Col. James W. Drane of Choctaw County

When James W. Drane moved his family to newly formed Choctaw County, Mississippi in 1836, he brought his family and over 20 slaves to live with him near French Camp, Mississippi. He was first married to Matilda Shaw and later to Amelia S. Edwards. Drane was born in Columbia County, Georgia, on February 24, 1808 and died on March 8, 1869. His grave is among those of over a dozen other Drane family members who are buried in French Camp Cemetery near the location of his former home.

When Col. Drane died, the "Jackson Daily Clarion" later the "Clarion Ledger," printed this in its issue dated March 16, 1869: "His elevated character, inflexible will, integrity of purpose, and clear intellect gave him large influence, and at one time he came nigh receiving the democratic nomination for Governor of the State, when a nomination was equivalent to an election. He was a conspicuous member of the class of legislature to which Whitfield, Pettus, Oliver, and their conferes belonged, and who wielded a large influence over the destinies of the State, between the years 1850 and 1860."

Samuel Curry of Fairfield District, SC

Samuel Curry's gravestone in the A.R.P. United Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, near Starkville, bears an engraving of the scales of justice, a symbol that means "truth" or simply "justice" and often links one to the legal profession. But Samuel Curry was a farmer, not a lawyer. I was unable to find Samuel Curry's household on the U. S. Census of 1850, although I did find his name on the Slave Schedule of 1850 as living near Starkville, Mississippi and the owner of 39 slaves.

Curry's household did appear on the U.S. Census record taken in 1860, and this record shows that Curry was 65 years old. His household included his wife, Mary, age 50 and two other adults identified as Isabella Mooty, 30, no relationship shown, and John B. Pope, age 24, an "overseer." According to the census record, in 1860, Samuel owned $21,400 in real estate and $6500 in personal property. Inscribed on Curry's grave stone, along with his dates of birth and death, is his place of birth, "Fairfield District, S.C." The inscription near the bottom reads "As for man, his days are as grass, a flower of the field so he flourishes."

Gravestone of Samuel Curry

b.March 6 1795 in SC; d. Aug 6, 1868


The cemetery in which Samuel Curry is buried is named A.R.P. and United Presbyterian Cemetery. I was unfamiliar with the term "A.R.P," as it related to the Presbyterian Church. So I researched the term on Google and found the church's website, which provided some of its history. The religious organization is an old one, with its origin dating back to the Established Presbyterian Church of Scotland in the 1700s. The branch of the Presbyterian Church has over 200 congregations nationwide.

The Zinc Grave Marker of Jacob Kinard

The gravestone of Jacob Kinard marks his burial place in Beth Eden Cemetery near the Lutheran church of the same name located in Winston County, Mississippi. Bluish-gray in color, the marker is made of cast zinc, often called "white bronze." A Masonic emblem appears predominantly on Kinard's marker, along with his date of birth, date of death, and a notation that he was born in South Carolina. A pioneer of Winston County, Jacob Kinard, who was born on February 4, 1817 and died on March 21, 1881, is one of over 50 Kinard family members buried in this cemetery where many graves date back to the mid-late 1800s.

Wordless Wednesday

Tombstone Tuesday - Rev. Jesse Morgan

The grave of Rev. Jesse Morgan, a minister of the Evangelical Lutheran faith, is located in Beth Eden Cemetery near Louisville, Mississippi. The cemetery, located adjacent to Beth Eden Lutheran Church in rural Winston County, contains over 200 graves, many of them marked with modest gravestones placed there during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Rev. Morgan's grave marker is inscribed with his dates of birth and death, along with an engraving of an open Bible surrounded by ivy leaves. Rev. Morgan was a young minister when he came to early Winston County after it was formed from lands ceded by the Choctaw Nation.

Above: The grave marker of Rev. Jesse Morgan
b. July 1, 1819, d. July 4, 1883

Mashulaville Cemetery in Noxubee County

This cemetery is located in Mashulaville, a rural community in Noxubee County, Mississippi. According to William Bright's book, Native American Placenames in the United States, published in 2007, the community was likely named for Mashula, a Choctaw leader. Buried in the cemetery are families named Eichelberger, Lipscomb, Lockler, Otis, Perkins, Sennett, Shaw, and Simmons.

Ebenezer Cemetery, Edinburg, Mississippi

Ebenezer Cemetery, located near Edinburg, in Leake County, Mississippi was established in 1800. Within the boundaries of this old, sprawling cemetery, hundreds of early Leake County settlers with Scotch-Irish ancestry are buried. Posted here are some of the surnames to be found in Ebenezer Cemetery: Allen, Brooks, Carter, Chamblee, Donald, Fairchild, Hogue, Jolly, King, Logan, McPhail, Moore, Peoples, Rhodes, Sikes, Tolbert, and Wiggins. Wilcher, and Withers.