The Zion Wesleyan, Methodist Episcopal African Church was incorporated in December of 1854 and the land, including designation of a cemetery, was purchased that same month. However, since incorporation of churches and charitable organizations was a relatively new phenomenon in 1854, we don't assume the church and cemetery were founded at that time. In fact, the oldest remaining gravestone is dated 1847. We believe the church and cemetery occupied the premises long before 1854, perhaps under a rental agreement. It is noteworthy that the 1847 grave is for Eliza Parker. She was the wife of Timbuctoo community leader David Parker, who was a trustee of the church. Timbuctoo is an antebellum free Black settlement settled in 1826. More information about Timbuctoo can be found at www.TimbuctooNJ.com

The name Timbuctoo Civil War Memorial Cemetery is associated with the installation of a name marker in 2006 by the Westampton Historical Society. Since 8 of 11 remaining gravestones are US Colored Troops (USCT) that fought in the Civil War, logical thinking at that time was that it was a cemetery for Civil War soldiers. However, the 1854 deed suggests otherwise, with restrictive language about who can be buried here. It says the premises were to be used "as a place of religious worship according to the form of government and discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America, and as a place for the burial of the dead of such as are in connection with said church or the descendants thereof, (and such others as the majority of the Trustees for the time being may permit) forever." In addition, ground penetrating radar conducted in 2009, identified as many as 164 unmarked graves. Based on the foregoing, we believe that the USCT were buried in the cemetery because of their affiliation with the church, not because of their military service, and the majority of the interments were civilian church members.

The three civilian gravestones include the oldest one from 1847. All were members of the Parker family. David Parker was arguably the most prominent Timbuctoo resident. He had the financial resources to purchase stone grave markers during an era when wooden grave markers were commonplace. These would not survive time. By contrast, USCT got stone grave markers as a benefit of military service.

The Timbuctoo website noted above includes additional information, including brief biographies of the US Colored Troops.

Sources:

Burlington County, New Jersey, Deeds, A:77.Trustees of the Zion Wesleyan ME African Church –Timbuctoo,23 December 1854; Burlington County Clerk's Office, Mount Holly.

Guy Weston "Timbuctoo and the First Emancipation of the Nineteenth Century," New Jersey Studies, Vol. 8 No. 1 (2022)

William J Chadwick and Peter Leach, Geophysical Survey of Timbuctoo, Westampton Township, New Jersey, John Milner Associates, September 2009

Submitted by the Timbuctoo Historical Society

March 2023