the oldest gravestones in our cemetery

The three non-military gravestones in the cemetery all have the last name Parker. They are all relatives of David Parker, who was one of Timbuctoo’s first settlers in 1826, and who was arguably the most prominent member of the Timbuctoo community for several decades.  His first wife, Eliza Parker, died in 1847. He second wife, Matilda, died in 1870.  There is also a stone for his son Frisby, who died in 1872.  The first US Colored Troops' gravestone is also from the early 1870s, but clearly, the cemetery was in operation before the Civil War broke out in 1861.

Gravestone photos courtesy of  Sue Melnick Fajgier and Holly Draycott

Three United States Infantry (USCI) regiments of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) and one state Colored Troop are represented among the soldiers buried here: 22nd USCI, 6th USCI, 29th USCI and 29th Connecticut Infantry (Colored). Most of these soldiers mustered into service at Camp William Penn near Philadelphia to serve for a three-year enlistment. They served as Privates,  Corporals, and Sergeants in various companies. Most were free-born; some could read and write, but all were eager to fight for freedom and citizenship. Charles Love also enlisted in the Regular Army after the Civil War and served until 1894. 

See hyperlinks to each soldier's biography in the captions.