Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-07-04

this nation. So with our dear loves
to you remembered; desiring your
loving assistance to both these our
dear friends, we rest your friends in
the truth"
Out of the land that father and son
came to occupy was chosen ''one acre
in extension" as the early record
tells, to be and always to be called
"the Wood Family Burying Ground
From Henry Wood to his son John
and from that John to his son John,
came this unfailing bequest. How
fine this was! How ancient is the
sacred principle it exemplified! The
possession of burying place was a
religious necessity for every family of
Gods ancient people, Israel Here
where we are today was exhibited
long years ago one of the most sacred
bits of conscientiousness of which
Humanity is capable. Therefore, in
one sense, is this holy ground, even
though no Bishop or Priest has pro-
nounced upon it the sentence of con-
secration. Do we not well to mark
the place? Here in 1886 was buried
the body of Henry Wood, the pioneer.
Here was the burial place of the
Wood family for at least one hundred
and fifty years. Here, as late as 1912
the body of Constantine Wilkins, a
descendant, found it's last resting
place. Far back, beyond the time of
which we speak, it is believed the In
dians used this spot for burial. 1t
has been the scene of the most prim-
tive pathos of life in this land. All
through the long intermediate years;
through the modern period in which
our country was not careful, as it is
now beginning to be, to search and
prove its traditions, this place has
kept it's secrets and waited for men
to come and find and publish them,
that the present may better learn the
lessons of the past. Strictly on my
own responsibility l feel it duty, as
it is pleasure, to commend the care
fulness of our president, Mr. John G.
Whitall, in identifying the spot as ac-
curately as could be done after the
long time disappearance of all origin
al outlining marks No less a duty,
no less a pleasure is it, to commend
the work of our fellow member, DR..
Joseph G. Halsey, of Swedesboro, in
collecting the money needed for the
erection of this memorial stone And
be it remembered that this collection
of the cost of this memorial has been
from as many as could be reached of
the descendants of Henry Wood /
hope there are some, perhaps not
few of them, present to hear an ap-
preciative acknowledgment of their
pious intent and this their sacred
achievement. There is vast differ
ence between family burying ground
and a public cemetery. One is sweet
and sacred with family tradition. The
other is as cold as death itself, as a
mere business method of disposing of
the bodies of the dead. Yet for very
fear of the future, the family parcel
of ground is now chosen out of the
great public enclosure. The efforts
of such societies as ours and of other
agencies are reclaiming all possible
history and tradition Such spots as
this identified, saved and marked, are
again sacred, and again bound up as
pages and leaves in the annals of
this land. We would have Henry
Woods descendants feel today that
they are specifically fulfilling the
wishes of their ancestor, that this
should be his family burying ground
from generation to generation, and
that as such it should bear his name
for all time. 1t is eminently fitting
that the hand of one of his lineal de-
scendants, the president of our So
ciety, should unveil this stone. 1t is
right that descendants of Henry
should have paid the modest cost of
it, and that certain of them, Joseph r.
Wainwright, of Philadelphia, and Mrs.
Heritage, of Glassboro, should have
especially subscribed to the expense
of caring for this ground. 1t is ap-
propriate that neighbors of Henry
Woods domain should assemble today
for the dedication of this stone. And
may add there is a poetic justice of
reconciliation and reparation in the
duty so graciously given to me to-
day: Priest who has his Apostolic
Orders through the Church of Eng
land that sometime unnecessarily per-
secuted the Society of Friends, pay
ing honest and respectful tribute to
the memory of member of that So
ciety, and his descendants. We may
feel sllfe that this neighbOrhOOd more