Tombstone Tuesday - W. J. Gipson

W. J. Gipson, b. Oct. 30, 1876
Died april 12, 1903
Woodmen of the World Monument
Bloomfield Cemetery
Neshoba County, Mississippi

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.

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