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.

Fitler Familes of Madison and Issaquena Counties

The grave of Eliza Fitler is located in Camden Cemetery in Madison, County. Her simple grave stone shows that she was born in 1788 and died on August 20, 1853, when she was 65 years old.

The broken grave marker of William Fitler, stating he was born in 1785, is located nearby. According to the marker, Fitler died in 1810. Although not proven, it appears likely that William and Eliza were husband and wife.

George Fitler is also buried in Camden Cemetery, and his marker states he was born in 1811 and died in 1842. Although I have found no proof of George's relationship to Eliza and William, his date of birth and the proximity of his grave to theirs indicates he may have been their son.

The name Fitler, well-known in Philadelphia, with Fitler Square named for Edwin H. Fitler, a former mayor of Philadelphia in the 19th century, has never been a common name in Mississippi. But in the early 1800's, as evidenced by U. S. Census records taken in Mississippi, some members of this Pennsylvania family migrated to Mississippi and lived in Madison County and in Issaquena County. The earliest appearance of the name Fitler on a U. S. Census recorded in Mississippi was in 1850, the first such census to document a resident's place of birth.

Twenty (20) individuals named "Fitler" were enumerated that year in the the United States. Only two persons with this family name resided in Mississippi in 1850, Eliza Fitler, age 60, born in New York, and Louisa Fitler, a Pennsylvania-born 28 year old. Although this particular census did not show relationships of household members to each other, it is possible that Louisa was Eliza's daughter. Among the neighbors of Louisa and Eliza in Madison County was a blacksmith from Georgia, a merchant born in Kentucky, a Scottish-born tailor, a tanner from Virginia, and a Tennessee-born planter. Eliza and Louisa Fitler, according to the census, were not wealthy, since the value of their personal property and real estate was valued at only $200.

Fifteen of the remaining eighteen individuals with the surname Fitler, enumerated on the 1850 census, lived in Philadelphia. Two resided in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and one made his home in Tioga, New York. Germany was listed as the birthplace of two individuals, and another was shown to have been born in England. A list of these individuals, including their places of residence, dates of birth, and places of birth, as they were recorded on the U. S. Census of 1850, appears here:

Joseph P Fitler Kensington Ward 2, Philadelphia, PA abt 1812 Pennsylvania
Mary J Fitler Kensington Ward 7, Philadelphia, PA abt 1813 Pennsylvania
Jacob Fitler Kensington Ward 7, Philadelphia, PA abt 1814 Pennsylvania
Rosina Fitler Marietta, Lancaster, PA abt 1820 Pennsylvania
Mary C Fitler Kensington Ward 2, Philadelphia, PA abt 1822 England
Clanthay Fitler Kensington Ward 7, Philadelphia, PA abt 1832 Pennsylvania
Emma M Fitler Kensington Ward 7, Philadelphia, PA abt 1834 Pennsylvania
Mary J Fitler Kensington Ward 7, Philadelphia, PA abt 1838 Pennsylvania
Francis M Fitler Kensington Ward 7, Philadelphia, PA abt 1842 Pennsylvania
Charles H Fitler, Kensington Ward 2, Philadelphia, PA abt 1844 Pennsylvania
Anna W Fitler, Kensington Ward 7, Philadelphia, PA abt 1846 Pennsylvania
Hannah Fitler, Kensington Ward 7, Philadelphia, PA abt 1848 Pennsylvania
Emily Fitler, Kensington Ward 2, Philadelphia, PA abt 1850 Pennsylvania
Mary Jane Fitler, Marietta, Lancaster, PA abt 1848 Pennsylvania
James Fitler Marietta, Lancaster, PA abt 1843 Pennsylvania
John Fitler, Marietta, Lancaster, PA abt 1811 Pennsylvania
Charlotte Fitler, Spring Garden Ward 1, Philadelphia, PA abt 1825 Germany
Henry Fitler, Barton, Tioga, NY abt 1827 Germany.

