Googling past the graveyard

I came across this interesting headstone at Saint James/West Liberty Methodist Church. The inscription reads:

Moses Opher
CO B
19 US
CLD INF

So we know he was in the 19th U.S. Colored Infantry, a Civil War regiment. A little Googling tells us that "The 19th U.S.C.T. was recruited primarily from Maryland's Eastern Shore and southern counties, and was organized at Benedict, Maryland in December of 1863. ... The regiment remained with the 9th Corps through the Wilderness campaign. On November 27th it was transferred to the 25th Corps, and consequently participated in the siege of Richmond. During the intense Battle of Cemetery Hill near Richmond the regiment lost nearly half of it's strength, 12 commissioned officers and 360 men, killed and wounded in a period of thirty minutes. When the Army of Northern Virginia evacuated Richmond in April of 1865 the 19th U.S.C.T. was amongst the first troops to enter the city. The remainder of the regiment embarked for Brazos, Texas on June 5th, 1865 via steamship. Once in Texas the regiment moved to Brownsville, where it remained until the end of it's term of service in January of 1867." (Link)

I also found a Moses Opher on a historical marker in Cambridge, Maryland for the Stanley Institute. "Oldest community-owned one-room schoolhouse still intact in Dorchester County. First constructed c. 1865 near Church Creek. Moved here in 1867, it was used continuously until July 15, 1966, as Rock Elementary School for students in grades 1 through 7. Many ministers of Delaware annual conference of Methodist Church received their primary education here. School named for Ezekiel Stanley, president of its first board. Other trustees included Dennis Camper, Jr., Charles F. Kiah, Moses Opher and Nathaniel Young." (Link also here) Is it the same guy? I bet it is.

The marker indicates that the Stanley Institute trained many ministers and I found a record of a marriage performed by "Rev. Moses Opher {sic} Minister of the Methodist Church Date of Marriage Application: November 5, 1900" in Virginia. (Link) The same Moses Opher? Maybe so.

Just a little web research points to an interesting life. Moses Opher may have been born a slave, served in the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War and later on the Rio Grande, was ordained a minister who worked and travelled throughout the region, arriving at his final resting place in Harford County.

You just never know who your dead neighbors will turn out to be, sometimes they are a lot more interesting than the living ones.

Top photo: Falmanac. Bottom photo: Stanley Institute in 1981 Christopher Busta-Peck.