Visiting New Gascony Cemetery has been an experience in fighting vines, burrs, and thorns. Thick boots and long sleeves are required for getting past the tree line and into the area of interest. Not to mention that King Bayou could be at any level when you arrive. I usually park on the northeast corner of the lot, and walk around until I can find the best way in. I’m not keen on flooding my boots in the cold bayou and some parts look impassible without a machete.
Once into the lot there it is a wild sight. Trees line mostly the boarders of the lot, with a few notable ones not in line with the others. The area is nearly covered with vines. Vines growing atop bushes, trees, mounds, and headstones. In some boarder areas a fence can be seen. I can imagine what it used to be like. A large, community cemetery not far from the center of the town. A town that would have had a post office, saloon, general store, and a few churches. All gone now, with few traces left. Just outlines of what use to be a mansion, or church, or tenant house. Large, beautiful oaks surround a foundation that once held a building. The cemetery is only distinguished from the row crops and blank foundations because it is wild looking. It seems to be an extension of the bayou, just part of the slow-moving water that is so common to the area. Many cemeteries are placed along the water’s edge like this. In Jefferson County many of the Black cemeteries share this feature. The land being so valuable for planting that the dead are pushed to the edge.
It’s basically impassable, just look at it
Within this lot lies the history of a town forgotten. The people who rest here could have been completely forgotten if not for family memories and a paper trail. If one is willing to sort through years of death certificates one will find many hand-written places of burial to be New Gascony, and all of those to be Black people. In my research I have found at least a dozen people this way, adding their names and history to this spot. It might be the only way we have to get a more accurate number of the people here, because there are not many headstones to be seen.
To get to the headstones was not easy, except for one. One stone was found immediately on my last visit. Georgia A Webster lies at the southwest corner on the lot. Her stone obscured by a tree, no dates visible without getting out a shovel and possible a chainsaw. The other stones will take some work to get through. The upside is that there are “tunnels” through the vines that are easier to get thought than trying to push through them. But not everyone wants to pretend to be a rabbit in the middle of nowhere. I’m fine with it, but that’s me.
Georgia A Webster Headstone
So I want to clean-up the cemetery. I want to be able to walk to the headstones without spraining my ankle. And I am not alone in this. Recently I’ve found a few people who share in my desire to protect cemeteries like this one. I’m hopeful that we will be able to organize a clean-up. We might be able to find more headstone, adding to the history of this forgotten place.
We have a huge job ahead of us, but I know we’ll find a way to get through the overgrowth. We’ll do what needs to be done to bring care back to this plot. I’ll post updates as they come. If anyone is curious as to who we’ve found so far check out Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/55323/new-gascony-cemetery. I add names as I find them. If anyone want to help, let me know; hands, equipment, time, and funds are always appreciated.
Not far from Pine Bluff, Arkansas lies the remains of a small community called New Gascony. There isn’t a town to be seen, but acres of row crops, a few trees, King’s Bayou, and the outline of a small church and cemetery. The church and cemetery are on the national registry of historic places. It is St. Peter’s Church and Cemetery. I have seen it. There is an outline of the old church and several headstone of the people who once lived and farmed in the area. This land and the land around it was once owned by a few planters. These planters paid immigrants from Italy to come and settle here. These immigrants worked hard on the land, planting and harvesting cotton year after year. There was a store, several homes, a school, and a few more churches way back when. But now when visiting one must consider the weather. The roads are mostly dirt and sometimes impassible without help.
New Gascony was one of the first towns in the area. Antoine Barraque, an officer of Napoleon, settled here in 1816, right on the Arkansas river. The land was fertile and good for the planters who came. The planters used slave labor for the crops and the everyday living. But after the civil war they needed new labor, that’s when the Italians were brought in. But apart from the Catholic church that was established, there was another. Less than a mile north of the historic marker lies another spot. A quiet spot, hidden among the trees. A cemetery lies on the banks of King’s Bayou surrounded by the row crop of the season. These trees mark the history of the black people of New Gascony. As of this moment I do not know how long this cemetery was in use, or the last time someone was laid to rest here. What I do know is that it has been cast aside when recounting the history of this county.
