Gerlach’s Stolen Bodies – Who Were They?

It’s now coming up on two weeks since the news broke about **Jonathan Gerlach** stealing all those corpses from **Mount Moriah Cemetery**. We were out there on **Sunday, January 11th**, in the morning, just days after it all came out—touring the grounds, looking at the locations, the mausoleums, the vaults, the graves, and walking through the same cemetery where all of this happened.

This man stole corpses over the period of a couple of months—probably before that, and probably at other locations too. As we toured, I kept saying: these were **real people**. These were real families. Not just graves. Not just tombstones. Not just forgotten stones covered with moss.

In their day, many of these people were **pillars of the community**. It turns out that many of the vaults and mausoleums Gerlach broke into belonged to such people. So I think it’s time to step back from the crime itself and talk about the **families**—to walk through this like these were real people, not just names and dates carved in stone.

You might be surprised to know that one of the family vaults belonged to a very notable **Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy** from the 1800s. You might also be surprised to learn that another vault held a **famous actor** and his entire family. Others belonged to **firemen, veterans, and other notable, upstanding citizens of Philadelphia**.

It’s shocking. We really need to think about **who they were**.

I go back to that Lieutenant Commander. Imagine his family, in the late 1800s or early 1900s, standing around this impressive vault—monuments, stones, the chamber below. They lower him down to his final resting place. There’s the flag, the rifle salute, the uniforms, the family all in black.

Do you think, in their wildest dreams, as they watched him go to his final rest, that they could ever imagine that over a hundred years later, something like this would happen?

Working with Deb, we gathered notes and dug into the stories—his story and others. We’re going to focus on that now. It’s time to step back and talk about the **people behind the stones**.

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### The Hunter Family Mausoleum

One of the first mausoleums we know was desecrated was the **Hunter family** vault. A volunteer helping preserve Mount Moriah summoned police at **11:29 a.m. on November 7th, 2012**. Officers discovered a large hole in the cinder blocks that had been put there to protect the family after previous vandalism.

Inside the Hunter mausoleum, police saw that the **marble floor had been smashed**, revealing crypts about ten feet underground. This wasn’t just damage up top—someone had destroyed the ornamentation, the marble, opening up a whole chamber beneath.

Down in that chamber, they found a **white nylon rope** with a clip attached, tied to a large tree branch that had actually grown through the floor. The way the rope hung made it clear someone had used it to **rappel down** to the caskets below.

Among the broken marble, they found a **screwdriver** with the name *“Brian”* etched multiple times on the handle. They also noted that the marble stone securing the crypt for **Martha Hunter**—the 15‑year‑old girl we talked about earlier—had been disturbed. Martha had drowned in the river with another girl while bathing; both were swept away.

Her remains and her clothing were missing.

We then moved to the neighboring **Charlton mausoleum**, walking by and seeing the fresh concrete, new paint, and other repair marks. From there, we moved through the cemetery—the Bakers, the others—each name with a story.

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### Who Were the Hunters?

**Martha Chambers “Mannie” Hunter** died on **August 25th, 1869**, at only 15 years old. She drowned in the river along with a young friend, both girls swept away. Her body, after all that tragedy, was taken again—this time from her grave.

Her mother’s name was **Jane**, maiden name **Chambers**. There was also a brother named **John Hunter** interred there, who worked as a **grocer**. Evidence suggests John was the one watching over the brothers and sisters because the parents had died.

The 1850 census shows John as a grocer in the Lombard Ward of Philadelphia. His household included his wife Jane, son John, daughter Jane, infant daughter Rebecca, **James Chambers** (likely his brother‑in‑law), and **William Hunter** (his brother).

Real people. A real family.

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### The Charlton Mausoleum

Next, we look at the **Frank Charlton** mausoleum. When we walked by, we saw the masonry repairs and knew from police reports it had been damaged around the time of the **Styleman** family mausoleum. Initially, police said there wasn’t evidence of new vandalism.

But on **December 22nd**, they did find fresh damage. Another hole. Inside, they discovered that **six corpses had been stolen** from the Charlton mausoleum.

We dug into who these people were.

The father, **William Charlton Sr.**, was a **prominent 15th Ward councilman and businessman** in the 1870s and 1880s. He served in the **Civil War**. On **December 31st, 1866**, he married **Margaret “Maggie” Jane Pollock**, who had immigrated from Scotland as a girl and lived at 2115 Callowhill Street.

