Hillington Cemetery, Potters Field, images and narrative Rene Elliott

Rennie M Elliott: Potters Field pp. 59 -60, plat 7. Index page is shown above leading readers to pages 59-60 for Potters Field Burial records.

Candy Turner I am surprised to see Clarence Pickens and Adrian Pickens names on the ledger. Isn't Potter's field for people who could not afford burial?

Rennie M Elliott: No the pages for Potters Field is listed in the index page of "P", in other words, all those lots above, were sold before Potters Field,plat 7, was created, plats 1 - 5, officially anyways. Another anomaly in the book is lot number zero, which are two graves cut off from James E. Cooke's lot on the first hill overlooking the Franchot family, which were sold to Orlin Gregory (who is buried with his family behind the old Elliott lot on the second hill, so these are unused?). Cooke's lot being listed as one in that plat, leads me to believe it as sold off before this book was used, unfortunately sale dates are recorded on the cemetery deeds and this book is only for the burial record. So no, the whole page shown above, is an index for "P", the placement of "Potters Field" in that list suggests the vintage of those graves being officially listed as "Potters Field". (Buried at town expense in other words).

Candy Turner: Thank you so much for this information. I love it that you and other people from Morris post its history. Thanks again.

Above is part of page 60.

Rennie M Elliott: Alfred Houseman, 79 years of age, buried Nov. 12, 1913, born in New York City. The only recorded burial in Potters Field, Hillington Cemetery.

Photos by Rene Elliott taken when some stones were still on Potters Field. He wrote the following text, too.
Potters Field, Hillington Cemetery. Normally stones like this would be foot stones, as all these stones were pulled up at one point (for tree removal?) I am not sure they are placed in the right spot or even the proper stones, this is where ground penetrating radar (as used recently by Boy Scouts at the Delhi College to locate an old cemetery) would come in handy to at least identify grave locations. My wild guess is that B = Bellamy and P = Parish, but that is only a guess. Pre-1895 this was the back corner of the cemetery. only one burial is actually recorded on the "Potters Field" cemetery page in the burial register book. Also, the exact placement of Harry Fortune's grave stone would be questionable now, unless where the largest clump of perennials is? There was a wooden cross with grapevine wreath at Fortune's grave site for awhile. I can only guess when the recovered stone was offered a few years ago that someone had in mind a more suitable replacement?