What I do know is that in 1905 a man called John Mark Gracie owned the land it sits on and much of the land surrounding it, along with a Mr. Madding and a Mr. Sennett. I know the grandson of a man buried there. I know how to get there and that I am welcome there. In the coming months I hope to learn so much more. I will be visiting the area with camera in hand to document what is left of the area. I want to tell a different part of the story of New Gascony. The local paper, now defunct, Pine Bluff Commercial, ran more than one article on the restoration of the Catholic church and cemetery of the community, but never considered the other. It is not a secret that it exists, but it is overlooked. The common reasoning is that the people couldn’t be bother to take care of their own cemetery. This reasoning is flawed in so many ways. It ignores the fact that the black people did not have control of the land. They were often not welcome in the home they were born and raised in. They were threatened, and run off of the place they called home. Their land was sold from under them, in completely legal but immoral ways.
I hope that in the next few months I will be able to document this land and come back with a better understanding of the people who lived and loved this area. I want to share with everyone the story of New Gascony from another perspective.
In the search for forgotten cemeteries I stumbled upon a small cemetery in the wooded area between two farms. This spot is shown on, what is technically, a road that does not seem to be cared for by the county. It goes from gravel, to dirt, to grass very quickly. If you are lucky enough to find it you’ll find Wabbaseka Cemetery. Also know as Watterseka. Any map will tell you the area is near Wabbaseka Bayou, but it seems that the original spelling is Watterseka. I can’t really find much on the name. As far as I know the original name is Watterseka, and the name Wabbaseka come up later. Perhaps a misspelling on an old form? Or maybe someone thought it would be better this way. Who really knows. The only publication I can find with this spelling, before 1990, is a obituary from 1954. This states that the person’s funeral was held at Wabbaseaka Church in Watterseka. It is interesting to see both spellings in the same publication.
Daniel Stinnet 1831-1911
The cemetery has at least 37 burials, and very likely has more. Many of the headstones were provided by burial insurance and so sport the insignia of each one. Many of these are oblisics, and seem to last a lot longer than others. There are a few homemade, concrete stones. There is one stone that seems to have never been properly placed. It is leaning in an odd spot and is not set into the round. This stone is for someone who served in WWI. The story of this person has been fairly difficult to figure out.
Thomas Toy 1831-1937
We are hoping to map the cemetery with radar technology. I met someone who has access to this and is also interested in this particular site. We don’t have the highest of hopes to find much, but there is some. The soil chemistry and the fact that so many people would be buried in pine boxes means there might be nothing left there to find. We can tell where some burials should be, the soil has a divot to it that is not “natural”. You might even call it body sized. We are hoping to find some possible hidden headstones. This would help further my research into the county residents. Surveying this cemetery has allowed me to make connections to surrounding cemeteries. I can put together a timeline of when this cemetery fell out of use in favor of those closer to main roads. In the end this site hold many secrets that I hope to get to eventually.
Hello everyone, we found it! And I can’t believe how easy this latest search was.
We have a location
Thanks to a conversation with a stranger I was able to get a confirmation on where the cemetery was supposed to be and that people have actually seen it. The woman I spoke to had lived near it for several years and her husband’s family owned much of the land around it. She described finding it by chance when looking for a lost dog. There were old headstone and one surrounded by a wrought iron fence. She talked about an old road, and headstones being on both sides. This description matched perfectly with the ones I got from other people. I was ecstatic to say the least. We exchanged numbers, she promised to text me when she had more information. After a few days she sent me an address of the property I could go through to access the cemetery. The cemetery would not be on that parcel, but it was a start.
The search
Because I do have a full time job and some semblance of a life I was not able to go on another search for a couple of weeks. But everyday I wondered what it would be like. What if no one wanted me on their property? What if no one was home? What if the headstone were gone somehow? While I know there is worry I do it anyway. I think it helps me plan ahead, but it is also exhausting and can lead to inaction.
With the help of a friend we finally made plans to find the cemetery. I brought my camera, a notebook, and some water. No tools for cleaning or light digging this time. I wanted to confirm the location and knew I didn’t have the energy for intense work. It was also just way too hot to be out there for long. With my backpack, jeans, long socks, and boots I was ready to go. My friend picked me up and we were on our way.
