Seneasha Cemetery, Attala County, Mississippi

Branch family members who lived and died in Attala County are buried in several cemeteries, including Good Hope Cemetery in Madison County and Hillcrest Cemetery in Goodman (Holmes County.) But Seneasha Cemetery in rural Attala County seems to have been the burial place for more Branch family members than any other cemetery in the three-county area that includes Attala, Holmes, and Madison Counties.



Entrance to Seneasha Cemetery
Attala County, Mississippi

(Photo by Natalie Maynor)

Recently, one of my blog readers who is also a distant cousin, began taking photos of grave stones in Seneasha Cemetery and uploading them onto the website known as Find-A-Grave.com. Please visit again soon to see some of these new photos and read stories about members of the Branch family.



Attala County, Mississippi
Seneasha United Methodist Church

(Photo by Natalie Maynor)

Tombstone Tuesday - Joseph K. and Caroline Fitler Shrock - Shiloh Cemetery, Madison County, MS

Joseph Kilpatrick Shrock and his wife Caroline Fitler Shrock are buried in Shiloh Cemetery in Madison County near the community of Cameron, Mississippi. Photographs of their grave stones appear below. More about the families of Joseph K. and Caroline Shrock can be read here.



J. K. Shrock, b. May 6, 1821
d. May 31, 1897, buried in
Shiloh Cemetery, near Cameron
Madison County, MS



Caroline Fitler, wife of J. K. Shrock
d. Oct. 25, 1882, buried in
Shiloh Cemetery near Cameron
Madison County, Mississippi

Source: Photographs by Natalie Maynor

The Semmes Family - St. Mary of the Springs Cemetery

The grave marker pictured here identifies the final resting place in St. Mary of the Springs Cemetery, Madison County, Mississippi, of Walter Semmes, Ignatius Semmes, and Emily Semmes.

The Semmes family were early settlers of Madison County, having taken a migration path from Charles County, Maryland that included Wilkes County and Savannah, in Georgia. Included among its family members in Mississippi and elsewhere, were physicians, merchants, and at least one Catholic priest.

A biography of the Semmes family can be read here.

Tombstone Tuesday - Woodmen of the World Monument

This unique Woodmen of the World monument marks the grave of Hal P. Shrock. Mr. Shrock, born on August 26, 1849 and who died on February 9, 1904, is buried in Shiloh Cemetery, near Camden in Madison County, Mississippi. Although Woodmen of the World grave markers can be found in many cemeteries throughout Mississippi, this marker is one of the larger that I recall and the only one I have seen of this particular design.

St. Philips Episcopal Cemetery - Henrietta Hemingway

Recently, one of my readers, Mitchell Sawyer, contacted me and shared information and photos about the cleanup he organized of old St. Philips Cemetery, also known as Kirkwood Cemetery. This very old cemetery, located in the far reaches of Madison County, Mississippi, near Camden, is the burial place of former Mississippi governor William McWillie and members of his immediate family and others who were allied with that family.



Henrietta Hemingway
b. April 6, 1799, d. April 8, 1860
Buried in Kirkwood Cemetery
Madison County, Mississippi

Among the photos Mitchell shared with me was one of his great-grandmother, Henrietta Hemingway, shown here today.



Henrietta Hemingway
(photograph courtesy of Mitchell Sawyer)

Mitchell related to me a brief story about his great-grandmother: "My Hemingway ancestors left Duesbury England on the Ship Majestic and arrived in Charleston Harbor in 1829. Settled in the Camden, SC area which is how they knew Governor McWillie. In fact, the 'tale' in the family is that Catherine (Gov.'s wife) prepared my great grandmother Henrietta Hemingway's hair on her wedding day."

Ironically, the Hemingway family later migrated to Mississippi and settled in the area of Madison County known as "Camden."

Thank you, Mitchell, for sharing some of your family history with me and with my readers.

St. Philip's Episcopal Church Cemetery, Madison County

Several weeks ago, I received an email from Mitchell Sawyer, who happened upon a post I had written in December 2008 about Kirkwood Cemetery in rural Madison County. According to Sawyer, he discovered the once hidden cemetery when he was searching for his Hemingway ancestors, who he believed to be buried there. After finding the cemetery in a neglected and overgrown state, Mr. Sawyer personally initiated a cleanup project.



Kirkwood Cemetery, Madison County
( St. Philip's Episcopal churchyard)\
Photograph by Mitchell Sawyer

In an email to me, Mr. Sawyer stated: "When I found the grave yard it was completely overgrown and hidden. I had a lot of encouragement and advice from the Ms. Dept. of Archives and History. After removing the “forest” I started some tombstone cleaning and very thankfully the Madison Co. Supervisors got in the act and erected a nice chain link fence. Unfortunately, this past summer it appears vandals toppled the Governor’s monument. The cemetery has gained the name, of course, from the McWillie plantation but the actual name is St. Philip’s Episcopal churchyard. The Episcopal church building stood to the left as you enter the cemetery; upon a small knoll."



