Burial Certificate for Mathew Barrett

Midland Cemetery~
Application for Burial of Mathew Barrett

Midland Cemetery was rescued from neglect by local historian Barbara B. Barksdale, who began the Friends of Midland organization. That organization is the best source of information on the cemetery. They can be contacted at the following address:
Friends of Midland, P. O. Box 7442, Steelton, Pennsylvania 17113-0442.

alobe Jackson, Jr., Harrisburg historian and frequent contributor to this website, sent the following document that gives us a fascinating glimpse into the passing of a local Buffalo Soldier, Mathew Barrett, of Steelton. Barrett passed away in his Front Street home on March 21, 1933. According to his application for burial, filed with the County of Dauphin, Barrett had been a member of the 10th Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Spanish American War. He was discharged on March 8, 1899.

The 10th United States Volunteer Infantry (Colored Troops) was raised as a National Guard unit in July 1898 in several southern states for service in the Spanish American War. The unit saw no fighting during the war and never left the country. Seventeen men in the regiment died of disease or other non-combat causes during their term of enlistment. Soldiers of the regiment were discharged on March 8, 1899 in Macon, Georgia.1

Jackson writes "Below is burial application for a 10th Cavalry Soldier that died in 1933 and is buried in Midland. The interesting thing about this application is that Robert Willis, 519 Lincoln St., is listed as undertaker. Very little is know about this undertaker, but he does appear for a few years in the early 1930's." Earlier, Jackson had written to Friends of Midland Cemetery President Barbara B. Barksdale about Willis. Barksdale responded "I had very little information on the Willis undertakers. Some of the elders told me about the home on Lincoln St, but also spoke of the other on Adams Street." 2 , 3

Robert H. Willis appears in the 1920 census of Steelton, living in the home of Henry C. Holland at 147 Ridge Street. Willis is recorded as the 16-year-old step-son of Henry Holland, which means that he was only about 30 years old when he was working as an undertaker in 1933. Also in the Holland household in 1920 is Robert's sister, and Holland's step-daughter, Lena C.Willis. 4

In addition to Willis, Jackson mentions other earlier African American undertakers operating in the Harrisburg and Steelton area: "Barbara, you are correct. I also have seen a reference to Willis Funeral home at 2nd and Adams. This may be the same funeral home that George Hooper and later Jeff Jackson operated. Other Black funeral directors that appear on Civil War veterans' records include Ross Cooper, Walter Hooper and of course Charles Curtis."

"Lance Ulen said that his mother, Millicent Price Hooper (William Penn High School, 1938), daughter of Walter Hooper and Alice Price (Steelton High School class of 1907) was the first Black female undertaker in Harrisburg, but I remember Rita Curtis (William Penn High School, 1933), daughter of Charles and Marie Curtis and mother of Gregory Curtis. She was active with her father in a funeral home at 6th and Boas Streets in the mid-1930's. Major Winfield started with the Curtis funeral home. History goes on and on." 5

▼ Click for a larger image of the complete form.

Application for Burial of Veteran Mathew Barrett

Federal law stipulated that each county should provide funds to help bury veterans. This is a change from the laws in place in 1909, which would only cover funeral costs if the veteran could be proved to have been impoverished at the time of his death. This required signed testimony as to his status. See the 1909 burial application of Civil War veteran Richard Johnson.

A transcription of the official form, seen at left, follows.

"Application for Burial of Deceased Soldiers,
In accordance with the provisions of the acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the purport of which is that the County Commissioners of any County in the State of Pennsylvania are authorized and directed to contribute the sum of Seventy-five Dollars to aid in defraying the expense of burial of any honorably discharged soldier, sailor or marine, who served in the army or navy of the United States during any war in which the United States shall have been engaged, or who at the time of death was in the service of the United States as a soldier, sailor or marine, or member of the enlisted Nurse Corp, who shall have had a legal residence in the County making said contribution.

Name Mathew Barrett
Rank Private Co. "I" Regt. 10^th U.S. Vol. Inf
Date of Discharge Mar. 8, 1899.
Occupation (immediately preceding death) Janitor
Date and place of death Mar. 21, 1933,-- 925 So. Front, Steelton.
Place of burial Midland Cemetery Oberlin, Pa.
War served in Spanish-American
Remarks [blank]
Order for headstone granted April 3, 1933 to E. W. Lewis. and __ further certify that the following bill of necessary expenses is true and correct.
(Signature of Representative of County Commissioners) Robert Willis & Disch. 519 Lincoln St., Steelton, Pa. Stone Also.

STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT
Laying out body $15.00
Coffin $127.00
Grave $18.00
Hearse Hire $15.00
Clothing, etc. $25.00
Total $200.00

STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA
COUNTY OF DAUPHIN.}ss.
Personally appeared before me, Robert Willis, Undertaker, who being duly sworn according to law depose and say, that the above bill of cost is true and correct, and covers all items of funeral expense of the above deceased.
Sworn and subscribed before me this 22 day of Mar. A.D. 1933 Robert, Arthur H. Bailey ~~Justice of the Peace, Alderman, Notary Public~~ Proth."

Notes

1. Adjutant General's Office, Statistical Exhibit of Strength of Volunteer Forces Called Into Service During the War With Spain; with Losses From All Causes, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1899, online at "Spanish American War Statistical Exhibit," U.S. Army Center of Military History, http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/spanam/ws-stat.htm, accessed July 16, 2006.
2. E-mail correspondence, Calobe Jackson, Jr. to Afrolumens Project, 7 July 2006.
3. E-mail correspondence, Barbara Barksdale to Calobe Jackson, Jr., 4 December 2005.
4. 1920 Census of Steelton, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1920.
5. E-mail correspondence, Calobe Jackson, Jr., to Barbara Barksdale, 4 December 2005.

Source

"Application for Burial of Deceased Soldier or Widow" in "Dauphin County Soldiers Burial Records 1885-1933," Microfilm roll #8881, p. 429, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, PA. Image researched and contributed by Calobe Jackson, Jr., July 7, 2006.

Midland Photo Galleries

Civil War Burials at Midland
The World War Burials at Midland
Home Crafted Tombstones at Midland
Gallery of Home Crafted Memorials at Midland
Gallery of Plot Boundary Markers at Midland
Artifacts of a Historic Cemetery

Names of Persons Buried at Midland

Tombstone Transcriptions
All Names, A-Z

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Steelton Death Certificates, 1892-1893
About the Friends of Midland

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Clayton E. Carelock
McKamey Family
Trennor T. Beckwith

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Original material on this page copyright 2006 Afrolumens Project.
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This page was updated March 22, 2023.

Midland Cemetery~ Application for Burial of Mathew Barrett