Featured Gravestone – Charity Fox

Section:  Presbyterian*

Material:  White marble

Large white stone with a distinctive shape.  Carved drapery frames the upper part of the tablet with a cover urn above it.  Stone is very darkened and inscription is heavily eroded, though the text was copied on the burial index card.

Inscription:  In memory of Charity, wife of Bristol Fox, who departed this life September 1, 1825, aged 29 years, 10 months, and 12 days.  Also, Catherine Louisa Fox, aged 4 months and 12 days, also Edward Henry, aged 23 days.

*While the stone is currently located in the United Presbyterian section of the Church Grounds, the Common Council inventory lists it as originally erected in the Methodist Episcopal section of the State Street Burying Grounds.

Charity’s maiden name was Devoe and it is possible she was related to William Devoe who is also buried in the Church Grounds.  The 1825 city directory lists her husband as a carpenter at 654 South Market Street.  The dates of death for the children are not given and it is not known if either died at or around the same time as Charity.

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The Project is expanding

For the past several years, I’ve been casually documenting the Church Grounds at the Albany Rural Cemetery on the blog and, more seriously, as part of a book on the history of the Cemetery.  As the book nears completion, it has become clear that the history Church Grounds and the State Street Burying Grounds is a stand-alone project.  It is in an often-overlooked part of Albany’s past and one of the few remaining tangible connections to our 18th and early 19th century history.  The goal now is to research the State Street Burying Grounds (as well as related early graveyards such as the original Dutch Reformed churchyard and smaller burial places such as the Hallenbeek burial ground) with the ultimate goal of a published history.

If you would like to support this project, please click the link below.

The Albany Church Grounds Project on GoFundMe