✣ Hilltown Baptist ✣
The first stone one encounters marks the original site of the Hilltown Baptist Church Lower built in 1737. That particular building remained for 44 years, until it was demolished in 1771 to make way for a larger stone structure, which was subsequently dismantled in 1858. As the congregation grew, a separate building had to be created to accommodate the additional members. Hilltown Baptist Church Upper was built in 1750, and that location is their present home. I first photographed this cemetery in October of 2005. ‘Fugit hora’ indeed. It’s humbling to witness the effects of nearly fifteen years of weather and wear on these gravestones. I’ve included several of my 2005 photos, which are in color, to contrast with the contemporary ones. ➺ Local Cemeteries
➺ Find A Grave
➺ Bucks County Genealogical Society
➺ Pennsylvania Gravestones
While many headstones southeastern PA are engraved in a German dialect, the grave markers here are in English, which makes it a great cemetery for Anglophones to enjoy the epitaphs. Standardized spelling and punctuation had not yet been firmly established at the time of the earlier headstones, so some of the writing seems unconventional to our modern eyes. Sadly many of these are no longer legible due to wear. I’ve transcribed the epitaphs shown in the photos as accurately as I was able to below, including unusual spellings and line breaks. Color photos are from 2005. Edward Jones 1823:
Remember me as you pass by
As you are now [so once was I]
As I am now so you must be
Prepare for Death and follow me The Elias Thomas (1814) stone has nearly the same epitaph. It is a perpetual favorite, and variations can be found in many locations.
. . . . . . . . .
Catharine Philips 1819:
Father I give my spirit up
And trust it in thy hand
My dying flesh shall rest in hope
And rise at thy command
. . . . . . . . .
John Mathias 1803:
A Soul prepared needs no delays
The Summons come, the Saint obey
Swift was his flight and Sh[ort?] the Road
He clos’d his eyes and Saw his God.
. . . . . . . . .
Eber Thomas 1807:
Thus we must pass through
Deaths cold Shades:
Our Bodies in the dust be
Laid. This Solmn truth
May cause A sigh But
Men are mortal doomed to die
. . . . . . . . .
Eliza Morris 1803:
Her mind was Tranquil & Serene
No terror in here looks were seen
A saviours smile dispeld the gloom
And Smoth'd her passage to the tomb
. . . . . . . . .
Hervey Hines 1813:
How sweet the memory of
The Just: when the[y] lie
Mouldering in the dust.
The headstones of Jonathan and Benjamin Thomas are some of the oldest in the cemetery and mark the resting places of two young brothers who died only a few years apart. When I visited in early March of 2020, I was most looking forward to seeing these two headstones again due to their unique imagery. Both feature beautifully carved drapery and one has scalloped text. Unfortunately, out of all of the gravestones here, this pair probably best exemplify the effects of time. The color photos were developed in October of 2005. I wish I’d taken more and better photos then. ✣ adjacent to 11 Chalfont Rd. Chalfont, PA 18914 • Hilltown Township, Bucks County ✣
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