Metal Funeral Home Markers

Mrs. Linda A. Patterson, who died on November 9, 2002, is buried in Carr Cemetery, near Ethel, Mississippi. Born on December 26, 1953, Patterson, at 48 years old, was still young when she died. I do not know the reason for her death. Her grave site is marked by a simple aluminum "funeral home" marker that shows her name, date of birth, age, and date of death. It also shows that Myrick's Funeral Homes, in Kosciusko and Carthage, MS, handled the arrangements for her burial. This type of marker is shaped like a stake at the bottom and is planted in the ground to mark a grave site where no gravestone yet exists.

The top part of funeral home markers contain windows made of clear, hard plastic, intended to be weatherproof in an effort to protect the information contained in it. The "window" of older funeral home markers was often made of flexible clear plastic. These markers almost always show the name of the funeral home, a bit of information that can sometimes yield more vital information to a family researcher who makes a contact there. Mrs. Patterson's funeral home marker still appears to be in good condition, although it has been in the ground at her grave site since 2002. Many markers, similar to this one, although not all in good condition, can still be seen in the rural cemeteries in Attala County. Some of the markers have been in place since the Depression, when the cost of a tombstone was likely prohibitive to many. During the past several decades, however, descendants of a few of these individuals buried in graves marked with funeral home markers have honored their ancestors by replacing the markers with conventional grave stones.

Confederate Graves at Isaacs Cemetery

Some cemeteries have tall pillars and ornate gates and sculptures that grace the entrance to the final resting place of those buried there. But the location of Isaacs Cemetery is marked by a simple, homemade sign, with stencil-painted letters that spell out the name. Like so many other cemeteries that began as family cemeteries, Isaacs Cemetery contains the burial places of some of the county's earliest residents, along with those of residents and their families who have died in recent years. This Attala County cemetery is located at McVille, south of Kosciusko, between Highway 43 and the Natchez Trace Parkway, about halfway to Thomastown. In the very early 1800's, this area was still part of the Choctaw Nation. Graves of several Confederate soldiers are located in the cemetery, and markers for four of those graves are pictured below. You will note that the emblem known as the Southern cross appears on each gravestone.

James W. Cabaniss

Co. "A" 15 Miss Inf

C. S. A.

Alonzo Lewis, Confederate Soldier

John Fields

Co. "K"

10 Ala Inf.

C. S. A.

Elkanah Sanders

Co. "F"

18 Miss Inf.

C. S. A.

Just Who was Mary J. Byne?

According to her intricately carved gravestone, Mary J. Byne was born in 1790 and died on May 23, 1860, and was "aged about 70 years" when she was buried in Liberty Chapel Cemetery, near Ethel, Mississippi, in Attala County. Mary's gravestone is an interesting one. It shows a young woman in a flowing dress, with her head propped in her right hand, while her right elbow and left hand are resting on a some type of monument that is similar to a tombstone.

An immediate question comes to mind.....what does the far away look represent? Is the image reflecting on years past, or is she pondering her eternal future?

Something about this gravestone made me want to know more: Just who was Mary J. Byne?

So I began a search for something about Mary the person. I wondered if I might identify her relatives, or at least the relative or friend who cared enough for her to mark her grave with such a lovely gravestone. But my search has not yet uncovered that information.

First, there are no other Byne family members buried in that cemetery or others nearby. I found this simple fact alone to be odd, since Mississippi family members were more often than not buried in the same cemetery, especially in 1860. Maybe Mary was unmarried.

Next, I searched for Mary Byne on census records in Mississippi, but I was unsuccessful in locating anyone by that name who was "about 70 years" on either the 1850 or 1860 U. S. Census Records. This finding makes me believe that Mary had not arrived in the U. S. in 1850, perhaps was living in another state, or maybe that she even had another name at that time. The fact that I did not find Mary on the 1860 U. S. Census was predictable, since she likely had already died by the time the census was taken in September of that year. Oddly, I did find a Mary J. Byne, aged 24, who lived in another Mississippi County, with other family members named "Youngblood."

As I continued to search, I found a "Mary Byne" who appears on the 1850 U. S. Census taken in the 8th Ward of the town of Madison in Jefferson County, Indiana. Mary's birthplace, like that of four other household members, was shown as "Ireland." Others enumerated in the household were Catherine, Bridget, Margarett, and Michael. Strangely, no ages and no relationships are shown for Mary or others appearing in that household. I finally located an individual enumerated as "Mary Byne"on the U. S. Census of 1860, living in Stamford (Fairfield County) Connecticut. Since she was already 71 years of age when the census record was made in August 1860, it appears unlikely this person is the Mary Byne buried in Liberty Chapel Cemetery.

Although my search did not reveal the information I sought, Mary continues to lie at rest under the lovely gravestone placed there many years ago by someone who considered her dear.

But I will continue to wonder: Just exactly who was Mary J. Byne?

The Grave of Judge Jason Adams Niles, Kosciusko City Cemetery

The grave marker shown here is that of Judge Jason Adams Niles, who was born on December 19, 1814 in Burlington, Vermont. After graduating from the University of Vermont, Jason Niles became a teacher.

While still a young man, Niles settled in Attala County, Mississippi and subsequently became a lawyer, where he was active in state and local politics for over 40 years.

Judge Niles served as a circuit judge for the 13th Judicial District from 1871 to 1872, and in 1872, he was elected to the 43rd congress, where he served one term. Judge Niles died on July 7, 1894, just a few months before his 80th birthday, and he is buried in the Kosciusko City Cemetery. The diary kept by Judge Niles between the years 1861 and 1864 is a popular tool among Attala County genealogists, since it contains an account of everyday life in Attala County during the Civil War. A link to an electronic copy of the diary, now maintained by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, can be found on the Attala County Memories blogspot, located at http://www.attalacountymemories.blogspot.com/