The address I was given was an odd property. Two RV’s were parked in the yard and the house was under repairs. A small house cat charged us, but did not attack. Cutest cat all day to be sure. No one answered the door of the house, or the RV, so that was sad. But right next door (kind of, it was a cul de sac) was a lovely property. On a circular driveway sat a cottage like house with pretty great landscaping. There were huge pots near the front door with lovely flowers and plants. A single truck was in the driveway, so hopefully a person was home. We knocked on the door and someone actually answered. I was so excited and trying so hard no to talk to fast. My friend introduced himself and the stranger asked why we were there. I took over at this point.
“I have a weird question for you. Do you know of a cemetery near here?”
“Yes” he also described it exactly as it has been before. I got way to smiley at this point.
“So you’ve seen it?”
“Yes”
“Can I see it?!”
“Yes, it’s just over there. But who are you with?”
I told him that I’m not really there on behalf of anyone. I explained that I am mildly obsessed with genealogy and local history. I expressed the disappointment in the way that African American cemeteries are often not recorded and end up lost. I think he smiled at me, but I am not sure. He gave all consent to go see the cemetery. He told us to be careful of snakes and try not to get hurt. He said he had to leave. So this guy just let us walk through his property. Cue me being giddy.
We went off into a wooded area with a pond. Within a minute of walking we found our first headstone. It was right there on the edge of the path, Mary Taggart. The stone was almost facing the path. On this side of the path, as described here. Willie Taggart was nearby, on the other side of a tree growing between them. These two married in 1910 in Pine Bluff, AR.
These two were the only ones listed in any place online and in the library as being on the left side of the path. There were 9 other headstones and at least one plate marker. There are probably more buried there, but no markers were visible.
There is another stone, but the picture did not come out right. I knew about Rueben Temple because of the military record of the headstone being ordered. I got lucky there. Mary Taggart, Reuben Temple, John Temple, and Carnalious (Cornelius) Temple are all siblings and the children of Tom Temple.
On the right side there were more headstones. These have been enumerated before. I found almost all of the ones that should have been there.
I think it is clear that I need a new camera. The low light was not great for this. Somethings came out blurry, 2-3 stones were not readable. I’ll need to go back for better pictures and to see if I can find any more headstones, perhaps they were knocked over.
When we finally left I felt I was tired, sweaty, and apparently ( I would not discover this until I got home) covered in seed ticks. I think the question now is what can I do next? I want to know how the cemetery start and stopped. I want to know who owned the land through the years. I am far to nosy to have this be the end.
The Sandy Bayou Cemetery of Pine Bluff AR has not been in use for around 25 years. And in the time the road it sat on has been consumed by the surrounding woodland. We don’t know a lot about the place. The few detail we have are from two men who enumerated a few of the graves April 25 1972. Both of these men have passed on. There is a short description posted to a couple of websites,
“SOURCE: TOMBSTONE INSCRIPTIONS
Collected by Mesdames Hudson & Pettigrew 1929
For the files of the Pine Bluff Chapter D.A.R. & Presented to the Public Library through the Society of the Sons & Daughter of the Pilgrims 1934. This book has been bound & rebound & includes other new & later information on various cemeteries in Jefferson Co, AR area. The inscriptions for Sandy Bayou Cemetery were not generated until April 25, 1972.
Sandy Bayou Cemetery
Sect. 16-T 7-9W
William P. Ellis Jr. & James W Leslie visited this cemetery in South Jefferson Co, AR, April 25, 1972. It is located East of the Middle Warren Road & can be reached by turning right down power line right-of-way for approximately 2/10 mile to an old dirt road, turn Right on old dirt road, follow for approximately 4/10 mile & turn Left on another old dirt road. The cemetery is approximately 3/10 of a mile in a Northerly direction & the road runs through it. Although it appears to be abandoned, several burials have been made there in the last few years. Although all of the tombstones were not enumerated, the following were listed:”
It then goes on to list inscriptions of tombstones. But I have every reason to believe that the ones listed are not the total of what was there. The cemetery’s oldest headstone was from 1862, and the latest was 1952. But there where comments about recent burials in the 70’s.
The start of it?
