Potter's field

A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a term for a place for the burial of unknown or indigent people. The US expression potter's field derives from the Bible, referring to a field used for the extraction of potter's clay; such land, useless for agriculture, could be used as a burial site.

Origin

The term comes from Matthew 27:3-27:8 in the New Testament of the Bible, in which Jewish priests take 30 pieces of silver returned by a remorseful Judas:

The site referred to in these verses is traditionally known as Akeldama, in the valley of Hinnom, which was a source of potters' clay. Such a strip-mining site would not then be good for agriculture and might as well become a graveyard for those who could not be buried in an orthodox cemetery. This may be the origin of the name.

The author of Matthew was drawing on earlier Biblical references to potters' fields. The passage continues, with verses 9 and 10:-

This is a free quotation from Zechariah 11:12-13. However, Matthew attributes the quote to Jeremiah. The author of Matthew may have been mistaken. There are two other possible reasons for the reference. First, Jeremiah also speaks of buying a field, in Jeremiah 32:6-15. That field is a symbol of hope, not despair as mentioned in Matthew, and the price is 17 pieces of silver. The author of Matthew could have combined the words of Zechariah and Jeremiah, while only citing the "major" prophet. Secondly, "Jeremiah" was sometimes used to refer to the Books of the Prophets in toto as "The Law" is sometimes used to refer to Moses' five books – Genesis through Deuteronomy, the Pentateuch.

Potter's Field (Omaha)

The Potter's Field Cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska, United States is located on a 5-acre (20,000 m²) plot of land at 5000 Young Street near the intersections of Young Street and Mormon Bridge Road. Like all Potter's Fields, it was used to bury poor people or people with no known identity from across the Omaha area. The cemetery was active from 1887 to 1957.

History

The Potter's Field was used as early as 1887, and over the next seventy years almost 4,000 burials were made. However, there were few markers. People who were buried there were too poor to afford burials in regular cemeteries, and therefore were too poor to afford headstones. Burials were commonly made without markers of any sort. There is speculation that Mormon pioneers from Cutler's Park were buried here in the 1850s, as well. A partial list of the individuals who are buried at Potter's Field and any details is listed in the US GenWeb Archives. It also indicates whether the person's remains were removed or moved from the cemetery.

Potter's Field (album)

Potter's Field is the second album by American rock band 12 Stones. It was released on August 24, 2004. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 29, making it the band's highest charting album.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Paul McCoy, all music composed by 12 Stones, except "Photograph" by Paul McCoy.

Personnel

Charts

Trivia

References