Mount Pleasant Cemetery, aka Scott City Cemetery, African American, Jefferson, Alabama http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/jefferson/cemeteries/mtpleasant.txt =============================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed and copyrighted by: Jennon & Paul McLaughlin < Paul.McLaughlin@ElPaso.com> =============================================================================== March 2005 Mt. Pleasant Cemetery/Scott City Cemetery Directions: Going West out of Leeds on Highway 78 just opposite the turn off for Cahaba Hills, turn right on gravel road. The cemetery has recently been cleaned of undergrowth and sunken graves filled in with a backhoe. If you continue on down the hill at Scott City and turn right onto Coosa Avenue at the base of the hill, approx. Ό mile up Coosa Street on the left sits Mt. Pleasant Church. This is probably the oldest all black cemetery in Leeds. The cemetery was begun as the church cemetery and begins across the street from the church going up the hill to the top. At one time there was a wagon road from the church to the top of the hill. The lower end of the hillside closest to the church is heavily overgrown with underbrush and kudzu and the supposed graves are impossible to see. The same is true to a lesser extent of the East most section (top of the hill) towards Leeds. State of preservation: The latest gravestones that are dated indicate that most burials here ceased about 1965. The earliest burial is supposed to date from 1831. Many of the headstones are homemade and have deteriorated to the point of being unreadable and many have been knocked down or are gone. As a guess, approximately 1 in 20 (or less) of the graves are currently marked. The cemetery has been entirely overgrown and burned over twice. Size: Extents of the cemetery indicate that there are possibly 800 to 1,000 graves on this hillside. Beginning at the Southwest edge of the cleared portion of the cemetery, about halfway up the hill from the church, and working up hill to the East , the rows are laid out in a North – South orientation; Row 1 – traversing from South to North ------------------------------------------------ 15-20 unmarked graves Harrison Radford Jr. May 31, 1920 Apr. 9, 1958 4 unmarked graves Willie Radford Alabama Tec 5 U.S. Army Granite U.S. Gov't. tombstone World War II April 5, 1913 July 27, 1968 Row 2 – traversing from North to South ------------------------------------------------ Slab and upright – no markings Rebecca Radford Feb. 28, 1879 Apr. 23, 1969 Robert E. Ferguson Alabama Pvt Granite U. S. Gov't. tombstone World War 1 Aug. 4, 1892 March 22, 1972 5 unmarked graves Slab and upright – no markings 8-10 unmarked graves Row 3 – traversing from South to North -------------------------------------------------- John Smith Born Feb. 2, 1901 Concrete marker - homemade Died Aug. 28, 1961 6 unmarked graves Slab and upright – no markings Slab and upright – no markings 6 – 8 unmarked graves Row 4 – traversing from North to South 10-12 unmarked graves Mother Betsy Thomas 1888-1938 Flora M. Stove June 24, 1914 Feb. 22, 1965 A Loving Wife and Mother 10-12 unmarked graves George W. Martin Alabama Cpl Co B 6 Pioneer Inf Granite - U. S. Gov't. tombstone World War 1 May 16, 1891 November 7, 1963 Row 5 – traversing from South to North 5-6 unmarked graves Footstone only – no markings Albert l. Martin Alabama Sgt 317 Engr Bn 92 Inf Div Granite – U.S. Gov't tombstone World War II June 14, 1922 October 25, 1943 Samuel Martin Alabam Cpl 814 Pioneer Inf Granite – U. S. Gov't. tombstone World War 1 January 9, 1888 November 9, 1948 Thomas Alfonso Martin Alabama Tec 4 3686 QM Truck Co Bronze – U.S. Gov't. tombstone World War II July 21, 1910 October 11, 1954 3 unmarked graves Slab – no markings 8-10 unmarked graves Mo Curtis Blake Born Feb. 16, 1901 Homemade concrete Died Oct. 3, 1935 Gone but not forgotton (sic) 6th Row – traversing North to South ______________________________ 18-20 unmarked graves Slab- no markings 18-20 unmarked graves 7th Row-traversing South to North _____________________________ 15-20 unmarked graves ------------------------------------------------ 4 unmarked graves Slab-unmarked Mav. B Moore Born Nov. 13, 1900 Died Aug. 29, 1942 7 unmarked graves Stove (obverse) Ellie Aleine Mar. 10, 1883 Oct. 14, 1887 Double marker Jan. 10, 1973 Jan. 11, 1978 3 unmarked graves Early Rone Alabama Pvt 1ST Class Granite - U.S. Gov't. marker 528 Engrs Aug. 23, 1936 (No death date) Augustus Lizzie Thomas Granite (Home made marker Pvt. 314 Serv Bn U.S. Gov't Marker mostly covered w/ soil) October 15, 1896 December 9, 1945 Twin graves 20-30 unmarked graves MOTHER Elizabeth