Bolivar County GenWeb
Unknown Cemetery - Shelby
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Richardson (2)
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Note:
This cemetery is in deplorable condition with fallen trees,
missing stones and heavy overgrowth. The
perimeter of the cemetery contains the graves of numerous African Americans,
most of whom are listed above. The
interior of the cemetery has only two stones visible, both surnames being
Italian. There are countless
indentations, row after row, that show
countless gravesites with no stones showing.
It appears, after observing stones on the outer perimeter, that
headstones are sinking directly into the earth at a relatively fast pace. It is possible that this has occurred on the
interior of the cemetery. A lifetime
local resident and others who have relatives buried in this cemetery say that
at one time it was a Catholic cemetery that contains the remains of many
Italian immigrants who settled in Shelby, MS.
They remember attending a Blessing of the Graves numerous times as
children. None remember a Catholic
Church being on the property, only the cemetery. It is said that in later years a church was
built by African Americans and that is the reason for the graves on the
perimeter of the trees.