Photographed by Mitchell Sawyer
April 17, 2007, after cleanup

As one who treasures the beauty and historical significance of our state's very old cemeteries, I want to thank Mr. Sawyer for his role in locating this cemetery, for clearing and removing the trees and brush, and for getting the Madison County Board of Supervisors involved. Through Mr. Sawyer's selfless efforts, descendants of those buried in Kirkwood Cemetery near where old St. Philip's Episcopal Church once stood, may now visit the graves of their ancestors.

Wordless Wednesday - Two Young Children

Anna and Helen Hinton

Chapel of the Cross Cemetery

Madison, Mississippi

Chapel of the Cross Cemetery - Britton Family

Stephen Wells Britton, whose grave monument is shown here, was one of many Britton family members who migrated to Mississippi in the 1800s from Bertie County, North Carolina. According to the inscription on the monument that marks Stephen Britton's grave, he was born on April 21, 1818, and he died on April 19, 1855.

Other Britton family members buried in historic Chapel of the Cross Cemetery in Madison, Mississippi, include:


Frances A. Britton, b. Nov. 16, 1825, d. March 4, 1907
Herbert P. Britton, d. 1852
Mary B. Britton, d. Nov. 1883
William Britton, b. May 3, 1853, d. Dec. 24, 1894
William J. Britton, b. Mar. 19, 1815, d. Feb. 6, 1871

Interestingly, William J. Britton's wife, Frances A. Britton, was the daughter of Margaret Johnstone, who built the Chapel of the Cross. And it was Margaret Johnstone's younger daughter, Helen, who is known as the legendary "Bride of Annandale."

Manda and Maggie, Wives of George F. Halford

This is a followup post to a post that appeared as Tombstone Tuesday on January 19, 2009. The triple tombstone pictured here is located in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Leake County, Mississippi, and it marks the burial places of George F. Halford and his two wives, Amanda B. Boutwell Halford and Margaret F. Nash Halford. In today's post, I have attempted to piece together the story of how these three lives and those of their children intertwined.

According to his tombstone, George F. Halford was born on April 3, 1858 in Mississippi. George's date of birth is validated by the U. S. Census of 1860, taken in Leake County, Mississippi, where George, age 2, was enumerated in the household of his parents, Owen Halford and Nice J. Halford. The post office address for the Halford family was shown as Carthage, Mississippi. According to the census, Owen, a farmer, was born in North Carolina around 1807, and in 1860, he owned real estate and personal property valued at $800. Also living in the Halford household were George's brother, Lemuel, age 13, and his three sisters named Nancey, 16, Frances 6, and Elizabeth, 3. All children were born in Mississippi." The age difference between Owen and Nice, along with a gap of over 6 years between the ages of Lemuel and Frances, raises a question of whether George's marriage to Nice may have been a second one. The census record, however, shows "Halford" as the surname for all children enumerated.

When I searched the U. S. Census of 1870, I found George F. Halford enumerated as an unmarried, white male aged 22, residing in the household of Rachel McKay in adjacent Madison County. He was not shown as a "direct relative" of Mrs. McKay, and his occupation was "farmer." Also enumerated in the McKay household was George Ramber, a farm laborer. Although Mrs. McKay may have been George's grandmother or an aunt, I found no information to establish that a blood relationship existed between the two.

I was unable to locate George F. Halford on the U. S. Census again until 1900, when I found his family enumerated in the Good Hope Community of Leake County, Mississippi. George, then 42, was shown to be living with his wife of 18 years, Manda, age 38, along with their six children, Mirtle, 16, Katie, 12, Thomas, 10, Hallie, 6, Edker, 4, and Colant, 2. It is likely that George and Manda lost a child between the births of Mirtle and Katie, as the census shows that Manda had 7 pregnancies and only 6 live births. According to her gravestone, Amanda ("Manda") B. Boutwell Halford died on May 26, 1904.

A review of the U. S. Census of 1910 shows that George, then 52 years old, was already married to Margaret, who was enumerated as "Maggie," aged 26, and they were living in Leake County. Children in the household were Tom, 20, Hal, 18, Edgar, 15, and Cullen, 12. In addition, there were three children born during George's marriage to Maggie, Owen, 4, Henry, 3, and Andrew, 2.

