This year’s Members Meeting will be held at Spring Grove chapel on Sunday, September 6, at 2:00pm. This event is exclusive for members of the Friends of the Cemetery only. Our guest speaker will be Melissa Carchedi of Mars, Pennsylvania. Melissa will share her extensive research into the lives of the Coppock brothers, two Northeast Ohio brothers who were devout Quakers and played significant roles and made significant contributions in the fight for justice and freedom for all people in the mid-19th century.  

In 1859, both brothers participated in John Brown’s rebellion against slavery at Harper’s Ferry. Nineteen-year-old Edwin Coppock was captured during this raid and hanged alongside John Brown, becoming a martyr for the cause. After his execution, Edwin's body was returned to his boyhood home of Salem, Ohio, where thousands of mourners—estimated at around 10,000—gathered to pay their respects at Hope Cemetery. 

This was a testament to the impact he had on the abolitionist movement. Melissa will share her insights into the lives of the Coppock brothers and their firm commitment to their beliefs that all people should be equal and free. We invite all members of the Friends of the Cemetery to this enlightening presentation of this important historical narrative.