It is also where those parishioners were buried whose poverty was such that they did not even own themselves. It was only during the first seven years the cemetery was in use that the priest recorded whether the deceased had been a servant or slave - the terms were used interchangeably - but, based on those years, it would appear that more than a hundred slaves lie buried here. From the record:

Nancy Smallwood, a Col’d woman belonging to Mr. Ignatius Clarke July 7, 1833

Eliza, a col’d woman belonging to Richard Smith, gratis February 11, 1834

Chloe Nolan, age 12, a (Coloured) Guirl belonging to Mrs. Emely Forest August 7, 1834

Joseph Beall, age 5, a slave to Mrs. Kirk, son of Betty Beall, free ground in the upper graveyard, gratis August 31, 1834

Charlotte, age 26, a slave to Mr. Henry Waring, full pay ground, T.C. [Trinity Church] upper graveyard October 18, 1834

Ann Smith, age 20, servant of Mrs. Elizabeth O’Riley, half pay ground October 24, 1834

_________, age 7 days, the offspring of Mrs. Brooke’s slave, who stayed with Mr. L. Carbery November 3, 1834

Elizabeth, age 40, belonging to Mrs. Kirk, Free range T.C.U.G.Y. March 20, 1835

Ignatius Rhodes, age 50, slave to Judge Morsell June 19, 1835

Prudence, age 75, Mrs. Baltzer’s servant, half pay range for col’d people June 27, 1835

Sarah Elizabeth (Col’d), age 18, daughter of Mary, a slave to Mrs. Tyer, free range for col’d people in the Upper Graveyard July 19, 1835

Stephen (Col’d), age 41, a slave to Mr. Adams, half pay range for col’d people July 24, 1835

Caroline, age 18 months, a slave to Mr. Barber, daughter of David, and of Mary Jenkins, a slave to Major Adlum, Free range for col’d people, T.C. upper graveyard August 22, 1835

Robert Brown, age 65, a (col’d) man belonging to Mr. Thomas Webb, free range for col’d people T.C.U.G.Y. February 11, 1836

Thomas Francis Johnson (Col’d), age 2, son of Lewis Johnson, a slave to Mrs. Hellen Fenwick, and of Maria Johnson his wife, a slave to Miss Polly Hughes, free range T.C.U.G.Y. April 13, 1836

Melinda Countee, age 55, a slave to Mr. Henry Uppermann, T.C.U.G.Y. half pay range January 10, 1837

Lucy (col’d), age 1, daughter of Samuel Gant and of Nelly, both slaves to Mrs. Pierson, half pay range March 21, 1837

John Lewis Thomas (col’d), age 10, son of Mary Thomas a slave to Mr. Ingle, half pay range in the T.C.U.G.Y. April 20, 1837

James (col’d), age 53, a slave to Mr. J. Ford, T.C. [Trinity Church] Upper Grave Yard half pay range May 12, 1837

Henry Gordon (Col’d), a slave to Mrs. Ford, T.C.U. Grave Yard May 25, 1837

James Lee, age 5 months, son of John and Therese, both property to Raphael Semmes 1838

Paul Brown (Col’d), age 55, a slave to John Kiltersmith, the husband of Nelly Brown, T.C.U.G.Y. full pay April 12, 1838

John Countee (Col’d), age 43, slave to Miss Connolly, T.C.U.G.Y. half pay range August 22, 1838

Tabitha Haven (Col’d), age 26, a slave to Mrs. Matthew Peters, T.C.U.G.Y. free range September 5, 1838

Charity Boarman, age 65, a slave to Miss Jane Moss, T.C.U.G.Y. 1/2 pay range September 19, 1838

William Lee, age 11, a slave to Mr. Raph. Semmes, son of John & Teresa, half pay col’d ground December 29, 1838

Catherine Lee (col’d), age 3, daughter of Rosetta Lee, a slave to Mr.Vannessen, T.C.U.G.Y. half pay January 9, 1839

Joseph Crane (col’d), age 58, a slave to Mr. P.T. Berry, the husband of Mary Washington, a slave to Mr. P.T. Berry January 21, 1839

Arthur Lee, (col’d), son of John & Teresa Lee, slaves to R. Semmes, T.C.U.G.Y. 1/2 pay range June 9, 1839

James Madison (col’d), infant of Susan, servant of Samuel Queen, free range August 27, 1839

Peter (col’d), son of Peter and Daphne slave to Mr. Richard O’Neill, free range for the colored people of U.G.Y.T.C. October 11, 1839

Nancy Cooper, a colored woman, age 40, property of Mrs. Fletcher, who died the 11. instant, free range for colored people T.C.U.G.Y. January 12, 1840

John Butler (col’d), age 53, servant of Colonel Cox February 13, 1840

Jos. Armstead Montgomery (Col’d), slave to Mr. H. King, free range March 13, 1840

Harriet, property of Mrs. Adlum, daughter of Ellen Jenkins, free range for col’d. July 11, 1840

James (Colored), son of Eliza slave to Edward Clark, free range for colored people August 28, 1840

R.I.P.

(Deaths, Holy Trinity Church – Beginning 8th of December 1818, Holy Trinity Church Archives, Special Collections Division, Georgetown University Library)

Carlton Fletcher

(This history originally appeared in the Newsletter of the Catholic Historical Society of Washington, Volume X, Number 3, July-September 2002; and in the Glover Park Gazette, from December, 2001 to January 2002. All rights reserved.)

Holy Rood Cemetery I - origin, Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown
Holy Rood Cemetery II - transfer to the Archdiocese of Washington, 1942
Holy Rood Cemetery III - no room at the inn & digging up the dead, 1984
Joseph Nevitt - Minuteman & revolutionary war veteran
Slave Burials - for those too poor to even own themselves
The Unquiet Grave of Susan Decature - converted to Cathaloicism, buried on Georgetown University grounds, relocated to Holy Rood and then exhumed and buried a third and final time in Philadelphia. The other 900 bodies originally buried with her on the Georgetown campus are landfill somewhere.
Union Veterans
Confederate Veterans