Twenty years later, in 1930, George and Maggie, now 73 and 45 years old, respectively, were still living in Leake County, Mississippi. Also enumerated in the household were seven of their children, Henry, 22, and six other children born between 1910 and 1930, Jack, 21, Enda, 16, Mabel, 13, Frank, 11, Fannie, 8, and Leona, 6.

George F. Halford died on January 17, 1940. Margaret F. Nash Halford, "Maggie" to her family, born on May 12, 1882, died on July 23, 1958. George was married over fifty years to the two women in his life, "Manda" and "Maggie," and both had helped raise George's children from a previous marriage, as well as children born to each of them during their own marriage to George. It seems only fitting that all three people, George, Manda, and Maggie, would be linked together, even after death, by this unusual triple gravestone.

The Graveyard Rabbit Arrives in Madison County

Welcome to my first posting on the "Graveyard of Madison County" blog!

First, I feel honored to have the opportunity to write about the many old cemeteries located in Madison County. This particular area of Mississippi has always had a special appeal to me. Not only do I love the county's pastoral setting with its many beautiful homes, situated on tree-lined streets, but I can also feel and see the rich history of the area reflected in the culture and the architecture of old and new buildings there.

Much of Madison County's history can be gleaned from its many old and well-preserved cemeteries dating back to the early 1800's. One of these is the Canton City Cemetery, located in the town by the same name that has functioned as the county's center of government for over a century and a half. The large, white-columned courthouse, which makes up the center of the quaint town square, will be remembered by many as the setting for filming the movie made about John Grisham's first book, "A Time to Kill."

One of the most beautiful and interesting small cemeteries in Madison County is located about 5 miles from the town of Madison's Main Street. It is there at the cemetery behind the Chapel of the Cross that a number of old families who had significant roles in the formation of the county are buried. The very well-preserved Gothic-style Episcopal Church and its cemetery are said to be haunted, and the story of the ghost and his ladylove, the church's builder, has been a local legend for over a century. Currently, the Chapel of the Cross is the center of an active parish where members of the parish's "grave committee" actually dig the graves for parishioners and their families who are buried in the cemetery there. I plan to write about the history of this church, its cemetery, and its century-old legend in future posts.

I cannot write about Madison County, Mississippi, however, without writing about the Natchez Trace Parkway, part of which runs through Madison County near Ridgeland, Mississippi, a growing city that is located on the Ross Barnett Reservoir. Ridgeland is a progressive city that boasts the largest population in Madison County. A number of old rural cemeteries that date back to the time of early settlements by colonists who migrated to Mississippi are located in the deeply wooded areas that border the Natchez Trace. It was in some of those early settlements that French traders, members of the Choctaw Tribe, and other early settlers lived, died, and were buried.

Please join me in the coming months as I venture through the old graveyards of Madison County and tell the stories of those buried in them.

The Graveyard Rabbit Arrives in Madison County

Welcome to my first posting on the "Graveyard of Madison County" blog!

First, I feel honored to have the opportunity to write about the many old cemeteries located in Madison County. This particular area of Mississippi has always had a special appeal to me. Not only do I love the county's pastoral setting with its many beautiful homes, situated on tree-lined streets, but I can also feel and see the rich history of the area reflected in the culture and the architecture of old and new buildings there.

Much of Madison County's history can be gleaned from its many old and well-preserved cemeteries dating back to the early 1800's. One of these is the Canton City Cemetery, located in the town by the same name that has functioned as the county's center of government for over a century and a half. The large, white-columned courthouse, which makes up the center of the quaint town square, will be remembered by many as the setting for filming the movie made about John Grisham's first book, "A Time to Kill."

One of the most beautiful and interesting small cemeteries in Madison County is located about 5 miles from the town of Madison's Main Street. It is there at the cemetery behind the Chapel of the Cross that a number of old families who had significant roles in the formation of the county are buried. The very well-preserved Gothic-style Episcopal Church and its cemetery are said to be haunted, and the story of the ghost and his ladylove, the church's builder, has been a local legend for over a century. Currently, the Chapel of the Cross is the center of an active parish where members of the parish's "grave committee" actually dig the graves for parishioners and their families who are buried in the cemetery there. I plan to write about the history of this church, its cemetery, and its century-old legend in future posts.

I cannot write about Madison County, Mississippi, however, without writing about the Natchez Trace Parkway, part of which runs through Madison County near Ridgeland, Mississippi, a growing city that is located on the Ross Barnett Reservoir. Ridgeland is a progressive city that boasts the largest population in Madison County. A number of old rural cemeteries that date back to the time of early settlements by colonists who migrated to Mississippi are located in the deeply wooded areas that border the Natchez Trace. It was in some of those early settlements that French traders, members of the Choctaw Tribe, and other early settlers lived, died, and were buried.