In 1860, when the U. S. Census was recorded, a household headed by Theodore Fitler, a 45-year old "planter," appears in the record for Issaquena County, Mississippi. Included in the household was Theodore's spouse, S. L. Fitler, 38, a daughter, Mary J., age 7, and three sons, Charles L., age 11, Eugene B., age 9, and George D. W. Fitler, age 5. Although Theodore's birthplace was shown as Pennsylvania, all other family members were born in Mississippi. While there is a strong indication that Theodore was related to Eliza, Louisa, William, and George Fitler, I have found no tangible evidence that establishes what relationship, if any, Theodore had to these individuals.

When the 1860 census was recorded, Theodore was already a large landowner and a wealthy man, with the value of his real property shown as $18,000 and his personal property as $20,000. The fact that an area of Issaquena County, Mississippi today is still known as "Fitler" is a lasting indication of the family's once sizable land holdings in that county.

Although 57 individuals with the surname "Fitler" were recorded in the United States in 1860, I did not find Louisa Fitler's name. Louisa may have married after Eliza's death in 1853, but it seems unlikely, since "Louisa Fitler" is the name that appears on her grave stone in Shiloh Cemetery, near Cameron, also in Madison County. According to the inscription on Louisa's marker, she died on October 13, 1874 at the age of 61.

Next: Fitler Family's Shrock Connection

Grave Stones Near Downtown Starkville, MS

The grave stones pictured here are on the property of the First Baptist Church in Starkville, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. Do they date back to the original church yard? Were they moved from an old church yard to this location? Check back here for a post about who is buried in these graves and why they are located in this particular place.
Photograph by Natalie Maynor

Wordless Wednesday - Hart Chambless Lacey Cemetery, Yazoo County, MS

Tombstone Tuesday - Memorial Marker of Ellie Brister Calkins

The memorial marker of Ellie Brister Calkins, pictured here, is located in Brister Cemetery, Holmes County, Mississippi. According to its inscription, Ellie Calkins was born on March 3, 1872 and died on September 28, 1952. The emblem engraved in the top center of this stone caught my eye, and at first glance, I believed it to be a Woodmen of the World emblem. As I looked closer, I read the wording on the emblem: "In Memoriam Supreme Forest Woodmen Circle."

Many Woodmen of the World monuments exist in Mississippi's cemeteries, but I had not seen this emblem before. So I decided to visit the Woodmen of the World website to see if I could determine if a relationship existed between the Supreme Forest Woodmen Circle and Woodmen of the World.

According to the website, the Supreme Forest Woodmen Circle occupied an important place in the Woodmen of the World history. The Circle was created in 1891, and Woodmen of the World founder, Joseph Cullen Root, was instrumental in founding the organization and had envisioned it as a women's auxiliary to Woodmen of the World and made provisions for its existence when he created the original organization. May Falkenburg, wife of Woodmen of the World co-founder, F. A. Falkenburg, served as the Circle's president from 1891 to 1895.

On September 5, 1895, Root and Woodmen of the World Secretary, John T. Yates, took control of the Circle and incorporated it as a fraternal benefit society. Root proceeded to write the Circle's laws and ritual and started its magazine, Tidings. The Circle's offices were located in the same building as Woodmen of the World, and the two groups held joint meetings and scheduled biennial and jurisdictional conventions together. One of the Circle's greatest achievements was the construction of the Woodmen Circle home for orphans and aged members which was built on a 254-acre site in Sherman, Texas.

Brister Cemetery - Sallie B. Terry, "Mother"

Sallie B. Terry

Mother
1861 - 1931

Rose Hill Cemetery - Lewis Andrew Ragsdale, Sr.

The large monument pictured here marks the burial place of one of Meridian, Mississippi's most well-known citizens, Lewis Andrew Ragsdale, Sr. Born on November 20, 1819, Mr. Ragsdale died on December 10, 1886. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery near other members of this prominent Mississippi family.