Covington Family Members Buried in Fellowship Cemetery, Attala County, MS

Henry W. Covington is the patriarch of the Covington Family in Attala County, and an account of how my Porter ancestors and the Covington family are connected can be read here. Much of the anecdotal information in that post was provided by Duncan C. Covington, a descendant of that family. Pictured above is the grave marker of Martha J. Davis Covington, Henry's third wife. According to the inscription on the replacement grave stone, Martha Davis and Henry Covington married on Valentine's Day in 1875, and Martha died about eight years later.

Several weeks ago, I wrote a post about Duncan C. Covington and his family's involvement in maintaining the very old Fellowship Cemetery in Attala County. A number of Duncan's Covington ancestors are buried in the cemetery, along with my great-great-grandfather, James M. Porter. Duncan's book, "The People of Shrock, Mississippi - 1895-1922," contains more detailed information about the Covington family and is replete with photocopies of many family members.



Ellen Covington, infant daughter of Henry W. Covington and his first wife, Laura Ellen Porter Covington, whose grave stone is pictured below.



Laura Ellen Porter was the daughter of Samuel Porter of South Carolina, and his wife Martha Middleton. Laura was also Henry W. Covington's first wife and the sister of my great-great-grandfather, James M. Porter, also buried in Friendship Cemetery.



Henry W. Covington, Jr., son of Henry W. Covington and his second wife, Amanda Fulton.



Lulu Ellen Covington, b. August 15, 1863, d. Feb 12, 1925



Covington Infant Daughter



Covington Infant Son

Although a large part of the history of the Covington family in Attala County is contained in this old cemetery, a mystery remains about Henry W. Covington's own family roots. According to Duncan, his family has never been able to determine the names of Henry's own parents. If any of my readers have any information about Henry W. Covington's parents or family members, I am certain Duncan would appreciate hearing from you.

Wordless Wednesday - Little Lambs

Benjamin W. Boteler, Confederate Veteran

Pictured here is Benjamin W. Boteler's grave marker, located in Briar Hill Cemetery, near the community of Monterey, in Rankin County, Mississippi. The symbol on Mr. Boteler's grave marker is the Southern Cross, denoting that he was a Confederate veteran, and the inscription shows that he served in Company "A," of the 18th Mississippi Infantry. Born in 1839, Benjamin W. Boteler died in 1908.

Midway Cemetery in Calhoun County, MS

This unique grave site located in Midway Cemetery in Calhoun County leads one to believe the individual buried here was someone who enjoyed hunting with his favorite beagle dog.

Fellowship Cemetery - Cleanup and Repair of Stones

Recently, a nephew of Duncan C. Covington, performed some cleanup work in and around the Fellowship Cemetery in rural Attala County. Duncan's Covington ancestors are buried in this cemetery near my own paternal great-great-grandfather, James M. Porter. According to an email I received from Duncan over the Easter weekend, his nephew also repaired James M. Porter's grave stone (shown here today) that had been broken in half.

Special thanks go out to Duncan and his nephew for their work in maintaining Fellowship Cemetery, especially the graves of members of the Burel, Covington, and Porter families.



Repaired gravestone of James M. Porter
Photographed by Duncan C. Covington
Fellowship Cemetery - April 2009

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