Somehow, on my journey on
researching ancestors, I developed a hobby of visiting cemeteries, especially old
cemeteries. Cemeteries are a gold mine of information. Sometimes, tombstones tell
more than just a name and death date.
They give clues to other parts of their lives. You might find a woman’s
maiden name on her tombstone or you might find out if the person had any
military involvement. At one time, families had plots and those buried were often
related to each other.
In November 2014, my cousin Mack
and I visited the “Old Hopewell Black Cemetery” with the help of Mike (who
knows where almost any cemetery in Yalobusha County, Mississippi is located).
The cemetery was not close to where most locals indicated. I was told that the
cemetery was so old that there probably aren’t any tombstones there or the
tombstones probably weren’t in good condition. Those statements did not
discourage me from finding this cemetery.
The cemetery is about 3 miles
southwest of Coffeeville, MS in the woods and about a mile from the nearest
road. We had to cross a low swampy area to reach the cemetery. To our
amazement, we found the tombstone of my great great great grandfather, Aaron
Dudley.
Aaron Dudley (August 10, 1828 – August 8, 1909)
Mississippi did not start
producing death certificates until November 1, 1912. So, seeing this old tombstone
was an unbelievable feeling.
In July of this year, I attended
the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute in St. Louis, MO. Angela
Walton-Raji, who is also a DNA cousin of mine, was teaching a session in the
Institute about restoring and preserving cemeteries. My eyes lit up during this
session. This is something that I want to do. During her lecture, she talked
about symbols on tombstones. My mind immediately went back to the Old Hopewell
Black Cemetery and I remembered seeing those unfamiliar symbols on the
tombstones.
After the Institute ended, I
emailed Angela a picture of one of the tombstones in that cemetery. Angela immediately
sent back pictures and links to other websites that explained the symbol on
that particular tombstone.
The tombstone reads “E.D. Turner
Climax Circle No 19 died January 24, 1925”. His grave marker depicts a curious
symbol on the top depicting an animal and the letters RCF. RCF stands for Royal
Circle of Friends. Royal Circle of Friends is an African-American fraternal
organization that was founded in 1909 in Arkansas. The organization was founded
to supply insurance to the African-American population but was also dedicated
to the moral, physical, social, and economic welfare of its members.
Other Tombstones
Located in Old Hopewell Black Cemetery
Herron Jackson August 11, 1912 – July 24, 1937
Sara J. Kee 1871-1909
Roxie, daughter of Nat and Sara Kee December 17, 1890 – June
15, 1908
Riney Brown died May 7, 1939 age 65 years
Henry Dudley June 24, 1866 – February 28, 1938
Bettie Dudley April 13, 1865 – August 4, 1952
Eliza Dudley February 4, 1888 – April 7, 1889
Sammie Dudley May 24, 1895 – December 26, 1895
Henry Dudley April 23, 1896 – May 10, 1897
Anna Dudley Kimble July 6, 1864 – March 4, 1903
Abner aged 76 years
Mary P. Tinnon died March 1953
Celia Greene June 20, 1868 – May 24, 1942
C.A. Green age 19 years
Who knew that these symbols were
telling a story, a story of camaraderie, support, and solidarity of African
Americans.
