *

Mignonette Kokin Mignonette Kokin (born Margaret A Cutting; August 5, 1880 – May 16, 1957) was an American dancer, singer, and comedic actress in vaudeville. Early life Margaret A. "Mignonette" Cutting was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Ella ...

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 The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

Officer *

James William Reese James William Reese (April 16, 1920 – August 5, 1943) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II during the Battle of Troina in t ...

(1920–1943),

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

recipient * William Cameron Sproul (1870–1928), Pennsylvania governor *

John R. Sweney John Robson Sweney (December 31, 1837 – April 10, 1899) was an American composer from Pennsylvania. He was a professor of music at the Pennsylvania Military Academy for twenty-five years and collaborated with William J. Kirkpatrick to prod ...

(1837–1899), gospel music composer * David Trainer (1814–1890), textile manufacturer and banker * Henry Clay Vedder (1853–1935), Baptist church historian *

Young Singleton Walter Young Singleton Walter (August 11, 1811 – May 22, 1883) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1877 to 1880. He established the Delaw ...

(1811–1888), Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County from 1877 to 1880, owner of ''Delaware County Republican'' newspaper *

William Ward William or Willie Ward may refer to: Sports * William Ward (American football) (1874–1936), American football coach at the University of Michigan in 1896 * William Ward (Australian cricketer) (1863–1948), Australian cricketer * William Ward (c ...

(1837–1895), US congressman *

William Ward Jr. William Ward Jr. (July 7, 1865 – March 6, 1949) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County for the 1909 and 1911 terms. He also served as may ...

(1865–1949), Pennsylvania representative and two-term mayor of Chester * Jonathan Edwards Woodbridge (1844–1935), American shipbuilder *

William P. Worrall William P. Worrall (November 13, 1827 – July 18, 1887) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1875 to 1876. Early life Worrall was b ...

(1827–1887), Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County from 1875 to 1876

References

External links

Chester Rural Cemetery website

Soldiers Circle

Notable burials

References

External links

Further reading