Close mind you. But no cigar!
The day was just gorgeous and begging to be spend Grave Galloping. So I started looking about the extended area for something both interesting and a place we had not been before. When searching for exploration sites in Find A Grave I always cross check the location against Google Maps and Google Maps Street Views. Can I confirm the location? Is the cemetery visible from the street? Do the street views confirm or match up with any on-line photos?
I spied Fairfield Cemetery. It had a mere 2 recorded memorials. But it was obvious from the views that there are a LOT more graves there than 2. Excellent. We can get some exercise, some fresh air, AND can add new graves to the system.
Oh, child! Little did we expect what we would actually find once we got there!
Look closely and you can spot several headstones lurking in the brush.
I am already trying to suss out the history of the cemetery. It was that intriguing.
Over the course of a couple of hours we (TW and I) we managed to add just shy of 100 graves to Find A Grave. And there are easily several dozen more that we just could not get to nor had time to add. Then there are those that are either field stone, no stone, or so eroded as to be unreadable. Two of the latter being obvious child graves with false tombs. Sadly there is something etched on the top of each, but it just cannot be read even with side lighting. Perhaps if someone came in with D/2 and cleaned them properly they could be made out and recorded.
The cemetery dates back to at least 1884 as there is one marker with that year as the person's date or death. The quantity of unmarked graves could easily mean that there are earlier burials.
Now looking at the overall location, it would not be unreasonable to think it abandoned. But that is clearly not the case. Not only are there signs of recent visitations in the shape of flowers, but there is an interment from as recent as this year - 2020!
Looking at the overall area and the headstones themselves it was readily apparent that this is a Black cemetery. Or at least it started out that way.
Segregation in all things was the law of the land until Br'er was a child. He is old enough to recall the marches, protests, and changes from the Civil Rights era. Segregation extended even unto the grave. So encountering an all Black cemetery - especially one dating from Reconstruction - is never surprising. In this case the most obvious clue was in the form of many of the headstones.
Most people are familiar with headstones of marble or granite. Or slate in certain areas and era. Or the "intended as temporary" markers provided by funeral homes. But there is a 'thing' in the Southern United States unique (to the best of my knowledge) to the Black community. That 'thing' is a particular style of semi-hand made grave marker.
How best to describe these?
Imagine taking movable type and laying out the deceased's name and data (or date of death only in most cases) much like a printer laying out a page to be printed on a hand press. Now, place these characters in a reusable frame containing the name of the funeral home (never seen one of these without the funeral home's name in clear letters). Next, pour a cement mixture of some ilk in the mold and wait for it to set. Lastly, remove the frame, possibly paint the marker with white paint (only white - never any other color) and place it at the grave. Placement can be horizontal or vertical.
This example is from the Cox funeral home. It is in better shape and placement making it easier to read.
This version, on the other hand, is from Hagabrooks Funeral Home (more common in the area), is not in as good condition, and has some of the data several inches below ground now meaning it is necessary to dig to read and transcribe it.
There are literally dozens of these style markers in the cemetery. We transcribed some of them. But they age very rapidly and become increasingly difficult to read. Plus these are all more deeply embedded in the ground or covered with debris. And almost all of them are deep in briars and vines making access all the more difficult.
Perhaps we will make a return trip to see what we can do to make out and record more of these graves. I would not be surprised to learn that there are almost as many of these to be recorded as others that we were able to add to the database today.
Sadly, of the only two pre-existing memorials we could only find one. I truly wished to find the other. It is for one Isiah Smith who served in World War I. Isiah and another soldier whose marker I did find served in different Pioneer Regiments during the war.
I had not heard of Pioneer Regiments before. Knowing that this is a Black cemetery, I presumed that these were segregated units at the time. Most such units I recall seeing before dealt largely with QC or Quartermaster Corps. That is, Supply. Black troops in WWI were largely assigned to physical labor units of one kind or another. This usually means Supply or Mess duties.
Pioneer Regiments was new to me. As best I can learn in short order, these were largely 'engineering' (read: Construction) units. Apparently there were several such regiments. The term itself is much older and used throughout many countries, and in and of itself has no racial connotations.
And yes, these units in the US were all Black with the exception of officers at some ultimate level.
In exercising my Google Fu to learn about these regiments, I found an individual who has established several virtual cemeteries in Find A Grave for the various regiments as well as other groups such as Buffalo Soldiers, USCT (United States Colored Troops), etc. I had not considered using virtual ceremonies this way. It is something I will be considering going forward.
It is not every day that I have a whole chapter of history jump up and slap me in the face.
If we had started earlier, brought brush cutting tools, and the mosquitos not been so bad, we would probably have done more work.
I sense a repeat trip in the future.
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