An historical marker stands at the entry to Potter's Field at North Burial Ground in Providence, Rhode Island. The section is at the northwest corner of the main cemetery with access from the south by way of a short bridge over the former Blackstone Canal. The narrative sign reads:
Potter's Field
The area between the Blackstone Canal and interstate 95 is
known as Potter's Field: Since 1960, the space has been reserved for free burials. The final burial in Potter's Field took
place on November 6, 2013, and many people continue to
mourn loved ones buried in this section.
The name Potter's Field comes from a biblical reference
(Matthew 27:3-27:8) that mentions land in Jerusalem, from
which clay was extracted. for pottery, that later was used by.
priests for the burials of strangers, criminals, and the poor. In
Potter's Field lie the remains of adults and children of diverse
backgrounds, buried together in the most egalitarian section of
the North Burial Ground.
Records indicate that between a quarter and a third of the
interred are immigrants. Of those immigrants, approximately
12% are from Greece, 18% from Armenia (or Turkey), 18% from
England, and 35%-from Canada. The remainder, about 17% of
the total, emigrated from other countries, including China,
Ireland, and Scotland.
Many gravestones in the North Burial Ground are extravagant, but stones in this section are small and simple. While there is an order to the stones, they also can appear almost haphazardly
scattered, which gives each grave a unique feel. Many have
crumbled or shifted over the years, and now some identifying
numbers are illegible.
Unfortunately, many of the people beneath the numbered
stones have been forgotten. Below are just a few of the stories
that represent Potter's Field and the people whose remains
rest here. Many were immigrants, who came to the United
States seeking a better life, but did not necessarily find it.
Chin Ting #5736 (1871-1962)
Chin Ting immigrated to the United States in 1896 for a job at
a small Chinese restaurant on Weybosset Street. The oft-cited
case of State of Rhode Island v. Chin Ting details the story
behind his 1923 conviction for the murder of his boss, Chin
Moon. Police found Moon in his restaurant, with 34 wounds
on his body and a knife still lodged in his throat. After a six-
day trial, Chin Ting was found guilty; he spent the rest of his
life behind bars and died in the State Prison at the age of 91.
Kazar Markarian #5779 (1882-1969)
Born in 1882 as Chiaza Markarian, in what today is central
Turkey, he immigrated to the United States through Ellis
Island on November 8, 1909. Records show that Markarian
registered for the draft during World War II, although he did
not achieve U.S. citizenship until 1948. Markarian was an
ironworker during his early years in Rhode Island, and later
worked as a truck driver and chauffeur.
Wong Sing #5793 (1897-1963)
Wong Sing was born in China to servants Tip and Kham Sing.
Despite the Chinese Exclusion At of 1882, which made
further Chinese immigration illegal, Sing managed to enter
the U.S., seeking a better life. As it turned out, Sing would
spend nearly half of his life in the State Hospital for Mental
Diseases, beginning in 1931. His final days passed in another
hospital, after being diagnosed with arteriosclerotic heart
disease, and on November 29, 1963, Wong Sing died of an
acute myocardial infarction.
Frank Cote #6366 (1922-1980)
Providence native Frank Cote attended school through eighth
grade and then worked as a baker at John's Supreme Donut
Bakery. At eighteen, he worked all 52 weeks of the year and
earned $900 (about $16,000 in 2017 dollars). Continuing at
this job for decades, Cote was never able to improve his
economic position. He died at the age of 58, in 1980.
Hundreds more stories involving the people buried in Potter's
Field remain to be revealed. John R. Hopewell, a bellhop and
descendant of slaves, whose family immigrated to the area in
the 1920s after a century and a half of farming in New
Brunswick, Canada; Derian Osigian, who lost his family during
the Armenian genocide and fled across Asia and the Pacific to
San Francisco, and then across the U.S. to Providence, where
he worked at the Biltmore Hotel; Cecil A. Colpitts, who was
born in Moncton, Canada, served in World War I, and after
immigrating to the U.S. worked at the State Asylum in
Cranston; Gordon A. Crouse, who left Nova Scotia with his
mother after his parents divorced, and later served as a seaman
during World War K; Chaples Rose, who lived to be 109 years
old; Portuguese immigrant Louise Gonsalves; Greek immigrant
Peter Kassotis; and many, many more...