Somers Point Cemetary Cleanup Uncovers Rich History

Lite Rock salutes the clean-up at the Somers Family Cemetery. The Somers Point Historical Society is looking for volunteers to help clean up leaves and trash at the historic cemetery site across from Grate Bay Country Club on Somers Point-Mays Landing Road. The cemetery is the resting spot to several members of Richard Somers family, the great-grandson of John Somers, who first settled in what is now Somers Point in 1693.  Richard Somers isn’t buried in that historic family plot, though. His body rests with the 12 of his men on the banks of The Tripoli Harbor in Libya, where he died fighting the Barbary Pirates in 1804 and inspired the words to the U.S. Marine Corps song, “From the Halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli…”  Fascinating stuff!  To read more about it and see pictures of the cemetery go to literock969.com.  To volunteer for the November13th cleanup, call 927-2900.