According to an article in the online version of RankinLedger, Old Brandon Cemetery will be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This very old cemetery, which covers approximately nine acres, is situated on a hilltop near the historic town of Brandon, Mississippi, the county seat of Rankin County. I understand that downtown Brandon will be placed on the Register, as well.
Containing more than 1000 graves, with some dating back to 1834, the cemetery is the burial place for two former Mississippi governors, Robert Lowry and Anselm McLaurin.
Photo by Natalie Maynor
Of special historical significance is the fact that Old Brandon Cemetery is the final resting place for the remains of 200 Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Battle of Shiloh.
Louis Burel was born in 1786 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died in January 1872 in Hog Mountain, Gwinnett County, Georgia. He was a son of Patience Hanna Bird and Jean Baptiste Elzeard Burel. His wife, Sarah Margaret Jenkins, born in 1800 to Deborah Darby and Randolph Randel Jenkins, died at the age of 95 and is buried next to her husband.
According to a press release dated September 23, 2010, from the Office of the Attorney General and Secretary of State, a Mississippi judge has ordered the sale of several Mississippi cemeteries, including Liberty Memorial Park, Pinecrest Memorial Park, and Prentiss Memorial Gardens. This action was taken after investigations conducted by the the offices of the Mississippi Secretary of State and the Attorney General resulted in the conviction of the former owner of four cemeteries. To read the full press release please click here.
In Memorium Fredrick Jamison Padget Born April 30, 1967 in Helena, Arkansas Died September 14, 2010, Brandon, Mississippi Loving Son, Brother, Husband, and Father