When Colonel William Christy, Major Thomas Wright and Major William Chambers laid out North St. Louis in 1816, they set apart three circles of land along the western boundary, dedicating Circle 1 for a school, Circle 2 for public purposes, and Circle 3 for a church and burying ground. No church expressed any interest in establishing a congregation that far north until Bishop Hawks asked for permission in 1845. Grace Church was organized in 1846. But the community didn’t wait for a church and burials may have taken place as early as 1816. It is doubtful that any record was ever kept of the burials that took place in the North St. Louis Burial Ground, later called the Grace Church Burial Ground. It is also doubtful whether permission was ever required to bury a loved one there. Any records remaining will be found in records of old St. Louis churches if they still exist.

The following list was complied from burial records of Christ Church (now Cathedral), St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Grace Episcopal Church.

Presumed Last Name	Name	Presumed Date (death or burial)	Comments	Church
Loper	Eliza Loper	October 1832	--	Christ Church
Taylor	Archibald R. Taylor	January 24, 1833	--	Christ Church
Black	Arthur Black	May 15, 1833	-	Christ Church
Deakers	Ann Deakers	July 5, 1833	-	Christ Church
Dennies	George Hersey(?) Dennies	October 20, 1833	Infant	Christ Church
Wright	Major Thomas Wright	November 11, 1834	-	Christ Church
Stygar	Mrs. Stygar	August 23, 1835	-	Christ Church
Saunders	Christopher Saunders	November 18, 1835	(Junior Warden) Son died September 20, 1834 and was buried at Saunders’ farm	Christ Church
Christy	Major William Christy	April 4, 1837	Burial by Bishop Kemper	Christ Church
Tailor	Mary Berry	August 16, 1837	Daughter of N. P. Tailor	Christ Church
Tailor	A daughter of N. P. Taylor	April 4, 1838	-
Coxe	Henry Berry	July 9, 1839	Son of Henry S. and Mary Anne Coxe	Christ Church
Christy	Edmund Christy	November 22, 1839	Age 39	Christ Church
Wells	Mary Wells	August 12, 1847	41 years	Grace Church
Rawlings	Henry Harvard Rawlings	August 19, 1847	8 months	Grace Church
Dixon	Eliza Geddings(?)	October 20 1847	18½ months – Child of D. W. Dixon	Grace Church
Mullits	Mary Mullits	July 6, 1850	12 years	Grace Church
Durkee	Julia	April 1, 1848	Wife of Dwight Durkee Esq.	St. Paul’s Church

In 1840, Christ Church opened its own Cemetery, and most burials from Episcopal churches took place there.

Though Christ Church was founded in 1819, no known register was kept until 1832. St. Paul’s Church was organized in 1839 at 5th and Wash. St. John’s Church was organized in 1841, and their first location was at 5th and Spruce. The first parish register for St. John’s Church is missing, but because of its location in South St. Louis, it is doubtful that any members were buried in North St. Louis. Grace Church was organized in 1846.

By 1870, the burying ground was in poor condition. The hill on which it and the Church were located was eroding badly. Exposed remains were placed in a crypt below the Church. In the late 1870’s, part of the hill was removed, the Church relocated to the lowered portion of the property, and then the rest of the hill was removed. The crypt, containing all remains that could be located was placed under the relocated Church.

From the Archives of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Susan G. Rehkopf, Archivist