The Carter Graveyard
A family burial ground was laid out at an early date on the Carter tract, on the right-hand side of Concord Road, Chester Township SUPPORTED (Potts p.31). In 1931 it was described as the “Meeting House Lot” burial ground DOCUMENTED. Potts wrote that “many of the descendants of Jeremiah and Mary Carter sleep in this private burial ground”. It was later opened to other burials, so not everyone here is a Carter.
In about 2000–2004 Ben Jones, a Carter descendant, cleared the graveyard, put up the present sign and reset fallen stones. Much of what is known about its layout comes from his work, as recorded on oldchesterpa.com.
The bronze plaque records Jeremiah’s arrival in 1682, his trade as a linen weaver and his 285 acres on Chester Creek SUPPORTED. It says he was “undoubtedly” buried here, but no burial record has been found HYPOTHESIS.
The graveyard today
The graveyard is in poor condition. Much of the front wall has collapsed, brush covers parts of the walls, and several headstones have been moved from their graves and stand against the wall. These photographs were taken in July 2023.
The 1936 survey
In about 1936 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) recorded the marked graves in Delaware County’s cemeteries. Its entry for the “Carter Cemetery, 500 feet north of B.&O. Railroad on the east side of Concord Rd., Chester Twp.” lists the stones below SUPPORTED. These are the inscriptions as transcribed; they are not a complete list of burials, since many graves are marked only by fieldstones.
| Name | Dates on stone | Inscription |
|---|---|---|
| Carter, Abraham | Born 9 Feb 1797; died 20 Nov 1873 | Son of Daniel and Martha Carter |
| Carter, Elinor | Died 10 Feb 1810, aged 65 years 5 months | Wife of Edward J. Carter |
| Carter, Margaret | Born 22 Jun 1798; died 12 Jan 1878 | Wife of Gilead Carter |
| Collins, Henry | Died 29 Nov 1847, aged 75 | |
| Coppock, T. Maris | No dates recorded | |
| Keen, Margaret | Died 17 Apr 1815, aged 45 | |
| Keen, John Henry | Died 12 Jul 1812, aged 45 | Native of Devonshire, England |
| Smith, Peter Franklin | Died 27 Nov 1839, aged 5 months 22 days | Son of Peter and Elizabeth |
| Taylor, Ellenor | Died 6 Jan 1864, aged 67 | Wife of Robert S. Taylor |
| Taylor, Robert | No dates recorded | Iron grille around plot |
| Taylor, Robert S. | Died 9 Jan 1864, aged 84 | “Our Father” |
| Ward, Eleanor | Born 30 Jun 1802; died 11 Mar 1882 | Wife of Elijah Ward |
| Initials only | M. C. · G. C. · M. K. · M. J. H. K. | Footstones or small markers |
What the survey tells us
- Elinor Carter (d. 1810, aged 65, so born about 1744) may be Eleanor Dod, first wife of Edward Carter (c.1743–1821) and an ancestor in the direct line. The “J.” in “Edward J.” does not appear in Potts, so this needs checking HYPOTHESIS.
- Abraham Carter (1797–1873), son of Daniel and Martha (Boon) Carter, is a grandson of Abraham (generation 2) SUPPORTED.
- T. Maris Coppock may be kin to Israel and Hannah (Roberts) Coppock HYPOTHESIS.
- Later photographs show Ellenor Taylor’s stone reading 6 January 1867, aged 64, not 1864 and 67 as in the survey; the stone itself needs re-reading.
Where each stone stands
Stones are placed below only where a source describes their position. Everything else is listed as unplaced. The WPA surveyors drew a numbered sketch plan of each cemetery, but that drawing has not been found. Find a Grave lists 20 memorials here, about a third with GPS points; those entries are leads only and have not yet been checked against the stones.
Positions are relative, not measured. oldchesterpa.com, “Carter Cemetery, Concord Rd., Chester Township” (photographs and notes, c.2004).
| Stone | Where it stands | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Robert S. Taylor and Ellenor Taylor | Taylor plot (foot markers in place). Ellenor’s headstone was found under the fallen front wall about 15 feet away and reset beside Robert’s in 2004; Robert’s was found face down by the south-east wall. | oldchesterpa.com; WPA 1936 |
| Robert Taylor | Plot with iron grille (position in the yard not stated) | WPA 1936 |
| Abraham, Elinor and Margaret Carter; Henry Collins; T. Maris Coppock; Margaret and John Henry Keen; Peter Franklin Smith; Eleanor Ward; initials M. C., G. C., M. K., M. J. H. K. | Unplaced | No source gives a position |
| Headstones now leaning on the front wall | Moved; original graves unknown | Photographs, 2023 |
Still needed: the WPA sketch plan, which would be with the original Delaware County WPA cemetery reports; a check of each Find a Grave memorial and GPS point against the stones on the ground; and a careful walk-over to photograph, read and measure every stone.
Do you know of a burial here, or have old photographs? Please contribute.