Warm up to play Taps to honor African American warriors in historic Lincoln Cemetery.

Published 2022-05-30

After a day of réhabilitation and maintenance of a neglected African American Cemetery containing warriors from every American conflict. I felt obliged to play Taps to honor their final resting place. We have a lot of work to do in addition to the maintaining of the hallowed grounds which do have historical designation. at least 104 US COLORED troops who served in the Civil War are interred here. at least 30 of my ancestors on my mom's dad's side and some on her mom's side also are interred here. The cemetery is in Susquehanna Twp straddling Penbrook borough outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania the capital of the state.

The largest military camp in the north was outside north of Harrisburg. Gettysburg is within 70 miles where the decisive battle was fought in the Civil War. Harrisburg being only 60 miles from the Mason Dixon line was a big Underground Railroad terminal and also many sympathetic to the South also.
I found the first ancestor documented to had been a slave and a narrative of his 83 yr life during and after bondage. My mother was a granddaughter of a slave! Another former slave I had known from distant family keeping his obituary wife was my great grandfather wife sister!
William C Willians ( 1836-1927)built a church with my great grandfather and they married sisters all walked from Berryville Clark County and Fauquier County behinds retreating armies during the Civil War. my grear grandfather's name was Daniel Potter sr.(1842-1925). They were amazing people in the 8th ward, 7th ward, 6th ward as the state expanded. Before WWII they had an independent black business community amidst segregation. politically active and struggled to get educational opportunities.
The cemetery is owned by the first black black church organized in Harrisburg but has fallen upon low membership and lack of expertise in owning the cemetery.