12-24-02

The final burial of Jane McCrea in the Ft. Edward Union Free Cemetery
was done long before Duncan Campbell's final burial there (secured for
him long after Jane's final resting place was secured for her). Hers was
done (in my opinion) partly to give validity and prominence to the newly
created cemetery, partly to satisfy her family's wishes, and partly to
capitalize on the ever growing local cult of Jane McCrea. The creation
of the new cemetery at that time coincided with the national movement in
that direction and it was one of several huge cemeteries formed by local
corporations at that time. To look at that cemetery after it had been in
use for 40 years is to recognize the era's truly conspicuous consumption
that paralleled the creation of huge public buildings (churches,
schools, municipal centers, etc.) and massive monuments marking the
various wars (Civil, Revolutionary, etc.).

Jane's being a cult hero was why she was buried there. Although no
specific contemporary written source (i.e.. contemporary with her death
in 1777) cites the name of David Jones, local oral history and
subsequent survivor interviews make for a strong case for Jones as the
fiancé. Her proximity to Duncan Campbell's final burial place is totally
coincidental.

For another opinion that might differ from mine, you should contact
either Fort Edward Town and Village Historian R. Paul McCarty, or Eileen
Hannay, the latter of whom is perhaps one of the most knowledgeable
people on the topic.



Daniel Martin wrote:

> I mentioned that I found it interesting that Jane McCrea was buried
> next to the Black Watch Campbell for the following reasons. First, I
> have seen both David Jones and another Duncan Campbell mentioned as
> the fiancee.  It was obviously not the Fort Ti Campbell because of the
> age difference which was quite considerable.  Campbell was 55 years
> old when he died, a veritable geriatric for those times. But he is
> buried next to Jane McCrea but also near his wife, Ann, who was with
> him at Fort Ti.   Indeed, he had a son, Alexander, who was a Captain
> in the Black Watch and was also wounded at the French Lines.The point
> is that I read Campbell was moved by his relatives, the Gilchrists,
> who were actually his wife's relatives, I think, and all these people,
> Jane McCrea, Ann Campbell, Duncan Campbell, are buried near each other
> (a family burial plot?) in the cemetery.  Therefore, I also believed
> the fiancee was a Campbell, because he would have wanted her buried
> near his family. Daniel Martin
>
>      ----- Original Message -----
>      From: [log in to unmask]
>      To: [log in to unmask]
>      Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 10:16 PM
>      Subject: Re: Jane McCrea - Ft. Edward
>       It seems to me, if I recall correctly, that Jane McCrea was
>      engaged to an officer named Jones, not Campbell.  I haven't
>      checked to be sure.  But I think Jones was a British officer
>      with Burgoyne, and he had local Loyalist connections, I
>      think.  Also, wasn't Jane from New Jersey (?) and wasn't she
>      staying with a friend at Fort Edward, a widow Campbell?  The
>      whole story deserves more research.  The McCrea killing
>      captured the attention of the Americans, but a far worse,
>      much more horrible atrocity occurred almost at the same time
>      in present Washington County.  This was the murder of the
>      entire Allen family, including an infant child.  And this is
>      almost entirely forgotten.
>