Christ Church New Bern

Graveyard Records

The churchyard of Christ Church served as the only public burial ground in New Bern until 1800; a large number of people, perhaps several thousand, are buried in the churchyard. During the Yellow Fever epidemic in 1799 it was necessary to bury many of the victims in mass graves, which were located near the present north property line. The Vestry declared the churchyard full as a result of these burials. In 1800 the parish opened Cedar Grove Cemetery to meet the ongoing needs of the community. Christ Church turned Cedar Grove over to the City of New Bern in 1853. The 1875 church and the parish house are believed to be on top of graves.

The parish registers listing churchyard burials were taken home for safekeeping and were destroyed in a house fire in 1818. The names of only 27 or 28 people are known, transcribed from surviving gravestones. These names were recorded over 50 years ago, when many more stones were legible. A booklet listing the inscriptions in full and plotting them on a map of the churchyard has been published by the ECW and can be purchased from the docents on duty or ordered by mail from the church office. For mail orders, enclose a check for $4.00 per copy.

an Episcopal Parish in the Diocese of East Carolina
Christ Church, 320 Pollock Street, P.O. Box 1246, New Bern NC 28563
252-633-2109