Finding Flora Allen: May She Finally Rest in Peace

I recall vividly one request Bishop Richard Franklin Norris made of me as he appointed me to Mother Bethel in 2008: “I want you to find out what happened to the remains of Flora Allen.” There has never been agreement on where Flora was buried after a 9 month illness took her life in March, 1801. Many believed that she was buried at the Potter’s Field in what is now the prestigious Washington Square just north of Mother Bethel.

Well, I was happy today to call Bishop Norris and share the good news that we now know what happened to the earthly remains of Bishop Richard Allen’s first wife. The Bible says that if you ask, you shall receive. That law of faith is certainly true in this instance.

On Monday, I was contacted by a local researcher by the name of Terry Buckalew. He is a layman who has done a considerable amount of genealogy work in and around Philadelphia. Terry reached out to me to talk about the old burial ground owned by Mother Bethel in the 1800s located at what is now Weccacoe Park (bounded by S. 4th and S. 5th Streets & Queen and Catherine Streets). This in and of itself was news to me and I was happy to find out about this part of our past (even though the story of the lack of upkeep of the cemetery was not so glorious—look forward to hearing about this with Terry’s help at a later date).

Since we were talking about gravesites, I took the opportunity to ask about Flora. Although he did not know right off hand, he agreed to go back over his notes for any clues. I was more than a little surprised to hear back from him before 24 hours had passed. Through accounts found in the Philadelphia Gazette (March 14, 1801) and the Philadelphia Inquirer (November 5, 1889), combined with a little sleuthing, here’s the story he put together.

In 1801, Mother Bethel still worshiped in the first building, the Blacksmith Shop. When Flora died, her body was buried in the basement of that building. Apparently, the church also buried others in that same location until securing the Bethel Burial Grounds referred to earlier. For reasons that are unexplained, people seem to have forgotten that Flora and the others were buried beneath the church. Although two more buildings were built in the same location (1805 and 1841), there is no mention of the small, silent graveyard beneath the worshipers. As generation after generation had come and gone, so did the story of the dead.

However, all of that changed in 1889 with the construction of the fourth and present edifice. While the ground was being excavated, the contractor discovered a mummified corpse and the skeletal remains of others who had been hidden out of view of the congregation. Even then, it is not clear that anyone made the connection that among the dead was Flora Allen. Those remains were exhumed and then re-interred at Lebanon Cemetery (also now a playground on the corner of S.9th and Passyunk Streets in South Philadelphia).

The move would prove only temporary. Less than 15 years later, Lebanon Cemetery was purchased by the new Eden Cemetery just outside the city limits of Philadelphia. All of the remains from Lebanon were kept in the same area at Eden, which suggests strong evidence that Flora (along with those other unnamed founders of our great Zion) is now buried at Eden Cemetery. How fitting that the first “1st Lady” of African Methodism is resting in Eden!

Eden Cemetery, a National Landmark, is “home” to some of Americas most famous Black citizens: Marian Anderson, William Still, Octavius Catto, Francis Ellen Watkins Harper, and a number of the direct descendants of Bishop Richard and Sarah Allen. In addition to the need to restore the monument of Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne in recognition of his 200th birthday this year (see my posting from last year here), we also need to commemorate the spot where Flora rests. She was a tireless co-laborer with our beloved founder and worked until her death in helping to secure a legacy to pass on to us.

Let us ensure that future generations will never again forget where this saint lies in quiet repose. We must put the funding together to place a proper monument at Eden Cemetery so that she will never be lost again. This is certainly something that our entire Connection should want to support.

As you do for your ancestors, your children will do for you. –African Proverb

(Again, words cannot express our deep appreciation for Terry Buckalew for this incredible discovery. For those who wish to contact him directly, his email address is tebuckalew@gmail.com)