St. John's Cemetery is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a bu ...

located in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

. The cemetery is operated by St. John the Evangelist Holy Catholic Church in

. The cemetery is located at East 3rd Street

21701.

History

The grounds which would become St. John's Cemetery was first used as a cemetery for the

interment Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

of Henry, a free black man who died of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...

in 1832. St. John's Cemetery was officially established in 1845.Guynn, Susan. "Cemetery is historic resting place", ''

The Frederick News Post ''The Frederick News-Post'' is the local newspaper of Frederick County, Maryland. In addition to discussing local news, the newspaper addresses international, national, and regional news. The paper publishes six days a week. History On October ...

'', Frederick, 18 September 2010. St John's Cemetery contains a number of graves from French settlers who fled the St. Domingue Slave revolt of 1791. The family of Etienne Bellumeau de la Vincendière made their way to

possibly via

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. Etienne established himself in Charleston and was moved to

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

to be buried in the family plot with his wife Marguerite.Reed and Wallace (1999). ''Monocacy National Battlefield: Cultural Resources Study'', p. 92-94. National Park Service, Hagerstown. . His eldest daughter Victoire, acquired the land and managed L’Hermitage plantation, notorious for the poor treatment of its many slaves,Ruane, Micheal. “Brutal slave history unearthed at Frederick County’s L’Hermitage” ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', Frederick, 26 August 2010. her sister Adelaide and her nephew

Enoch Louis Lowe Enoch Louis Lowe (August 10, 1820August 23, 1892) was the 29th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1851 to 1854. Early life He was the only child of Bradley Samuel Adams Lowe and Adelaide Bellumeau de la Vincendiere. He was born on A ...

are also buried at St John's Cemetery. Lowe would become the 29th

Governor of Maryland The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

. John Payne Boisneuf, brother of Etienne, is buried nearby. Boisneuf was among the many French nationals who condemned

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

to death in France on October 16, 1793. Three French soldiers are buried at St. John's Cemetery. Francis Luber and Herman Weber fought for Napoleon Bonaparte at the battle of Waterloo. Peter Nicolas Simard, buried nearby, was a member of the

National Order of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

. There are 3 soldiers from the Revolutionary War, 1 from the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

, 17 from the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

, 16 confederate and 34

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldiers from the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, as well as veterans from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

and

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. In 1998, 10 union soldiers were dedicated at St. John's Cemetery. For the prior 138 years they had been in graves without headstones. Funeral director and amateur historian Keith Roberson identified the soldiers after 4 years and research. Mr. Roberson requested that the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

provide the headstones, which they did, as they are required to by law.Robb, Julia. "Civil War tombstones dedicated at St. John’s", ''

'', Frederick, 20 July 1998. A 25-year-old man, who was hung on December 24, 1861, for killing his superior officer on September 22, 1861, also received a marker but was not dedicated.

St. John’s Cemetery Chapel

The St. John's Cemetery Chapel was converted from a storage shed into a chapel. The official ground breaking was in 2003, and the chapel was blessed in the fall of 2009. A small

flagstone Flagstone (flag) is a generic flat stone, sometimes cut in regular rectangular or square shape and usually used for paving slabs or walkways, patios, flooring, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstones, facades and other c ...

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

, flanked by stone benches leads to the chapel, whose exterior was finished to complement the exterior of St John's the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church on East Second Street. Above the entrance hangs a small iron cross that was found on the property, which originally marked the burial site of an unknown Union soldier. The entrance is made up to two sets of doors, the outer gate, which originally served as the cemeteries Fourth Street entrance gates, and the inner full glass doors.Guynn, Susan. "Cemetery chapel a place for prayer, peace", ''

'', Frederick, 18 September 2010. The flagstone from the courtyard continues inside the chapel. Opposite the doors is a large glass window with a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (La ...

created using the frame of the window as the cross and a large corpus statue hanging from it. The ceiling is made of yellow

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

and has exposed rafters. The

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

, constructed of

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since h ...

and

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' cont ...

was created by a local artist. Above the entrance hangs a wood and plaster crucifix once owned by John McElroy, SJ, who is also buried in the cemetery.

Jesuit Novitiate Cemetery

St Stanislaus Novitate Frederick Maryland

A Jesuit cemetery was established in 1805 by Father

John Dubois John Dubois (french: Jean Dubois) served as the third bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York from 1826 until his death in 1842. He was the first Bishop of New York who was not Irish-born and, as of 2021, remains the only Bishop or Archbi ...

on the grounds of the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

, which once stood on East Second Street. In 1903, the Jesuit novitiate in Frederick closed and graves were moved from the Frederick Jesuit Novitiate Cemetery to St. John's Cemetery. 79 Jesuits along with others including Chief Justice

Roger Brooke Taney Roger Brooke Taney (; March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was the fifth chief justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 1864. Although an opponent of slavery, believing it to be an evil practice, Taney belie ...

were relocated to St. John's cemetery.

Notable burials

*Louis Victor Baughman (1845-1906), Maryland Comptroller (1888-1892), President of the

C&O Canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, wh ...

, President of the Frederick, Northern & Gettysburg Electric Railway Company *

Outerbridge Horsey Outerbridge Horsey III (March 5, 1777 – June 9, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly, as Attorney General of Delaware (18 ...

(1777-1842),

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

(1777-1864), 5th Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, 12th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, 11th U.S. States Attorney General, and U.S. Secretary of War. * John McElroy, SJ (1782-1877), Jesuit Priest, one of the first

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

s and Founder of

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...

Boston College High School , motto_translation = ''So they may know You.'' , address = 150 Morrissey Boulevard , city = Boston , state = Massachusetts , zipcode = 02125 , country ...

(1820-1892), 29th

*Leonard Smith (), Founded

Brunswick, Maryland Brunswick is a city in southwestern Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River; Loudoun County, Virginia occupies the opposite shore. The population of Brunswick was 7,762 at the 2020 c ...

Brunswick MD Website
Retrieved 2012-06-01. and

Jefferson, Maryland Jefferson is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census the town had a population of 2,235 (which includes the widespread area of the town's zip code, not Je ...

*John Tehan (-1868), Architect of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in

References

External links

{{Commons category, St. John's Cemetery (Frederick, Maryland)
St John the Evangelist Church, Frederick, Maryland
website
Frederick County Tourism
website
Find A Grave
website Roman Catholic cemeteries in Maryland Buildings and structures in Frederick, Maryland Cemeteries established in the 1840s 1845 establishments in Maryland