The Minden Cemetery, located in
Minden
Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...
, the
seat
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense.
Types of seat
The following are examples of different kinds of seat:
* Armchair (furniture), ...
of
Webster Parish in northwestern
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, United States, has graves dating from 1843, seven years after the founding of the city in 1836. Some of the oldest marked graves date back to the era of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, but most are 20th-century interments.
Location
Part of the graveyard is located south of Bayou Avenue not far from the downtown district. A larger section is bordered by Bayou Avenue on the west, Goodwill Street on the south and Rephart Street on the north and east. Rephart Street follows the easternmost part of the newer portion of the cemetery adjacent to the main artery of traffic, Pine Street. There is a traffic light at the intersection of Pine and Goodwill at one of several entrances to the cemetery.
History
According to the cemetery website, historical accounts differ on when interments began at the cemetery. Many older grave markers were destroyed in a tornado on May 1, 1933. The first grave, the re-interment of a Mrs. Mary A. Smith on April 22, 1840, is unmarked, having been among the monuments toppled in the tornado. Two other early graves are those of Sarah Emily Pennell on September 13, 1843, and Samuel B. Harper on October 12, 1859. In 1854, the cemetery owners, Colonel and Mrs. John Langdon Lewis, deeded the property to the city of Minden. As of 2009, gravemarkers still existed dating back to 1843.
In 1864, the bodies of twenty-one
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
soldiers who died of wounds suffered at the
Battle of Mansfield were buried in unmarked graves in the cemetery. In 1936, an obelisk was placed at the site of the graves.
Individual markers were placed near the obelisk in 2008 to honor the soldiers.
The last surviving Confederate widow in Minden, storekeeper Alberta Glass (August 25, 1845 – January 8, 1937), is interred at Minden Cemetery.
[Minden Cemetery records, Section A West.]
In 2003, the Minden Cemetery Association began conducting an annual "Ghost Walk" to raise money for cemetery upkeep. The event features citizens dressed in period costume portraying some of those interred at the cemetery.
Notable burials
Prominent local citizens interred here include two
U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
s, four state representatives, a state senator from the 1950s, and twelve mayors who served since 1910. Their tombstones are pictured in their (if any)Wikipedia articles, accordingly:
;Mayors in chronological order
*
J. J. Carter (1832-1907), mayor 1891 to 1893; state representative for Webster Parish, 1878 to 1880
*McIntyre H. Sandlin (1870-1955), mayor 1894 to 1896; state representative, 1896 to 1900, parish tax assessor, 1908-1937
*Abner Drake Turner (1877–1953), mayor 1910 to 1916
*W. Matt Lowe, mayor 1916 to 1920
*J. Berry Sandefur (1868–1954), mayor 1920 to 1922
*Connell Fort, mayor 1922–1926 and 1932–1934
*Henry L. Bridges, mayor 1928–1932 and 1934–1936
*David William Thomas, mayor 1936–1940
*John Calhoun Brown (1879–1964), interim mayor 1942–1944
*
J. Frank Colbert
Jefferson Franklin Colbert, known as J. Frank Colbert (May 28, 1882 – May 20, 1949), was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician and Georgism, Georgist based in Webster Parish, Louisiana. He served in the Louisiana State ...
, mayor 1944–1946; state representative
*John T. David, mayor 1946–1955
*Jasper Goodwill, mayor 1955–1958
*Frank T. Norman, mayor 1958–1966
*Jack Batton, mayor 1978-1982
;Others in alphabetical order
*
R. Harmon Drew, Sr., city judge, state representative from 1972-1978
*
Thomas Wafer Fuller, state senator 1896-1900; Webster Parish school superintendent 1908-1920
*
E.D. Gleason, state representative
*
Mary Smith Gleason, interim state representative (tombstone included in E.D. Gleason article)
*
Fred Haynes,
LSU Tigers football star
*
O. H. Haynes, Jr., Webster Parish sheriff 1964-1980
*O. H. Haynes, Sr., Webster Parish sheriff 1933-1952
*
Herman "Wimpy" Jones, state senator 1956-1960
*
John Sidney Killen
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, state representative
*
John N. Sandlin
John Nicholas Sandlin (February 24, 1872 – December 25, 1957) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served eight terms as a U.S. Representative from Louisiana from 1921 to 1937.
Early life and career
John Sandlin was born near M ...
, district attorney, state court judge, U.S. representative
*
Nicholas J. Sandlin
Nicholas is a male given name and a surname.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its d ...
, district attorney, police juror, state representative, postmaster
*
Ada Jack Carver Snell
Ada may refer to:
Places
Africa
* Ada Foah, a town in Ghana
* Ada (Ghana parliament constituency)
* Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria
Asia
* Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, Tur ...
, short story writer
*
E. L. Stewart
E is the fifth letter of the Latin alphabet.
E or e may also refer to:
Commerce and transportation
* €, the symbol for the euro, the European Union's standard currency unit
* ℮, the estimated sign, an EU symbol indicating that the weigh ...
, Minden lawyer and state representative
*William G. Stewart, farmer, school board president, and namesake of the former
William G. Stewart Elementary School in Minden
*
John T. Watkins
John Thomas Watkins (January 15, 1854 – April 25, 1925) was an American lawyer and politician who served eight terms as a U.S. representative for Louisiana's 4th congressional district.
Early life and education
John Thomas Watkins was the ...
, U.S. representative
*
H. O. West
H is the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet.
H may also refer to:
Musical symbols
* H number, Harry Halbreich reference mechanism for music by Honegger and Martinů
* H, B (musical note)
* H, B major
People
* H. (noble) (died after 1279 ...
, businessman
*B. F. Griffith, Sr., Webster Parish sheriff (1900–1908)
*Gladys Powell Hunter (1899-1973), first female member of Webster Parish School Board (1950-1962)
*Peggy Janice Staples (1933-2009), first female Minden City Councillor, elected 1978
See also
*
Gardens of Memory Cemetery
References
{{reflist
Cemeteries in Louisiana
Minden, Louisiana
Protected areas of Webster Parish, Louisiana