But let me start from the beginning, or at least how I began this search. In 2012 i had a notification from FindAGrave.com that there was a request for a picture of a grave in the Sandy Bayou Cemetery, which should be close to where I live. The only location given was Jefferson County Ar. Through some digging I found the above information. And with that went driving up and down Middle Warren Road looking for these details. To absolutely no avail. This was enormously frustrating to me and I must have looked suspicious driving up and down this road, turning around in people’s driveways, and squinting into the trees. How could a road disappear? But that was just the beginning. At the time I was pretty well consumed in my own research (getting a master’s degree) and so left the mystery alone for a few years. Occasionally going back to that road and squinting. If someone said they lived in that area I would ask if they know about an old cemetery, and get looks of confusion in return. But I didn’t have many real leads to go on.
But just about a year ago I fell down that rabbit whole. I was a little more clear headed (master’s degree achieved and life moving along) and ready to do some research that no one was asking for, and probably no one will ask for. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me before that I could use Ancestry.com to help with some of this. So I started a tree for this cemetery. Not everyone has to be connected in a tree, so I was able to enter every name listed and the known relationships. This helped me establish where these people lived and where there families came from. And most of these people lived in the same township, or just one over from where the cemetery should be. Many of them were related, so it seems to have started as a family plot.
The real research
I used my local library, Pine Bluff Library, to search for obituaries. The obituary often has information about family members and the funeral home in charge. The funeral home might have records of that burial. So my hopes were raised when I found an obit for Mary Taggart (1877-1952). Mary and her husband are buried on the left side of the road mentioned above. I get to the library with my little bit of information to use the microfilm, January 13 1952 was the publication date. But it was not to be found on the microfilm. I was getting upset when the librarian came over to help me. The page I was looking for was so deteriorated and old that it had not been put on to microfilm. I was able to get a copy of it.
This obituary was the first tangible piece of information I had found in relation to this cemetery. There are a few errors, New Dora should be Eudora (the church still stands) and it should have said Sandy Bayou Cemetery. But really, what can I expect from a newspaper that listed Mary Taggart under “Negro Deaths”. Now we know the church she went to and the funeral home in charge. Miller Funeral Home is still in business, now P.K. Miller Mortuary. We called their number, feeling so hopeful and holding my breath, only to be basically yelled at “that a white cemetery”. I am aware that the cemetery was considered white, but black people were buried there too. Nothing like an interaction like this to remind me how stupid racism is. We can’t even share space in death. We were told they were very busy right now and they would call back. They never did. And I don’t really want a repeat of that kind of phone call. I know I should just call again, or maybe write a letter, but I can’t stand being yelled at.
Apart from finding the obituary I started looking into map options. There are a few really helpful websites, Acme Mapper, ASDI, Old Maps, and the Arkansas Highway Department. Acme Mapper has a USA topographical option that shows cemeteries and churches, often with names. It also has older roads that might not exist anymore. On Acme Mapper the cemetery is not shown, but there is a long dotted line that represented a “local road” that was not part of the highway department. It connected Middle Warren Road with Hwy 63. The highway department map shows the eastern part of this road. In person inspection proves the existence of the entrance to the road from Middle Warren and Hwy 63. Unfortunately they both have been left to degrade and become part of the forest again. The trees growing on these roads are several inches around, so not a recent happening. Using ASDI I was able to contact someone who has lived in the area a very long time and who owned a large amount of land in the area. While he did not own the land with the cemetery he had been there before. He confirmed that it was on the old local road. He confirmed that the cemetery was split by the road with white people on one side and black on the other. Great news! Unfortunately he has early dementia, he doesn’t know what part of the road it is on, how far, or even when he was there last. The confirmation of the cemetery being real and being on the right track was amazing. We set up a time to talk again but he did not answer his phone. Months after first contact with him we set off on foot from his house down the over grown road. It was mostly under water at the time, we had a very wet fall. But after a little more than a mile there was no sign of the cemetery. We did find a collapsed house. Apparently there were a few houses on this road, one burning down and causing a huge forest fire. After giving up for the day I was bit by a tiny dog, I love dogs, but not this dog.
This is where I am in the journey for now. I have maps, eye witness accounts, and a few more leads to follow. It is very possible that in the next month or so We will find the cemetery. When we do there will be pictures, video, and tears.
Cemetery Hunter 