View source for Tidbits of history

The following notations are all from the Philadelphia Inquirer. It's really just a list of people that I found interesting. All were buried in Mount Moriah or are related to someone buried in Mount Moriah. I initially tried to find famous people but as I read obituaries I realized that every day people often have very interesting stories to tell. They are in no particular order.


May 31, [[1895]] - Colonel John William Moore (Killed in Action January 15, 1865, Fort Fisher, NC) - memorial service. Served in the 203rd Pennsylvania Infantry (Birney's Sharpshooters). Col. Moore was killed in the assault on Fort Fisher in 1865.
 
August 6, [[1901]] - John Welde, head of the Welde & Thomas Brewing Company. The brewery operated at 1306/1330 Fitzwater, Juniper, & Clarion Sts. under various names from 1868 until prohibition.
 
May 13, [[1906]] - [[Edward R. Biles (1828-1883)|Colonel Edwin R. Biles]], Leader of the 99th Regiment, Pennsylvania volunteers during the Civil War - memorial service. Colonel Biles died in [[1883]].
( http://www.pa-roots.com/~pacw/infantry/99th/99thofficers.html )
 
March 20, [[1901]] - Private Edward R. Curry. Died July 15, [[1900]] and was buried in Cuba. His body was disinterred and then moved to Mount Moriah. Private Curry was "the youngest soldier in the US Infantry, if not in the whole US Army. He was 17 when he enlisted in November [[1898]]."
 
January 9, [[1899]] - Amos Martin Slack, well-known First Ward political leader
 
November 25, [[1895]] - John W. Ryder, Fireman killed in the line of duty.
 
June 26, [[1871]] - William Bockius Schnider, Grand Tyler of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania (masonic)
 
July 20, [[1908]] - Elaborate Monument planned for Betsy Ross - too bad they moved her!
 
May 10, [[1908]] - New Section of MM dedicated. Colonel Alexander Kelly McClure spoke of the historic burying ground where several of his family members are buried. Colonel McClure is buried in North Laurel Hill Cemetery. He was an intimate friend of Abraham Lincoln and wrote several books about the Civil War.
 
March 25, [[1897]] - Mrs. John W. Gerdemann, wife of Father Gerdemann, who was pastor of St. Boniface's Catholic church until 1874 when he eloped with the organist from his church.
 
May 23, [[1900]] - Captain John Taylor, late Receiver of Taxes and one of the leading figures in the Grand Army circles.
 
March 19, [[1897]] - John Kelly buried with full military honors
 
January 28, [[1895]] - John Morrison, the old Turnkey of the Sixteenth Police District
 
May 26, [[1895]] - [[William McCandless (1834–1884)|Colonel William "Buck" McCandless]] memorial exercises. Died June 22, [[1884]]. Colonel McCandless' monument can be viewed [[:Image:William_McCandless.jpg|here]]. 
 
October 23, [[1903]] - John L. Ogden, Served as Chief Engineer of the Water Bureau from [[1886]] - [[1895]]
 
April 14, [[1903]] - Mrs. Elizabeth Burrell, wife of Rev. William H. Burrell from Camden.
 
October 21, [[1909]] - Rev. William H. Burrell, Camden's "Marrying Preacher." Rev. Burrell is considered one of the founders of Ocean City, NJ. 

From Wikipedia.org under the title of Ocean City, NJ : "In 1879, four Methodist ministers, Ezra B. Lake, James Lake, S. Wesley Lake and William Burrell chose the island as a suitable spot to establish a Christian retreat and camp meeting on the order of Ocean Grove. They met under a tall cedar tree, which stands today at 6th Street and Asbury Avenue. Having chosen the name “Ocean City”, the founders incorporated the “Ocean City Association”, laid out street and lots for cottages, hotel and businesses. The Tabernacle was built between Wesley and Asbury Avenues and between 5th and 6th Streets. Camp Meetings were held by the following summer." This quote is from the BaltimoreSun.com: "The Victorian-style New Brighton Inn, at 518 Fifth St., was built in 1882 by one of Ocean City's founders, the Rev. William Burrell. It was called the "marrying house" because of the hundreds of weddings he performed there." So the next time you wonder why you can't have a cocktail in OC, you'll know why!

May 02, [[1896]] - Sergeant Alexander McNeil, Company C, Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry
 
April 7, [[1915]] - Betsy Ross Memorial Plan moves ahead. $25,000 is appropriated by the state legislature for a monument.
 
May 26, [[1879]] - William Russell, turnkey at the Central Police Station
 
September 19, [[1891]] - Hannah and Abeona Gale, Victims of the Continental Theatre Tragedy which occurred on September 14, [[1891]]. Fourteen ballet dancers were burned, nine of them died. They were performing the "Tempest" at the Continental Theatre on Walnut Street.  http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/september/walt-whitman-beat-drums.htm
 
September 30, [[1891]] - Miss Zela Gale, the last or four sisters and nine altogether to die as a result of a disastrous fire at the Continental Theatre.
 
