Winter 2022 Newsletter: Remembering Laurel’s “Ordinary” People
This issue centers the lives of everyday people buried at Laurel Cemetery through one family’s discovery of its personal connection to the site. It also profiles George Alexander Hackett and uses death-certificate data to estimate the cemetery’s total number of burials.
What's Inside
1 | FEATURES
A Little Fanfare for the “Ordinary” Folks
Sharon L. Haynie traces five ancestors buried at Laurel Cemetery and shares how a family deed and letter led her to uncover their history and become involved with the Memorial Project.
4 | PROFILES
To Benefit the Community: George Alexander Hackett (1806–1870)
Profiles George Alexander Hackett, a Baltimore activist, businessman, and community leader who fought for Black suffrage, education, and protection of free Black residents.
5 | RESEARCH
Estimating the Number of Burials at Laurel Cemetery
Death-certificate research and statistical analysis estimate at least 37,049 burials from 1875–1956, with 45,000–55,000 considered a more realistic estimate for the cemetery’s full 1852–1956 period.
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