Slave Cemetery Question

It's the same with all the western trails, imagine 1000's died along Santa Fe, California, Oregon, or Mormon trails and only just a small fraction will be preserved and known today, most simply faded away or were forgotten.

True enough. Researchers love to find and study old remains, but if I understand correctly, most human bones just decompose completely over time until nothing is left.

R
 
My husband's Rev War ancestor was buried in a family cemetery on the farm - it's gone, we assume plowed over by a later owner.
Nowadays when someone turns up human remains (or possible human remains) on a construction site, everything shuts down until an officially approved investigation is made and there's a decision on a respectful solution. But back in the day ...
 
Not really sure if all slave or family graves were even marked. At Nauvoo an excavation found a baby that had been buried in what was a garden.

The one we owned had no markers you would recognize as such. Just a few pieces of big river rock I assumed were
 
Nowadays when someone turns up human remains (or possible human remains) on a construction site, everything shuts down until an officially approved investigation is made and there's a decision on a respectful solution. But back in the day ...
And this was and is private land. If the stones fell or sank and they were in the way of a plow, I doubt anyone would think to even dig and check.
 
I'm not sure if the term "slave cemetery" was ubiquitous. The older term, "common burial ground" was used for everyone in towns and cities, with racial segregation in those lots appearing over time. In the North, one of the oldest and largest in the country is in Newport, RI. It started in the 1600s, and was part of the "Common Burial Ground" for all races, but the Black section was separated from the white. It later included free Blacks as slavery died out toward the end of the 18th century.
https://rhodetour.org/items/show/40?tour=5&index=3
 
Would think a slave cemetery would equate somewhat to pet cemetery's today.

Most people consider pets a valued part of the family, and often inter them on their land with markers and respect. Yet the family itself usually interred in a church cemetery.
 
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