Jerusalem Church and Cemetery – East Altheimer Road

Finding my way there

This is one of those locations that are just where they ought to be. The road to it is named for the church, Jerusalem Church Road. At the end of this little road is a row of trees and a wide, cleared area just before the fields begin. The cleared lot is packed dirt and gravel, easy enough to park on before making my way to the secluded spot. The cemetery is surrounded by a rice field and thickly grown with trees and brush. It’s been spared the fate of many cemeteries. The southeast and southwest corners are marked with palms, a common plant found on old home and church sites.

These trees and high grass mark the resting place of many, most are unmarked. I found only 8 headstones, only one physical record of a person who is there with no marker, and a few stories from locals that there are many, many more in this small area. It is likely that over time the cemetery boarders became smaller as the farmland around it grew.

The land is currently owned by the Walt family that have been farming the area for decades. I was able to speak with Mrs. Walt recently about the property. I sat with her in her nearby home as she told me of the last funeral she witnessed there, perhaps in the 1960s. For many years she and her family kept the cemetery mowed and reported only ever finding a few headstones. She hinted at the existence of a few more cemeteries that have been forgotten in the immediate area. I thanked her for her time and she filled my water jug before I left her house. The day was still getting hotter and I could not have made my way out there without more water. I am grateful for her help so far and I hope to speak with her again soon.

To the west of the cemetery the road clearly continues into the tree line. A few yards past the trees the remains of the church can be found. This spot would easily be missed in the midsummer growth, but in winter the pillars of brick and wood walls make a striking contrast to the scenery. The front steps still stand in the same place it, being made of heavy material. Just to the left of the steps you can see what was left of the steeple, which would have held the church bell. As I explored the area I could imagine a young couple being married here and posing for photos on the front steps. I’m sure pictures like that exist somewhere and I hope to find them someday to complete the story of this place.

History of the Land

As far as I can tell this church and cemetery have existed since at least 1918 and very likely longer than that. The location does not appear on the 1935 map, but must have existed because the oldest headstone is from 1918. It does appear on the 1936 and 1964 map. In 1910 the land was owned by William and Sallie Allen, but changed hands many times since then. The road that leads to the church did not have many homes on it and seemed to stand very much alone and surrounded by crops. One of the reasons churches fall out of use is because the local people move away from the church. The people in this area likely moved to other states or just closer to the nearest town for convenience. With the church located down a gravel and dirt road several miles from town would discourage people from attending.

A short history of some of the people

One of the names found in this cemetery was imprinted on a metal plate used to mark a grave. It had only the name of the person, the birth and death years, his age, and the name of the funeral home. Jufo Foxie (1876-1961) was 84 years old and buried by the Miller Funeral Home. That name is something I’ve never seen before and I knew that it would stick out on the genealogical websites. Mr. Foxie was pretty easy to find in the available records, Jufo is not a common name. I learned many interesting things from his name that lead me down a winding road of immigration and farming. Jufo Foxie was the son of a Chinese immigrant, Willie Foxie, who likely came to Arkansas on a contract to work the farmland in 1869 (https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/jan/24/chinese-americans-in-arkansas/). The Arkansas River Valley Immigration Company brought 189 Chinese immigrants to the sate. Each one was expected to sign a contract that would make the field hands for at least 3 years (https://digitalheritage.arkansas.gov/exhibits-online-multicultural-heritage/4/). Willie Foxie married a black woman called Mattie Andrews. They had many children together as the lived as tenant farmers in Jefferson County. Somewhere between 1895 and1900 Willie and Mattie move to Mississippi. I do not know when Willie Foxie died, but it was likely between 1900 and 1910. Jufo stayed in Jefferson County as a farm worked, doing many jobs including planting, handyman, and blacksmith. He lived most of his life in Jefferson County and was laid to rest in this cemetery.

Richard Toyer (1879-1956) was born in Louisiana but lived most of his life in Jefferson County. He had many children and step children in his life and multiple marriages. Richard Toyer worked for the railroad and fought in World War I and II. His headstone was homemade, but seems just as resistant to the elements as most headstones.

Thoughts and Further Action

I’ve visited this location twice now and am still actively researching the history of the area. The names and histories I’ve gathered only make me more enthused to find more. I’d like to go back this fall and winter to see if there are any more headstones to be found once the weeds have died down. I’ll post updates as I progress.

Let me know what you would like to hear more about. Are you interested in the life histories of the people? Want to know more about the land and buildings? Should I start a video series for each location I visit? Comment below and let me know what you’d like to learn more about.

Here is the link to the Find A Grave page with all of the people known to be buried in this cemetery (https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2737104/jerusalem-church-and-cemetery).

New Gascony Cemetery, Nice to Meet You

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.

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.

Wabbaseka, or is it Watterseka

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.

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.

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.