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Lincoln Cemetery, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
T. Morris Chester Tombstone Ceremony, September 21, 2002
Page Two
On Saturday, September 21, 2002, descendants of Thomas Morris Chester, journalist, educator, diplomat, lawyer, scholar, gathered at his grave in Lincoln Cemetery, Penbrook, to unveil a newly refurbished gravestone with corrected year of birth. The ceremony was a part of the United States Colored Troops Institute Regional Conference, held at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that weekend, at the National Civil War Museum.
Left: Ms. Latonya Randall, great, great,grandniece of Thomas Morris Chester, addresses the crowd. Prior to her speech, the Rev. Samuel O. Richardson, (at left, back to camera) great-grandson of Chester and
pastor of Slades Chapel AME Zion Church, Morgantown, North Carolina, offered a prayer.
Guests then sang Lift Every Voice and Sing.
At right, members of the American Legion Honor Guard present the colors as descendants of Chester prepare to unveil the new tombstone. At left is Elizabeth Hardy Autridge, great-grandniece of T. Morris Chester, who presided over the ceremony.
Far Left: The new tombstone was unveiled by Mr. Robert Richardson, Sr., grandson of Chester. Here, Mr. Richardson reads a short speech to the assembled guests.
Left: The newly refurbished tombstone is unveiled, to applause and cheers, with the help of Mr. James Richardson.
At right, Mr. G. Y. Gbamakollie, great- grandnephew of Chester, prepares to present Mrs. Ella Mae Simmons, Lincoln Cemetery Chairperson, with a certificate of thanks from the descendants of Thomas Morris Chester.
Left: Ms. Simmons accepts the thanks of the Chester family descendants on behalf of Wesley Union AME Zion Church and presents Mr. Gbamakollie with a memorial booklet containing a history of Lincoln Cemetery. The ceremony
came to a close with the guests and family singing the Liberian National Anthem, All Hail Liberia Hail, followed by a closing prayer offered by Wesley Union pastor Reverend Beatrice Carter on behalf of the Reverend Jimmy Allen Thomas of the church.
At right, proud descendants of Thomas Morris Chester take time to pose for pictures with the new tombstone for their famous ancestor. From left: Mr. Ernest Dennis, Mr. Gregory Richardson, and Mr. James Richardson.
From Left: Mr. James Richardson, Mr. Ernest Dennis, Mr. G. Y. Gbamakollie, Rev. Samuel O. Richardson, and Mr. Gregory Richardson.
All photos on this page and on the next page are by George F. Nagle and are property of Afrolumens Project.
Chester's funeral notice from The Patriot, 1892
Go to Photos from USCT Conference
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