Joseph Yard was a prominent Philadelphia mason and bricklayer, responsible for some of the city’s most beautiful structures. Born in 1647 in Devon, England, he moved to Philadelphia in 1669, with an enterprising spirit. He worked to become one of the city’s most prominent masons, and in 1698 undertook his most renowned project. By building Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church in Southwark, and its counterpart in Wilmington, Delaware, Yard left beautiful structures for those to practice their faith in. Paid for laying bricks even at Christ Church right up to the end, Yard died in 1716, at the age of 69. He may have been a Presbyterian buried at First Presbyterian Church, which opened in 1704. Third Presbyterian opened its doors in 1768, and it is possible that Yard was moved here upon First Presbyterian’s relocating of its interred. However, all of these matters are very nebulous, due to dubious record-keeping, and it is unknown whether he was buried here.