Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-06-07

while most zeaiously and fruitfully min
iaterinc To them. A handsome obeiisk "a
the chisren.yard also attests the regard 10
which he was held by the congregation.
He was succeeded by Rev. Lewis William
Burton, the present incumbent.
ORIGINALLY SHAPED LIKE A PARkLLELooRAM.
The church. as has been stated, was
originally built in the form OF q Simple
parallelooram. The material OF winch IL
was constructed was hard yellow pine
most probably grown on the ste. lug
frame and Notwithstanding OF tho oriRl-
nal portion Of the. church remain to-uay
Il have beer simply designated as the
Upper Church. at Richmond. !" Henrlco
Church, 1.-THE Church on hlchmond
HilI.r until 1920, for OF q meeting OF the
yegtry held April 10th of that year the
present title (St. John's) was decided upon.
AT meeting on the 18th instant following
IL is so for the first time recorded,
An addition 10 the building on tne NORM
side. % feet in width by 40 feet IN iengtn
with q gallery on both sides and in one
end. was decided upon by the yestry De
cember, 1772. This gave the churcn Jus
Snbseouent to this a belfry-tower ap,:
pears 10 have been erected, which tolled
upon occasions of worship and memorial
exercises. -
ment.
TIE ONLY PUBLIC CEMETERY.
Az this was the only public cemetery OF
Richmond until the opening. OF Shockoe
Hill in 1896. it may be realized that 1t was
crowded with tho dead Of our city and the
surrounding country. Some prominent
families owned seats in the vicinity OF
Richmond in which were located family
burvinp-grounds, and IN some instances
there were such burial places with
in the limits of the city. The most
considerable of ithese was that known as
the Adams ground, corner, Twenty-sec9nu
and Marshall, the removal OF the Ooules
Gently refused a representative OF the
family by the Board OF Health. Another
ground on the same street and within the
same square was that of the Pickett family,
OF which General George Z. Pickett, the
hero Of Gettysburg, was member.
Some years prior to the late war there
were several rude head-stones at the cor
ner Of Third and Cary streets. when was
tho site Of Primitive Baptist churcn aI
the beginning of the present century
NO puR1AIs II ST. JOHNS RECENTLY.
In ST. Johns cemetery no burials have
been allowed for q score OF years past.
They had been but lnlrequeht LOT nihhy
years pre- yious and were only allowed Tor
ihe burial of those whose ancestors had pre-
yiously been inferred there. g,
The digging of the graves was attended
with narrowing circumstances. 1t was
ey1rced that the whole surface save that
covered by tombs had been repeatedly
bnried over, as indicated by the exhuma-
ton of former remains.
The recent grading, plotting, and turf;
ing of the grounds have obliterated all
lingering marks of many mounds and
other graves, and mony tombstones nave
been defsced or obliterated. The registry
of interments In the cemetery has been
but irregularly and never but partially
kept
There remain. however, sufficient tomb
stones with records on them TO constitute
a volume of personal history of Richmond,
and connect many of our most prominent
families with the leading figures here
during the middle of the last century.