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Trustees document about 14 unmarked paupers’ graves at Laurel Hill Cemetery and call for signage, identification
Summary
Minutes from the Aug. 3 on-site meeting record a paupers’ graves section at the east end with approximately 14 unmarked graves; trustees recommended trimming, mulching, installing signage and attempting to identify burials where possible.
During the on-site inspection of Laurel Hill Cemetery on Aug. 3, the Chester Cemetery Association recorded that the paupers’ graves section at the east end contains approximately 14 unmarked graves and requires maintenance and identification efforts.
The minutes, submitted by Secretary Lee Foster, state the area needs trimming and mulching and that signage should be installed; trustees asked that burials be identified where possible. The minutes do not list specific research steps, documentation already located, or whether any burial markers or surviving family contacts were identified.
Why it matters: unmarked graves pose preservation, ethical and genealogical concerns. Trustees flagged the paupers’ section as a site priority for maintenance and for efforts to document burials to ensure respectful long-term care.
Next steps: the association recommended ground maintenance (trimming and mulching), adding signage, and pursuing identification of burials where records or evidence permit. The minutes do not specify who will perform research into interments or a timeline for identification work.