At one point, while we were going over these notes, a black cat wandered into the scene—probably the resident cemetery cat. A small, living presence among all this history and loss.

Maggie’s father had been a **cotton factory foreman and carpet manufacturer**. William and Maggie had six children. Three died in infancy. The three who survived were **William, Francis, and Margaret**.

William was a **Republican**, elected to Common Council on **October 11th, 1870**. He served from January 2nd, 1871, to January 2nd, 1873.

On **May 12th, 1873**, he purchased a three‑bedroom home at **2700 Girard Avenue** on a 20‑by‑100‑foot lot and built a smaller three‑story building attached to it. He worked in the **lamp black** industry until 1876, then opened a **coal yard** at 28th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

He served as an assistant to the chief marshal for the **Centennial Exposition** in Philadelphia on July 4th, 1876, and was elected to serve on the **Board of Port Wardens** for two terms. Later, his name appeared in a **bribery inquiry** during a city treasurer election—a significant political scandal.

On the morning of **May 18th, 1886**, William fell from a carriage when his horse bolted—like a car accident today. He suffered a severe **head injury** near his coal yard at the 2800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Several men helped him home, and though he initially recovered, his health spiraled downward.

He went to Florida to recuperate, but by early 1887, he was found **insane and demented**. He returned to Philadelphia on **April 23rd, 1887**, and on **February 28th, 1888**, at 6 p.m., he died of paralysis at home, likely a delayed result of the head trauma.

That’s the man whose family vault was raided and whose remains, or those of his loved ones, were disturbed and stolen.

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### The Baker Mausoleum

We then moved on to the **Baker** mausoleum. We walked uphill, around to where two vaults are built into the hillside. The Baker vault had been hit hard by the ghoul—likely multiple times—probably accessed through the large ceiling vent.

We climbed the stairs, saw the structure, and later gathered some background on **Mrs. Elizabeth Passmore Pierce**, widow of **Daniel C. Baker**. She died in the 85th year of her life. The record mentions a “Delaware pilot,” likely referring to a **riverboat pilot**, not a modern airplane pilot.

We also found a picture of their daughter, **Annie Er Baker Inman**, elegantly posed in period dress.

Again: real faces, real lives.

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### The Pritchard Family

We then returned to the **Pritchard** mausoleum, one of the first to gain attention in the media. Early reports focused heavily on this site.

Police were called back to Mount Moriah on **November 29th**, and that visit confirmed that **five of the nine Pritchard family crypts** had been disturbed. **Mary Pritchard Styleman’s** remains were missing. She had died in 1940.

We dug into the family’s story.

**Jonathan Pritchard**, donor and founder of the **Pritchard Memorial Evangelical Church of the Rock of Ages**, was born in **Blery, Ireland**, in October 1828. He grew up in an environment of wealth and culture, but his father suffered financial ruin.

When the family migrated to America in 1853, they were practically penniless. During the voyage, his father died onboard and was buried at sea. Jonathan and his mother settled in Philadelphia, where their early years were spent struggling against poverty.

Through hard work, Jonathan saved enough to start his own business in **1859**, which proved successful. His first home was built at Park and Fitzwater Streets in **1861**, the same year he lost his mother.

He established **Philadelphia’s first wholesale supply business** in 1866. That same year, he married **Jane Chapman** and became active in Trinity Lutheran Church.

In October 1908, he proposed building a **memorial church** through his son‑in‑law, the Reverend J. William Heitz. Jonathan died in 1912, and a memorial tablet was later erected in his honor, along with a Hansen oil painting in the church vestibule.

We also learned about **Lillian May Pritchard**, who died of cancer—lung and breast—and had undergone surgery. Some speculated this medical history might be why her remains were targeted. It’s hard to imagine anyone trying to justify such desecration, but those were the whispers.

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### The Slack Family

The **Slack** family vault included **Amos Martin Slack**, his second wife **Rebecca**, their son **Elwood**, and **Henry**, a son from Amos’s first marriage. Two sets of remains were taken from this vault.

Rebecca’s first husband was **James Campbell**, and they had a daughter; that line is still being researched.

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### The Ogden Family

We then moved to the **Ogden** family—**Kimberly’s** family. Their plots are scattered throughout the cemetery. One of the Ogden vaults, the specific one we visited, turned out to be **the location that was violated**.

