Ann, I'm sure there are many people on the list who would like to help in any way they could. Please let us know if there's anything we can do. All your efforts are appreciated more than you can know. Nancy Brister ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2001 8:34 AM Subject: [MSJEFFER-L] Cemetery desecration Part 1 > Hello to all who commented on the desecration of the old cemetery in which > Whitfield Brown and his son, George, were buried as well as many other who > died during the 1853 yellow fever epidemic. This was my lesson as to the > importance of documentation and taking rubbings of the tombstones. > > This cemetery was located in Sec 27, T10N, R2E, about 100 yards onthe north > side of Hwy 61 in an open field. There was a clump of trees and was visible > from the road. The cemetery was without a known name and it had been > designated as the Brasfield Cemetery as it was on the Brasfield property. > > Mrs. Ruby Brasfield directed my husband, Jimmie, and I to this cemetery and > she refered to it as the Yellow Fever Cemetery. The archives at Millsaps > college indicated that there were many death in the Cane Ridge Methodist > Church congregation from yellow fever in 1853. The burials took place > without church services .. usually at night. The survivors held a memorial > service in the winter of that year and recognized "the uncertainity of life". > > > Buried in the cemetery were Edward Wallace 15 May 1811 - 12 Sep 1853 > He was married to Rebecca McDonald. 12 Feb 1810 - 20 Apr 1889 > Their daughter, Lea 16 Nov 18652 - 19 May 1853. > Samuel Caldwell 23 Jun 1852 - 01 Sep 1853 > Elder W.H. Taylor 22 Sep 1810 to 28 Apr 1862 > He was the Pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church > Whitfield Brown (born in S.C.) 3 Sep 1803 - 24 Sep 1853 > George W. Brown 29 Jul 1833 - 24 Sep 1853, > There were many sunken areas indicsated unmarked graves > > When we first saw the cemetery, there were many other tombstones in it. > However, soy bean farmers cultivated around the cemetery for years and each > time some stones would be lost. Catherine Kelly, wife of Whitfield, was > buried there .. her stone had been missing for years. > > Mrs. Brasfield was aware that I was interested in genealogy .. and she knew > that some Browns were buried in that cemetery. Mrs. Brasfield's mother was > married to Louis Lehmann Brown, son of James Kelly Brown, a grandson of > Whitfield Brown. > > Over the years from 1970, when Jimmie and I first discovered the cemetery, we > would go on a yearly basis in the winter to clean around the gravestones. > Over the years we have led numerous people to the site. The cemetery had been > recorded many times by folks for the purpose of their genealogical research. > > During March 1995, we were aware of activity near the cemetery site and > thought it rather eary for planters however were not alarmed.. Although we > never saw any of the actual bulldozing taking place, we observed from time to > time as we went north from Lorman on Hwy 61, that the cemetery appeared > intact and undisturbed. After a period of time we notice that the bulldozer > was gone and we were under the impression that the land moving was completed > and rejoiced that the cemetery was undisturbed. It still remained under the > oak tree on the knoll. > > On Thursday, 4 May 1995, we noticed a different bulldozer parked between the > cemetery and hwy 61, The knoll and oak tree were visible at that time. > > On Sunday, 7 May 1995, when we went ot Port Gibson, we were astonished to see > that the oak tree and the knoll was gone ! ! ! We drove into the area next > to where the cemetery had been and were astonished !!! The ground was 'flat > as a flitter' and all of the gravestones were gone, also. > > When we got home, I informed the Sheriff of the desecration and told him that > we wished to press charged against whomever was responsible for this > sensiless act. > After some sleuthing, I found out that Gregory Reed was the owner and had > requested the first bulldozer operator to "push the cmemtery down the hill"/ > He refused to do so and was promptly fired. The bull dozer operator, Ernest > Patton, said the gravestones were on theknoll at the time he left the site. > > Apparently, Gregory Reed destroyed the gravestones .. and then hired another > bulldozer company, Dozer Inc from Natchez, to complete the job. The foreman > said there weren't any tombstones on the site when he moved there ... just > some old stone building rubble. I suspect that the tombstone became that > building rubble. > > I contacted Gregory Reed and asked him what happened to the cemetery .. the > answer was "what cemetery?" . I told him that I wanted the stones and would > place them in our cemetery .... that I didn't want to give him any trouble > but .... and he interrupted and said "LADY, YOU CAN'T GIVE ME ANY TROUBLE!" > and slammed the phone down. Let me tell you .. a red flag waved!!!! > > I contacted Elbert Hilliard , Mississippi Archives and History, Jackson and > informed of this desecration ... contacted the Attorney General's office > ...then a lawyer friend to find the appropriate way to handle this matter. > It was to file a judgement against Gregrory Reed through Mississippi Code > 97-29-25. > > We understand that to move a cemetery the removal and relocation of the > remains as well as the gravestones is required by law, however, we would have > been satisfied to relocate the gravestones... We wanted to put Grandpa Brown > and Uncle George's stone in the Brown plot in Beech Hill Cemetery. > > Edward Wallace was the one who donated the land to the Cane Ridge Methodist > Church for their cmemteyr .. we felt that it would have been proper that the > gravestones of his daughter, wife and him be relocated to the Cane Ridge > Cemetery. We would have placed Elder Taylor's and Samuel Caldwell's there > also > > Continued in Part 2 > > > ==== MSJEFFER Mailing List ==== > "Isn't genealogy fun? The answer to one problem, leads to two more." >