Please join me in the coming months as I venture through the old graveyards of Madison County and tell the stories of those buried in them.

Welcome!

I am happy to announce today that I have started a new blog here where I will be writing about old graveyards of Madison County, Mississippi, and about those who are buried in them. "The Graveyard Rabbit of Madison County" is one of about 50 blogs written by members who blog from locations throughout the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, and the U. K.

"The Association of Graveyard Rabbits" was founded in October of this year by Terry Thornton, a Mississippian, and a founding member known as "footNote Maven," who writes "Shades of the Departed." Terry also writes two blogs entitled "The Graveyard Rabbit of Hill Country" and "Hill Country of Monroe County." Although the association is still a new one, member "graveyard rabbits" continue to multiply and now blog about all things related to cemeteries from all over the U. S., Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

I invite you to visit the three sister blogs to "The Graveyard Rabbit of Madison County." They are "Attala County Memories," "The Graveyard Rabbit of Holmes County," and "The Graveyard Rabbit of Attala County."

I hope you will join me on my new journey throughout the many old graveyards located in Madison County, Mississippi. Not only do I hope to find your ancestors and mine, as well, but I look forward to writing about the events that made up their life stories.

Welcome!

I am happy to announce today that I have started a new blog here where I will be writing about old graveyards of Madison County, Mississippi, and about those who are buried in them. "The Graveyard Rabbit of Madison County" is one of about 50 blogs written by members who blog from locations throughout the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, and the U. K.

"The Association of Graveyard Rabbits" was founded in October of this year by Terry Thornton, a Mississippian, and a founding member known as "footNote Maven," who writes "Shades of the Departed." Terry also writes two blogs entitled "The Graveyard Rabbit of Hill Country" and "Hill Country of Monroe County." Although the association is still a new one, member "graveyard rabbits" continue to multiply and now blog about all things related to cemeteries from all over the U. S., Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

I invite you to visit the three sister blogs to "The Graveyard Rabbit of Madison County." They are "Attala County Memories," "The Graveyard Rabbit of Holmes County," and "The Graveyard Rabbit of Attala County."

I hope you will join me on my new journey throughout the many old graveyards located in Madison County, Mississippi. Not only do I hope to find your ancestors and mine, as well, but I look forward to writing about the events that made up their life stories.

Good Hope Cemetery - Woodmen of the World Tombstones

The Entrance to Good Hope Cemetery, established 1851, near the Good Hope Baptist Church.

Good Hope Baptist Church Cemetery is located across a well-built and maintained wooden footbridge from the church. From the footbridge, a visitor can see deep down into a wooded ravine that is part of the heavily timbered countryside that provides a beautiful, serene setting for this old church and deceased members of its community who lived during the 1800's.

To get to the church and cemetery from Highway 51 North, turn right onto Highway 17 East, and travel about 6 miles to Rocky Ridge Road, a paved and scenic county road. Stay on Rocky Ridge Road for about 5.5 miles, passing Shrock Road on the left. Turn left onto Mullinvill Road and travel approximately 500 yards to the church and cemetery directly ahead.

The cemetery is fenced, and on each side of the gate are engraved stones dedicating the cemetery to the memory of Barrett family who were instrumental in its establishment in 1851. The actual location of Good Hope Baptist Church and cemetery is in Madison County, Mississippi, but it is very near the line that separates that county from Attala County.

The tombstone you see here is located in

the cemetery at Good Hope and was erected for Edward Arthur Branch, my paternal great-grandfather. Ed, as he was known to his family and friends, was born on November 15, 1874 in Madison County, Mississippi, and he died on November 2, 1914, in Jackson, Mississippi. The inscription on the tombstone states simply "Gone Home."

Ed Branch was only 40 years old when he was diagnosed with cancer. Two days before his death, he was admitted to a hospital in Jackson for surgery that doctors believed might save his life. He died of complications from that surgery, barely two weeks away from his 41st birthday. He left a widow and five children under the age of 18, and his only son, my grandfather, had just turned 16 years old.

Before he died, Ed Branch had been a member of an organization known as "Woodmen of the World," founded in Omaha, Nebraska in 1890 by Joseph Cullen Root. According to "Wikipedia," the organization's purpose was to help its members "clear away problems of financial security....," and one of the benefits of membership was the organization's free tombstones for its members.

My great-grandfather's tombstone, one of three present in the Good Hope Cemetery, and one of many in cemeteries across the country, is a reminder of the other men who worked in one of the earliest occupations in the United States, the wood and timber industry. Use of these tombstones, unique and shaped like stumps of wood that bore the Woodmen of the World logo, was discontinued by the organization sometime around 1920.