Blog
From Our History
Stories from more than four centuries of St. John’s and Elizabeth City Parish.
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Cemetery Stories: Captain Henry Mowatt (1734–1798)
A rectangular stone tablet along the walkway from the south door of the church to Queensway identifies the burial site of Captain Henry Mowatt—a British naval officer.
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Heritage Committee Addresses Students, Teachers
William Tucker, the first documented African baby born in English-speaking North America, was actually born in Elizabeth City Parish.
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Cemetery Stories: Mary Pretty Hair and St. John’s Ministry at Hampton Institute
Between 1879 and 1890, our clergy officiated at thirteen burials of Native Americans at the Hampton University cemetery.
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Cemetery Stories: Conrad Wise Chapman
Along the perimeter of the cemetery as it existed in the early 20th century, in the far northwestern corner, you will encounter the modest gravesite of Conrad Wise Chapman.
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Honoring a “Local Saint”: The Reverend James Solomon Russell
The Reverend James Solomon Russell was named a “local saint” in the Diocese of Southern Virginia in 1996.
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Twenty-Six Previously Unknown Graves Located in Cemetery
Mr. Housand located twenty-six previously unknown gravesites.
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Heritage Group Seeks Hidden History
In a corner of the copy room of the Parish House stands a vintage, heavy-metal safe, which holds great wealth. Rather than cash, it protects about a dozen large, priceless volumes of vestry minutes and…