This was where police found **cigarette butts, drink cans**, and a **mound of evidence**—the trash left behind as the ghoul repelled down into the vault. According to the police report, the **upper torso, pelvis, and heads from two sets of remains** were missing.

Police also found **wooden pallets** near a storage unit and a dumpster that matched pallets found in the underground vaults, tying Gerlach more firmly to the crime scenes.

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### The Ziegler Vault and Lt. Cmdr. John Quincy Adams Ziegler

On **December 29th**, police determined that **nine bodies** were stolen from the **John Ziegler** vault. It’s a beautiful vault, one we talked about in depth.

This was where **Lieutenant Commander John Quincy Adams Ziegler**, United States Naval Officer, was interred. His story is particularly painful.

He served as **Acting First Assistant Engineer**, then **Acting Chief Engineer** on February 4th, 1863, and finally **Chief Engineer** on June 18th, 1868. He graduated from the **United States Naval Academy** in 1862 and died on **July 5th, 1885**.

He first served aboard the **USS Florida**, which helped blockade Charleston, South Carolina, during the Civil War. During his time there, he led a raid ashore that captured a number of Confederate prisoners.

Later, he was promoted and assigned as chief engineer on the monitor **USS Monadnock**, participating in combined Army‑Navy operations against **Fort Fisher, North Carolina**, in January 1865. After the war, he served with the **West Indies Squadron** and as **Inspector of Machinery** at the League Island Naval Base in Philadelphia.

Imagine his funeral at that vault: the officers, the honor guard, the family bursting with pride and grief. And then imagine, over a century later, a man descending on a rope, smashing marble, and dragging out his remains like a trophy—without the slightest idea who he was.

That’s the part that truly sickens me.

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### The McCulla Family – The Actor

Then we come to the **McCulla** family. Seven sets of remains were stolen from their vault. Another five were taken from the nearby **Lobber** family site.

Among the McCullas was **John McCullough**, a famous **19th‑century Shakespearean tragic actor**. Along with **Edwin Forrest** and **Edwin Booth**, he was one of America’s greatest and most celebrated actors of the era.

He was tall, classically handsome, with a powerful Shakespearean voice. He excelled in roles like **King Lear**, **Richard III**, and especially in Sheridan Knowles’s *Virginius*, his most celebrated role.

His ghost is said to haunt the **National Theatre in Washington, D.C.** His epitaph reads:

> “His life was gentle, and the elements
> So mixed in him that Nature might stand up
> And say to all the world, ‘This was a man.’”

All of that, and his vault still became just another target.

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### The Marshall Family – The Fireman and Veteran

We also looked at the **William Marshall** family vault. We showed a picture of **Katherine Grantis Marshall**. William Marshall was a **Civil War veteran**, a private in Company D of the **119th Pennsylvania Infantry**.

His story is still being uncovered, but what we know already tells us he, too, had served his country and was buried with honor.

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### The Campbell, Vogan, Hessan, and Rice Families

On **December 22nd**, the **Campbell** family mausoleum at Mount Moriah was found burglarized. Court documents state police discovered broken wood, damaged caskets, and **six missing bodies**.

Inside, they also found a **pry bar**, a partially smoked **Marlboro cigarette**, and a **black zip tie**—further evidence of Gerlach’s presence.

That same day, it was discovered that **three remains from the Vogan family** vault and **nine from the Hessan family** mausoleum were missing.

And then, maybe most heartbreakingly, the **Rice family**.

Three infant sons were taken:
– **Two‑month‑old John Henry Rice**
– **Sixteen‑day‑old Jacob Henry Rice**
– A **one‑day‑old baby girl Rice**

You have to wonder whether these were among the small remains he was carrying when he was finally arrested.

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### Closing Thoughts

This closes this chapter of what we’ve been able to find—the family stories behind the vaults and mausoleums that were desecrated. I’m sure there are many more, and hopefully we’ll be able to share additional stories as more information comes to light.

Thank you again to **Deb** for her tireless research.

When I say “real people,” I know it sounds obvious. Of course they were real people. But what I mean is this: they had full lives, day after day, just like you and I. They had accomplishments, struggles, families, hopes, and fears.

They are not just names and dates on stone. Not just blocks of granite and marble in a forgotten cemetery.

So we remember them. We say their names. We tell their stories.

And we stay tuned—because there is much more to come.