Epitaph of the Week

One by one earth's ties are broken

As we see our life decay;

And the hopes so fondly cherished

Brighten but to pass away.

One by one our hopes grow brighter

As we near the shining shore;

For we know across the river

Wait the loved ones gone before.

Mary J. Byne - Comments from a Reader

Yesterday, I received a very nice comment from a reader about The Graveyard Rabbit of Attala County and the stories there. One post in particular, the story of the lone gravestone of Mary J. Byne, impacted the reader in such a way that she did some research on her own. This is a portion of this dear reader's comments:

"I particularly liked your story about Mary J. Byne, so I decided to do a little bit of research on her and here is what I found. A headstone depicting the lone figure of a woman symbolizes a widow, and the initial "J" most likely stood for her maiden name. On the 1850 US Federal Census Report I found the Joseph Youngblood family living in Marion County, Mississippi. Living with them was a 30 year old white male farm laborer from Georgia named F.M. Byne. My guess would be that the Byne's were related to the Youngblood family...though obviously not closely related since they didn't know when Mrs. Byne's birthday was!"

Not only did I learn something new about gravestone symbols, but thanks to this reader, someone searching for the Byne family in Mississippi now has another link to the past.

Reader's comments are valuable to me, and I welcome all of them!

The Gowen/Gowin Family of Attala County

Yesterday, I received a very nice email from a Mississippi reader who is a volunteer for Find-A-Grave, telling me that he enjoyed my blog. He also told me that he has photographed all the graves found in the very old Ellington Cemetery near McAdams, Mississippi, and he wanted to direct me there. Since I had not yet visited this cemetery, I took his advice and checked out the listing of graves there.



First, I found that twenty-three of some of Attala County's oldest residents are buried in the Ellington Cemetery. Five of those buried were infants or very young children. Of the twenty-three persons, five were members of the Gowen/Gowin family, five were Ellington family members, and four were from the Crittenden family. Others persons buried in this cemetery are: Guyton (2), Jenkins (1), Hines (2), Dickens (1), Ellard (1), Bailey (1) and Boutwell.



One of the gravestones, a double one pictured here, shows the names Alexander Gowen, and his son, Richard. An engraved oval that separates the combined marker simply states "Father & Son." Although Alexander's date of birth is not shown, the headstone shows his death occurred on April 28, 1869. Richard's marker shows that he was born on May 24, 1952 and died shortly after his twenty-second birthday,on May 26, 1874.



As I searched further through the list of those buried in the Ellington Cemetery, I found a simple marker for "Mantha" Gowin, engraved "the wife of Alex." Mantha, or "Martha" as census records later indicated, was born February 3, 1817 and died on March 3, 1891, approximately seventeen years after her son's death.



There are twenty-three graves located in the Ellington Cemetery. Of those individuals, five were members of the Gowen/Gowin family, five were Ellington family members, and four were from the Crittenden family. Others persons buried in this cemetery are: Guyton (2), Jenkins (1), Hines (2), Dickens (1), Ellard (1), Bailey (1) and Boutwell.



The double headstone for Alexander Gowen and his son Richard fascinated me, primarily because it appeared to be one made for a man and his wife, not a man and his son. So I decided to research the Gowen/Gowin family that lived in Attala County during the 1800's. What I found was a very large family headed by Alexander ("Alex") and his wife "Martha."



According to the U. S. Census recorded in 1850, Alexander and Martha lived in rural Attala County, where he was a farmer. Alexander was not a wealthy man, even for those years, since the value of his property was shown on the census record to be only $500. His age was recorded as 36 years old, and his birthplace was shown as "North Carolina." Martha was shown to be 30 years old and born in Georgia. The Gowen household consisted of seven children named Edna, Sarah, Lott, Garrett, Isaac, Jesse, and Polly. Anotheer individual named William W. McCarter, whose relationship is not indicated, was also present in the household.



In 1860, two sons had been added to the Gowen family, and the spelling of the surname was now shown on the census taken in that year as "Gowin." Two sons, "Dickey" and "Alexander," were born in 1853 and in 1859.



There are two questions that have arisen from this look into the Gowen/Gowin family and its dead who are buried in the Ellington Cemetery. First, who was Richard Gowen? According to the U. S. Census taken in 1860, the Gowen son born in 1859 was named "Dickey." In all likelihood, "Dickey" was a nickname for Richard.



