Isaac Shipman Sharp
May 23, 1840 - September 9, 1909
APUSH Section 1: Noah Bradley, Max Mester, Beckett Sanderson
APUSH Section 2: Sophie Millstein, Josephine Rosman, Theodore Wyss-Flamm
APUSH Section 2: Sophie Millstein, Josephine Rosman, Theodore Wyss-Flamm
The Cemetery Project
The Woodlands Cemetery Project is a formal biographical research project assigned to juniors in J.R. Masterman’s AP United States History course. The assignment is to choose a gravestone at the Woodlands Cemetery and research the person entombed in that grave. The Woodlands Cemetery is located in West Philadelphia. Its 54 acres of land cover the former estate of wealthy, 18th century Philadelphia botanist William Hamilton’s. The land began operating as a cemetery in 1840 when it was bought by the Woodlands Cemetery Company. In 2006, the cemetery was designated as a National Historic Site.
In a 54-acre cemetery, there are many graves to choose from, so choosing one may seem an impossible task. However, the pool was limited by a set of parameters about who the chosen person could be. The person had to be a man born between 1820 and 1900 with a gravestone no higher than seven feet tall. He also could not be on a designated “Do Not Do” list, a list which includes particularly well-known people (the Drexel family, the Wharton family, etc.), as well anyone researched in previous iterations of the project. Once a grave and subject are chosen, students conduct in-depth, primary source-based research which is then crafted into a thorough biography of the subject’s life. The research is submitted to the Woodlands Cemetery to enhance their information on the inhabitants of their cemetery.
In a 54-acre cemetery, there are many graves to choose from, so choosing one may seem an impossible task. However, the pool was limited by a set of parameters about who the chosen person could be. The person had to be a man born between 1820 and 1900 with a gravestone no higher than seven feet tall. He also could not be on a designated “Do Not Do” list, a list which includes particularly well-known people (the Drexel family, the Wharton family, etc.), as well anyone researched in previous iterations of the project. Once a grave and subject are chosen, students conduct in-depth, primary source-based research which is then crafted into a thorough biography of the subject’s life. The research is submitted to the Woodlands Cemetery to enhance their information on the inhabitants of their cemetery.
Isaac SharpWe chose the grave of Isaac Shipman Sharp. Isaac Sharp was a Philadelphia-based lawyer. He was born in Greenwich, New Jersey on May 23, 1940 to parents who were both from large, relatively wealthy families. He left New Jersey for law school at Harvard University and then settled in Philadelphia, establishing the law firm at which he would spend the rest of his professional life. He was married twice, but never had any children. Thus, his professional achievements and community service are his lasting legacy. His law firm was prominent both locally and nationally. Isaac himself contributed to national law discussions and organizations, preformed charity work, and was an active participant of many Philadelphia organizations. Isaac Sharp died in Collersville, New York on September 3, 1909. He was returned to his home of Philadelphia and laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery. That is where we stumbled upon his flower-lined grave and began our journey unearthing his life story.
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