Expert: Ralph Salier - 11/17/2010

Question
Hello,
I have been tracing my family tree for about two years now and during my search, I learned the location of the slave cemetery that holds my great great great grandparents. It is believed that the cemetery has over ten people interred in it, but some of the residents could only remember ten names.

The residents of the area are aware of the cemetery and its location; however it is not listed on a map, nor is there any record of it with the City of Newton County. The land that the cemetery is on has been transferred throughout the years to different companies who use it to grow timber. Since my attempts to get this cemetery preserved, some residents of Bon Wier have been very helpful in answering any questions that I have had about it. Recently a relative, who still lives in the area, rode his riding lawnmower back to the gravesite. He said that he could not tell if there were any depressions in the ground because of such high grass, and that there was no fence or identifiable cemetery features. All the residents have is their own memories of the old broken pottery that marked the spots of loved ones. When the land was sold, the pottery disappeared. I have contacted the Texas Historical Commission but have found it impossible to complete the cemetery preservation form that is required, since it is not apparent that a cemetery lies there.

As a descendant of persons buried there, it pains me and my family to see the lives of our ancestors forgotten, and to see this cemetery continue to fade with time. I am reaching out with hopes that I might gain some direction as to how to see this cemetery preserved.

Answer
Hi Jessica,

I applaud your hard work and efforts in preservation of a lost cemetary.  This is indeed difficult and arduous work.  Among the key visuals for the location of a cemetary of this age is the plant periwinkel this is a low laying ground cover that has bright light blue flowers in the spring time.  This was often planted around cemetaries because it was thought to keep the spirits inside of the cemetary and prevent the spirits from roaming the country side. Head and foot stones had a similar purpose to keep the spirit in the ground.  Slave cemetaries are often found on the plantation plat or fire insurance maps that were done in the 1800's and these can be found in the country records.  If you can find out who the slave owner was, and where his property was located, then you have a starting point.  

Speak to the oldest memebers of the community as well as take a look at the old church records as these may be good sources as well.  Even dim recollections could lead to better information. Some of these cemetaries were convered to "real" ones but the records are listed in an old bible or records turned over to the local public library or museum or even the state.

Finally, if you can find census records for the time, the slaves would have been listed by name (in many cases) and some even may say where some one was buried to ensure that the person was taken off of the roles.  This was done to make sure that the owner did not have as many voting "points" based on slave count.

I don't know if any of this will be of help. Please let me know if I can help you further.