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In Camden's historic Butler Cemetery, a pastor honors lives and legacies of Black Civil War soldiers

New Jersey pastor honoring the legacy of Black Civil War soldiers inside historic Camden cemetery
New Jersey pastor honoring the legacy of Black Civil War soldiers inside historic Camden cemetery 03:00

Dempsey Daniel Butler arrived in Camden, New Jersey, in the 1840s.

An abolitionist and ardent supporter of the Underground Railroad, Butler opened a general store in the city. Through his business dealings, he became one of the richest African Americans in Camden County.

Butler eventually set aside a plot of land at the corner of Charles Street and Ferry Avenue, land that is now under the care of a man whose mission is to honor and remember eight men who gave their lives for their country.

"Eight men who need to be honored, always," said Rev. Floyd White III of the Woodland Avenue Presbyterian Church in Camden.

In the words of White, "Butler's cemetery is hallowed ground and sacred ground."

Rev. Floyd White III saluting a tombstone in the historic Butler Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey
Rev. Floyd White III saluting a tombstone in the historic Butler Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey CBS Philadelphia

The private cemetery is the final resting place for eight Black soldiers who fought for the Union during the Civil War.

"They were men who were colored troops who couldn't be buried in White cemeteries," White said. "This is their final resting place. It is our duty to respect them."

The original tombstones for James Hardcastle, John Pierce, Joseph T. Armstrong, John P. Fitzgerald, Samuel Jackson, William H. Murray, Theodore Harris and John H. Williams are difficult to read but represent a generation of men "who loved their country in a time when their country probably wouldn't love them back," White said.

Tombstone for William Murray in Camden's historic Butler Cemetery
Tombstone for William Murray in Camden's historic Butler Cemetery CBS Philadelphia

To White, these men are heroes.

"They probably weren't even citizens of the United States of America," White said. "They were probably slaves before they went to the war. But they fought."

The historic Butler Cemetery is also the final resting place for Dempsey Daniel Butler, his wife, Eliza and other Black Camden residents.

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