June 10, [[1879]] - [[Robert Heller (1826-1878)|Robert Heller]], (William Henry Palmer) the magician, died November 28, [[1878]]. Very famous magician who popularized "conjuring" in the United States.
 
May 3, [[1896]] - Reverend Dr. Charles F. Thomas, connected with the Philadelphia Presbytery. Pastor of the Third Presbyterian Church, 9th Street, from [[1873]] - [[1878]]
 
July 25, [[1898]] - Private Abraham V. Morris, of the Third Regiment

Mary 12, [[1906]] - Thomas Brown, Former Police Captain
 
November 28, [[1917]] - William Burns Smith, "the Dandy Mayor" former Mayor of Philadelphia [[1884]] - [[1887]].
 
September 1, [[1896]] - William R. Dederick - Station Master and Postmaster at Merion Station on the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad.  Mr. Dederick committed suicide in the station on August 29, [[1896]].
 
May 21, [[1886]] - Charles Collins Wilson, veteran journalist
 
May 13, [[1881]] - Rev Matthew Sorin, D. D. died in August [[1879]] in Colorado laid to rest. Very active in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Seemed to be some kind of missionary for the church. He traveled to several locations to establish churches. He was from the Philadelphia congregation.
 
December 12, [[1894]] - The first of 13,000 bodies removed from Old Macphelah Cemetery. Most of the bodies will be moved to Mount Moriah.
 
June 23, [[1909]] - Major George B. Dovey, president of the Boston National League Baseball Club.  Representatives of all the National League teams attended.
 
August 9, [[1884]] - Sergeant David Linn, one of the victims of the Greely expedition.
 
November 10, [[1894]] - Mrs. S. Richards Boyle, mother of Rev. Dr. Boyle, of Philadelphia, and daughter of John Richards, one of the best known ironmasters of New Jersey from [[1815]] - [[1840]].
 
July 15, [[1879]] - Kennard H. Jones, late Chief of Police of Philadelphia
 
February 14, [[1900]] - John H. Lyons, 32 year veteran of the police force. Member of the famous "Henry's Guards" who guarded the city during the Civil War
 
July 01, [[1909]] - State Senator [[Israel Wilson Durham (1855-1909)|Israel W. Durham]], Senator from Pennsylvania. He was also the President of the Philadelphia Phillies when he died in 1909 which is the same role that David Montgomery holds today.
 
February 19, [[1897]] - Alexander Gilchrist, Union League doortender for 29 years. Veteran of the 28th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers
 
May 09, [[1906]] - Thomas Brown, Former Police Captain, 43 year veteran of the police force
 
June 05, [[1901]] - Bertram Osmond and Mazie Kenny, Victims of Flat Rock Dam Disaster. On Memorial Day, 1901, a boat with eight young people aboard went to close to the dam and then over it. Seven of the eight people aboard drowned.
 
June 08, [[1901]] - Raymond Ricker, Victim of the Flat Rock Dam Incident
 
August 31, [[1903]] - Peter Flaherty, 27 year veteran of the Army and Marines
 
May 23, [[1895]] - William H. Sergeant, Fireman who lost his life in the North Front Street Fire
 
January 7, [[1907]] - Mr. & Mrs. Myers F. Ackley and daughter Mary Louise, "The Ackley family claimed to (be) one of the oldest families in Pennsylvania and have records that cannot be disputed that their ancestors were aboard the Mayflower."
 
March 01, [[1896]] - [[George W. Gile (1829-1896)|Brigadier General George W. Gile]] - Served in the Civil War Colonel of the Eighty-eighth regiment, and Brevet Brigadier-General
 
May 26, [[1904]] - [[Augustus Caesar Buell (1847-1904)|Colonel Augustus C. Buell]], Prominent Member of the Pen and Pencil Club. Wrote "Paul Jones: Founder of the American Navy" which is now believed to be fraudulent. "Widely known as an author, a war correspondent, and a soldier in the Civil War."
 
September 06, [[1913]] - Harry A. May, President of the May Foundry. He drowned in Wildwood while swimming with his wife on September 1, [[1913]]. His body washed ashore at Wildwood Crest the following day.
 
October 10, [[1901]] - Mrs. J. Fred Zimmerman, wife of well-known theatrical manager. "In [[1896]], Charles Frohman, Al Hayman, Abe Erlanger, Mark Klaw, Samuel F. Nixon, and Fred Zimmerman formed the Theatrical Syndicate. Their organization established systemized booking networks throughout the United States and created a monopoly that controlled every aspect of contracts and bookings until the late [[1910]]s when the Shubert brothers broke their stranglehold on the industry.(http://www.answers.com/topic/1910s )" from Answers.com "Theatre in the United States"
 
January 11, [[1904]] - Mrs. Catherine Steever, 98 years old.  Daughter of George Rudolph, widow of Samuel Roy Steever. Mother of 12 children, 3 of whom served in the Civil War. She resided for some time at 12th & Market on what is now the site of the Reading Market.
 
November 29, [[1899]] - John "Old Hot Shot" Kennedy, relative of John Paul Jones.
 
February 26, [[1905]] - Samuel Lees, Owned a drygoods business at Second and Market for 50 years