Historic Black cemetery discovered at Nesquehoning Park; Easton committee asks community for help

• An Easton committee is asking for public assistance identifying potential individuals who may have been buried at a cemetery which was covered by Nesquehoning Park
• Buffalo Soldiers Post Commander John Pitts said at least several of the bodies are Black military members
• The committee is also seeking further information and suggestions about what to do with the space, including potential memorials or shrines

EASTON, Pa. — A historic Black cemetery recently was discovered sitting beneath a pocket park in Easton, and the city government is working alongside the Buffalo Soldiers to ask the public for input on its future.

Mayor Sal Panto Jr. on Wednesday joined city Councilman Ken Brown and John Pitts, post commander of the Lehigh Valley Buffalo Soldiers — a local motorcycle club that also honors its military brethren — to call on the community to decide what could and should be done with the burial plot beneath Nesquehoning Street Park.

After being told by South Side Easton residents of a supposed cemetery beneath the park in 2021, the city government and an outside consultant, further investigation found the information to be true.

Documentation from the First Colored Lutheran Church of Easton, PA, otherwise known as FCLC, found on Ancestry.com has shown listings for at least 20 Black individuals.

Listings include potential members of the Buffalo Soldiers, all-Black cavalry and infantry units that operated from 1866 until the end of the Korean War.

“And so we're at the point right now where we want to take it to the community," Brown said. "

"There may be some family members out there that would like to even give us more information than what we have already, and/or if we missed something, this is an opportunity."

A website to gather information

So the city has created a website, with a tab that says "Easton Nesquehoning Cemetery" that lets the public email information.

"And we'll get back to you on that,” Brown said.

He said the committee was able to assemble a preliminary report in July, listing the names of those likely buried on the grounds and recommending further research into the subject and whether there may be other persons on the grounds.

“We found that cemetery because we were looking for Buffalo Soldiers," Pitts said. "At the time we understood it was only three there; now we notice nine. We're waiting to see exactly what's going to happen with it.

"The Buffalo Soldiers are supporting this community and we want to make sure that the job is done in the park and something is done with it to make it peaceful."

Brown said that to the best of his knowledge, people listed as being buried or potentially buried at the site were interred there between 1807 and 1902, though he said new information could prove otherwise.

Suggestions in the report include comparing information from the Easton Cemetery against church record findings to see if any other individuals may be buried at the park, examining St. John’s Lutheran Church and the Presbyterian Church of Easton burial records for any overlap or misattributed burials at the park, and the creation of a descendants chart as a reference.

Buried or possibly buried individuals at the park

A list in the preliminary report released by the committee notes the following individuals may be buried at the park:

• Floyd Prime (1875)
• Rosie Hoff (1871-1872)
• Sallie Smith (1857-1875)
• Lavinia Olestra Prime (1876-1878)
• Unnamed daughter of Peter and Catherine Lewis (Jan. 1878-Feb. 1878)
• Solomon McIntire (1857-1878)
• Laura Wilson (1878-1879)
• William White (1879-1880)
• Blanche Louise Hoff (1880-1881), listed as buried in Easton Cemetery on Findagrave.com with plot location; not buried at Nesquehoning Street as indicated in report
• Jane Durling (1820-1860)
• Jacob Prime (1824-1861)
• Edward McIntire (1834-1864)
• Catherine Moss (1862-1864)
• Sophia Duncan (1846-1864)
• Francis Martin (April 1864-Aug. 1864)
• Catharine Moore (1847-1864)
• Nancy Hunt (1785-1866)
• Louisa Benjamin (18??-1871)
• Frank Prime (1871-1872)

Possible burials:

• Duncan (1862-1866), buried with Sanford Duncan (1866-1866), 20 days old in same grave possibly at First Colored Lutheran Church Cemetery
• Unnamed daughter of George and Lizzie Merritt (May 2-5, 1879)
• George W. Merritt (1876-1879)
• George Poindexter (1877-1879), possibly in Easton Cemetery
• Samuel Wagner (1973-1902)
• Peter Rowe (1816-1903)

Reinterred at Easton Cemetery:

• George A. Hoff (1841-1870), served in the Civil War, buried at FCLC Cemetery in 1870, reinterred May 1886 at Easton Cemetery in GAR section
• Aaron Hoff (1807-1902), a founding member of the church, buried at Easton Cemetery but may have been reinterred as well from FCLC Cemetery

Buffalo Soldiers:

• George A. Hoff (1842-1870), Co. B 25th Regiment of Colored U.S. Troops
• George Good, may be mistaken for George Hoff
• Benjamin Good (Feb. 20, 1864), part of the 7th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment Company G Pennsylvania and Co. F U.S. Colored Troops 8th Infantry, injured at the Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond, listed as missing inaction, died of wounds, likely buried in a mass trench grave on the original battlefield, or potentially in Tallahassee, Florida in a military cemetery, possibly transferred to Easton

A burial list obtained from a committee member, Charles Dickerson, names 44 individuals which appear to coincide with records from the First Colored Lutheran Church of Easton, though it also lists baptisms which may indicate more members of the church buried at the cemetery. Furthermore, several of the members of the First Colored Lutheran Church were also members of St. John’s Lutheran Church before the FCLC was founded.

'Vital to the community'

Panto said the effort to improve the state of the park and create a “formal cemetery” and a historical site is vital to the community.

“For families, it's very important for families," Panto said. "They go to the cemetery to pay respects to their loved one and that's what this is all about. This is about respect."

Further use of ground-penetrating radar may be needed to locate burials in the area surrounding the immediate park, Panto said. He said the service costs about $20,000.

According to the mayor, funding may be drawn from the Open Space Recreation Fund to help with any improvements, including general groundskeeping.

In addition, a memorial or shrine could be built to provide information and honor the Buffalo Soldiers buried at the site.

“We're looking at probably next spring to clean up and get the park ready to work the second phase, and hopefully in a short time after that doing the final thing,” Brown said.

For now, the committee is encouraging the public to reach out and share any information they may have concerning family members or other individuals who may have been buried at the cemetery to accumulate more information for the project.

bottom