Second, why was Richard buried beside his father, in the place intended for Martha, his mother? It seems quite possible that Martha had erected a beautiful double marker for her husband's grave when he died, and at her death, she planned to be buried next to him. But tragedy struck, and her young son died when he was barely 22 years old, and he was likely the first of her children to be taken in death. In her grief, Martha buried her son next to his father in the place intended for her. Her own death and where she would be buried were likely not a concern at the time.



Richard's brother, Garrett, is buried in the Ellington Cemetery, as well, along with a Gowen/Gowin grandson, also named Alex. Although the last Gowen/Gowin family member was buried in this cemetery in 1904, I have found no record that anyone with that surname was living in Attala County by 1870. But the beautiful monuments to their lives as well as to their deaths, continue to be loving reminders of a family that lived there so long ago.

Epitaph of the Week

Miss me a little, but let me go,

When the sun has set for me;

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room,

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little, but not too long,

And not with your head bowed low;

Remember the love that we once shared,

Miss me..but let me go.

For this is a journey that I must take,

And we must go alone;

It’s all a part of the Masters plan,

A step on the road to “Home”.

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 Sallis Family of Sallis, Mississippi

Sallis Cemetery, Sallis, Mississippi, contains these two graves of John and Mary Edmonson Sallis, pioneers of Attala County. Photos here show the original and the newer gravestones for John and his second wife.

The town of Sallis and the cemetery are named for the Sallis Family that migrated from Georgia to Mississippi about 1848.

Left: Sallis Cemetery, Sallis (Attala County) Mississippi

John Seals Sallis III was born on September 29, 1789 in Wilkes County, Georgia. He died on July 21, 1865 in Sallis, Mississippi and was buried on July 24, 1865. According to a census record dated 1810, John was still living in Warren County, Georgia, formerly Wilkes County. He was first married in 1812 to Mary Shows, born in 1790 to Daniel Shows and Mary Cody Shows. Before Mary died in 1817, she gave birth to their only child, a daughter also named Mary, in Warren County Georgia.

John later married his second wife, Mary Edmondson, born on November 11, 1793, to Ambrose Edmondson and Elizabeth May Green. By all accounts, John and Mary moved to Attala County about 1848 and settled in the portion of Attala County that later became known as Sallis. According to the U. S. Census taken in 1860, John Sallis owned real estate valued at $5,000, and his personal estate was valued at $34,500.

John and Mary Edmondson Sallis had ten children. Their names were John Seals Sallis IV, Joseph Melton Sallis, Sarah Ann Sallis, David E. Sallis, James Green Sallis, Thomas Dred Sallis, Robert J. Sallis, William Jackson Sallis, Faith Elizabeth (Bettie) Sallis, Suzanna Angeline (Angie) Sallis.

On August 18, 1849, Mary Edmondson Sallis died and was buried in Sallis Cemetery. John's death followed in 1865.

The Two Wives of Perry Morrison Porter

Left: Headstone of Andromeda Wasson, wife of P. M. Porter. According to the headstone, Andromeda was b. Feb. 9, 1842, and d. Dec. 16, 1876.

Right: Headstone of Louisa J. Porter, consort and wife of P. M. Porter. b. Dec.17, 1833, d. Aug. 15, 1860.

The two graves are located in the Liberty Chapel Cemetery near Ethel, Mississippi. Ironically, both markers are very similar in design and size. It appears, however, that a newer, flat marker may have been added to Andromeda's grave in recent years.

A total of ten (10) living children were born during these two marriages. According to Porter family history, Andromeda Wasson was born in Green County, Alabama. She and Perry Morrison Porter, born also in Alabama, in 1827, had two children before she died, Francis and Archibald. Their son, Archibald, was named for Perry's father, Archibald Porter, born on April 7, 1799, in South Carolina. Perry's mother was Susan Morrison Porter, born August 26, 1806, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

Louisa J. Kimbrough was born December 17, 1833. She and Perry M. Porter had seven children, all whom were born in Attala County, Mississippi. Louisa apparently died giving birth to their eighth child in December 1876. The child's headstone simply says "Infant Porter" and is located nearby in Liberty Chapel Cemetery near Ethel, Mississippi.

Childen born to Perry and Louisa Porter were Nancy C., on October 13, 1863, Eliza B., in 1865, Susanna B. Porter, in 1867, Ella Porter, in 1869, Julie Sebell Porter, on March 23, 1870, Newton Porter, in 1872, and Perry Morrison Porter, Jr., born March 25, 1874.