Pickett 1890-1937 Access Road 4 unmarked graves Ivory Frank Thomas Jr. Nov. 18, 1899 Feb. 22, 1962 2 unmarked graves J.P. Freman Born Mar. 10, 1901(?) Home made marker Died Feb. 3, 1951 Leeds 3 unmarked graves Marvin Thomas Pvt 359 QM Service Co World War II September 13, 1921 August 20, 1955 2 unmarked graves "Grandpa" Ciscero Davis Dec. 24, 1850 Nov. 21, 1929 Pioneer & Settler 10-15 unmarked graves 8th Row - traversing North to South ______________________ ______ 12-13 unmarked graves Oak Tree 12-13 unmarked graves 9th Row – traversing South to North ______________________________ 8-10 unmarked graves Oak Tree (disassociated tombstone leaning against tree) Mary Davis Born June 5, 1886 Died Home made marker June 26, 1951 Gone but Not forgotton (Sic) 12-14 unmarked graves 10th Row -------------------------------- 30-40 unmarked graves 11th Row – traversing N to S ---------------------------------- 12-15 unmarked graves Father John Fuller Jr. Nov. 30, 1876 Dec. 23, 1951 15-18 unmarked graves 12th Row – traversing S to N ------------------------------------- 15-16 unmarked graves Upright and slab – no text Upright and slab – no text 8 unmarked graves 13th Row traversing N to S ------------------------------------ 8-12 unmarked graves Slab and upright marked- Abbie Rose Born April 2, 1871 Died Mar. 12, 1941 Adult size slab and upright - no text Child size slab and upright - no text Baby size slab – two uprights – no text Unmarked grave Adult size slab and upright – no text Unmarked grave - foot marker only 12 unmarked graves Maggie Home made concrete monument – knocked flat and broken Jones Born Oct. 1886 Died Dec. 1945 Unmarked Grave – foot marker only 8-10 unmarked graves Stone marker – no text 3 unmarked graves Broken home made marker – unreadable (next to entrance road) 14th Row traversing S to N --------------------------------- 15-16 unmarked graves Oak Tree 5 unmarked graves Pairlee Threatt Born 1853 Home made concrete marker – broken and partly unreadable Died July 17, 1907 Broken marker – no text 15-20 unmarked graves 15th Row - traversing N to S ---------------------------------- 28 graves – no markers Robert G. Fluker Born Feb. 29, 1880 Died Feb. 13, 1931 "Goo…(unreadable)…long life" Slab – no marker 14 unmarked graves 16th Row traversing S to N 7 unmarked graves Footstone only – marked "G. M." 2 unmarked graves Andrew Holyfield August 17, 1943 Broken double marker Charles ….?,,,, 1934-1935 Mark…?... 1934- ? 7 unmarked graves Clara Davis Died Sept 1937 35 unmarked graves 17th Row traversing N to S 30 unmarked graves 18th Row Brick tomb – no markings Slab – no markings Mrs. Catherine Nolen Born 1875 Died 1988 (107 years old??) 1 unmarked grave Pink Kendrick Born Aug. 27, 1874 Died March 12, 1931 ",,,unreadable,,," 8 unmarked graves Fannie Leonard Wife of Early L. Leonard June 18, 1868 Sept. 12, 1927 Dora Leonard Wife of Early L. Leonard Aug. 19, 1872 Sept. 14, 1956 1 unmarked grave Frances Trayer Dec. 25, 1849 Nov. 1, 1938 "At Rest" 7 unmarked graves 19th Row traversing S to N 8 unmarked graves Rev. S. W. Spear Aug. 30, 1883 Nov. 30, 1944 30 unmarked spaces 20th Row traversing N to S 20 unmarked graves John C. Hall Alabama STM 1 U.S. Gov't marker U.S. Navy Granite World War II knocked flat September 11, 1911 March 25, 1971 Essie Mae Hall Mar. 18, 1908 flat marker - displaced Dec. 21, 1994 16-18 unmarked graves\ 21st Row traversing S to N 16-18 unmarked graves Kudzu covers remainder of row 22nd Row traversing N to S Kudzu covers about 1/3 of graves in this row 16 -18 unmarked graves 23rd Row traversing S to N 16-18 unmarked graves Kudzu covers remainder of this row 24th Row Only one grave visible-remainder covered by undergrowth. John William Taylor Alabama PVT. 525 Serv Bn Engr Corps World War II January 16, 1891 June 23, 1956 Rows 25, 26, and 27 – completely overgrown Row 29 – overgrown – one visible marker Isaac Vinson Alabama PVT 432 Res Brvd (remainder of stone unreadable) Row 30 – overgrown – one visible double marker Moore Cornelia Julius 1883-1952 1878-1970 Footstones read Mother Father Row 31 - overgrown – one visible marker Robert Lee Spear marker has Masonic divider and square June 14, 1871 April 18 1924 Down hill from the 1st Row towards Mt. Pleasant Church the cemetery is heavily overgrown but probably contains 100 graves more or less. The only two visible markers are; Willie Marbury Mar. 15, 1884 Nov. 10, 1956 Dave Thomas Pvt U.S. Army Mar. 4, 1890 July 2, 1973 This cemetery seems to be fully developed and graves seem for the most part to be contiguous throughout. Depressed areas give an indication of the density of occupation and would indicate very few unoccupied spaces between graves