Marilyn Washington and I collaborated on St. Bernard cemetery; she provided me with a listing of actual death dates for the individuals listed in the anniversary book published in 1990 for deceased church members. Some of her notes included the notation "Potters Field." My reading draft also included names from obits and earlier visits. When I did my final "official" reading of the cemetery, I tried to note in what section of the cemetery headstones were located. While there wasn't a sign that says "Potters Field" there is a section at the top of the hill with little or no headstones. For all individuals buried with no headstones, whether adults or infants, my assumption was the family was Catholic but either didn't have the money to bury them (Potters) or pay for a headstone. (My mother gave birth at 6-1/2 months to a son who lived 3 hours. My dad was in the Navy and they had no money for a headstone. Fifteen years ago they visited the cemetery in Virginia where Paul was buried, and although they had a photo which showed a little wood cross and flowers, when they tried to arrange for a headstone the office informed them the records were too poorly kept for that time period and they couldn't allow a headstone since they weren't sure it would be on the correct plot.) There were 3 headstones on graves listed in Potters Field. One, George Yeager, 1912-1924, is listed in Potters Field, but my reading showed him in the bottom right section of the cemetery. Meanwhile, the next individual in the mass book is Walania, (Baby), premature birth. In retrospect, maybe this burial was the one in Potters Field. For the other two individuals (Bartus and Semelsberger), maybe the families came up with the money for the headstones later, or the Potters Field information was wrong. I live in Columbus, Ohio, and got tired of driving back to the same cemeteries to look for "new" individuals, so I read cemeteries and share the information on the Cambria county web site. However, keep in mind that while myself, and all of us who provide the information found on the web site try to do our best, errors occur. If you think something is wrong with a record, speak up so it can be corrected. Lisa Baker -----Original Message----- From: pacambri-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:pacambri-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Cathy Makara Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 12:50 AM To: pacambri@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [PACAMBRI] Potters Field & Catholics The area in the upper corner of St. Bernard's was considered the burial ground for non-Catholics. This would be babies who die before being baptized, non-Catholics, ex-communicated Catholics, etc. In the past, the entire cemetery was blessed, except for the upper corner, so "non-Catholics" couldn't be buried there in the blessed part according to Catholic church rules. This is no longer the case in that cemetery as they bless the grave individually at each burial rather than the entire cemetery. I lived next to St. Bernard's growing up, our property touching St. Bernard's Cemetery, including the non-blessed corner. My mother had a baby who was born dead, and since they couldn't be baptized, was buried in that upper corner. A small, flat tombstone marks the grave, Baby Buck, 1957. Our Buck family plot is elsewhere in the cemetery. Cathy (Buck) Makara > Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:53:38 -0500 > From: "slbearer" <slbearer@comcast.net> > Subject: Re: [PACAMBRI] Potters Field & Catholics > To: <pacambri@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: <32CE85DA1A8B4DE6AB2438D9D5035AA5@yourd0f670b45a> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; > reply-type=response > > I agree with Mike that unbaptized babies were rare. Also the people > buried > in St. Bernard's really don't appear to be separated from their families & > they most certainly did have decent burials. I never would have known the > part across the top was any different then the rest of the cemetery if > someone from that area would not have explained what it was. I have > different areas of the family all over that whole cemetery so if I were to > have found someone there, I never would have thought anything of it. > There > is nothing that says or stands out to make anyone think it isn't part of > the > cemetery. I however would have preferred finding a family member close > (in > what appears to be the same cemetery then having to go across or to a > completely different town to find them. Catholics also have the option of > being buried in a non catholic cemetery with their non catholic spouse. > If > my husband wasn't Catholic I think I would also prefer a place like that > so > we could be buried together & still in the same cemetery where the rest of > my family is. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bea and Stan Rutherford" <beair@verizon.net> > To: "slbearer" <slbearer@comcast.net> > Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 12:13 PM > Subject: Re: [PACAMBRI] Potters Field & Catholics >> I was born raised and still am of Catholic Faith ....I have never heard >> of them burying a baby in a Potters Field because it was not baptised >> yet....nor for that I have never heard of them even having a " Potters >> Field " To seperate families.............So So So sad that somewhere that >> has happened ! >> Everyone has a right to have a decent burial - Baptised or whatever they >> may have done with their lives.....agree ? >> That I know of our church cemetery has no potters field ! I sure will >> check into that ! >> Kindly >> Bea >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "slbearer" <slbearer@comcast.net> >> To: <pacambri@rootsweb.com> >> Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 10:17 AM >> Subject: [PACAMBRI] Potters Field & Catholics >>> Marilyn wrote on here once that there is a "Potters Field" above the >>> cemetery in St. Bernard's Cemetery & that it was for the burial of >>> babies >>> who did not get baptised before they died, or for other ("Catholics" I >>> think) that had done criminal acts. Do they have a "Potters Fields" in >>> all Catholic Cemeteries? Does that person in that Potters Field have >>> had to have belonged to a Catholic family? The requirement to being >>> buried in a Catholic Cemetery is still to have been baptised correct? 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