Francis Hopkinson - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 57.114 W 075° 08.889
18S E 487345 N 4422429
Here, at Christ Church Burial Ground lies the remains of five signers of the Declaration of Independence. Hopkinson was one of those signers. His grave is marked by a recent plaque which recreates the original epithet, now, barely legible.
Waymark Code: WMCY96
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 10/25/2011
Views: 8
To get to the grave: The entrance to the cemetery is along Arch Street. Admission is $2. Go through the iron gates and proceed down the middle path about two thirds of the way down, off to the right, twenty-five feet or so off the path. It is easy to find as the ground in front of the marker is worn down to the dirt; not a blade of grass to be found. The Burial Ground is open March-December (weather permitting). Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-4, Sunday 12-4.
Francis Hopkinson (September 21, 1737 – May 9, 1791), an American author, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from New Jersey. He later served as a federal judge in Pennsylvania. He played a key role in the design of the first American flag. I found a house just around the corner with a marker announcing it as his house. I read that he tried to be compensated for designing the flag but was turned down. Either way, he is an important American Patriot who believed in the fight for Independence form England. This belief and distain for the king was very apparent in his writings which included plays, satires and essays.
His original stone is nothing more than a broken nub stretching out of the ground like a deformed hand. A new marker was installed next to his marker and from the looks of it, probably well over one hundred years ago. The marker, now green bears the following inscription:
FRANCIS HOPKINSON
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
September 21, 1737 ............ May 9, 1791
Patriot ~ Jurist ~ Essayist ~ Churchman
Member of the Continental Congress of 1776
Provincial Councilor of New Jersey
Signer of the Declaration
Chairman of the Continental Navy Board
Designer of the American Flag
First Native American Composer of Songs
Member of American Philosphical Society [Yes, it is actually spelled wrong]
Vestryman and Organist of Christ Church, Philadelphia
A Reorganizer of the Post Revolutionary Church
Administrator of the School for Negroes
*................*................*
First Judge of the District Court in and For
Pennsylvania District