A Baltimore woman's quest to uncover ancestral graves at a historic cemetery
BALTIMORE -- Jennifer Johnson has nearly a dozen relatives buried at St. Peter's Cemetery in West Baltimore. The centuries old cemetery is the resting place for roughly 15,000 including 400 to 1500 African-Americans including Jennifer's grandmother.
"So, in May of 2023, well a little before May, I asked my mother if she could have anything in this world what would it be, and she said, to find her mother's grave," Johnson said.
Despite multiple unmarked graves and dilapidated headstones, Jennifer set out to find her grandmother's grave. Jennifer's mother, Sandy, hopeful her mother's grave will be found.
"There are 9 very close relatives that we have out here, somewhere, and we know we can find them," Sandy Johnson said.
Through two grants from the Trader foundation, Jennifer began by clearing the entire African American section of the cemetery of weeds, trees, and debris. Even in death, African Americans were segregated.
"It's been tiring it's been a lot of work, the tedious work that goes into it, but it's very fulfilling also," Sandy Johnson said.
In search of help, Jennifer reached out to Towson University seeking expertise in Forensic Archaeology, and to her luck she found it in Professor Dana Kollman and her students.
"We're still in the middle of processing the data, so the field collection comes first, and the good stuff comes on the back end," Kollman said.
Kollman and her students volunteer their time and using ground penetrating radar to roll over the earth's surface to help solve this family's dilemma.
Few people can retrace lines of heritage of those buried at St. Peter's, fewer know the stories of the people buried here like funeral director Dr. Hari Close.
"In Maryland, particularly Baltimore, there weren't that many cemeteries for the negro race to be buried in at that time."
Jennifer says the passage of time will not stop until she uncovers the burial plot of their family matriarch.
"I really want to make this dream come true for her, and it's not only a blessing for her, but for my entire family and I know it will happen," Jennifer Johnson said.
