GIRLINGHOUSE FAMILY CEMETERY; Catahoula par., Louisiana
Compiled/written by: Roland J. Heddins, great-grandson of M. J. & Amret Girlinghouse  
Email Roland at rjheddins@mail.com
Date: June 2001



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Contributed by Roland J. Heddins
rjheddins@mail.com

GIRLINGHOUSE FAMILY CEMETERY
This little family cemetery is located off the east side of La. Hwy.8, on the southwest 
side of the little town of Manifest in Catahoula Parish. Buried there are the members of 
the Girlinghouse and probably Croom families.


C.H. [Christian Henry] Girlinghouse, Sr. & Joanna [Croom] Girlinghouse
  [the dates on their joint tombstone are WAY OFF]
  birthdate listed for him:  June 16, 1840  [actually Nov. 12, 1833 in Germany]
  deathdate listed for him:  July 23, 1864  [he died in about 1869 when his youngest son 
  was a baby; C.H. was a Civil War veteran]
  birthdate listed for her:  June 23, 1843  [The 1900 census recorded it as Sept. 1838, while 
     the 1850, 1860 and 1880 censuses indicated that she was born in 1837 or 1838. If she was 
     born in September, then her age on the earliest censuses would've meant she was born in 
     Sept. 1837. Joanna was 1/4 Native American (probably Cherokee), a daughter of Joshua and 
     Elizabeth (Jones) Croom].
  deathdate listed for her:  June 16, 1912

William C. Girlinghouse  [son of C. H. & Joanna]
  Aug. 24, 1864  -  Feb. 14, 1910 (Woodman of the World log-style tombstone)
     [William's wife, Emma (Bell) Girlinghouse was probably buried next to him, but there is 
     not a marker to prove it]

Newman J. Girlinghouse & M. [Mary] Lettie Banks Girlinghouse
  his:  Jan. 28, 1865 [should be 1867] - April 12, 1933
  hers: Aug. 5, 1875 - Dec. 30, 1934
     [Newman was a son of C. H. & Joanna Girlinghouse; Lettie's mother was Fannie Banks]

M. J. [Matthew Joshua] Girlinghouse  [son of C. H. & Joanna]
  Jan. 22, 1862  -  Feb. 13, 1913

Mrs. M. J. [Amret Bass] Girlinghouse  [daughter of Esaw & Margaret Bass]
  Jan. 14, 1866  -  Jan. 22, 1933

M. J. [Matthew Joshua] Girlinghouse, Jr.
  Nov. 30, 1889  - Sept. 30, 1918  [died in Germany in WWI]

William E. [Ezekiel "Zeke"] Girlinghouse  [son of M.J. & Amret]
  [birthdate not listed on the tombstone:  Aug. 12, 1895] - died Nov. 1, 1935

Henry Newman Girlinghouse  [son of Newman & Lettie]
  June 8, 1893 -  Jan.4, 1913
     [he died of typhoid fever at the age of 19]

Unidentified Grave:  Next to Henry Newman Girlinghouse's tombstone at the northeast corner of 
  the cemetery is a grave which was marked only with an urn which is now broken.


It is believed that there are several additional family members buried in this cemetery. 
Almost certainly Joanna (Croom) Girlinghouse's parents (Joshua & Elizabeth Croom) were buried 
there, as the land once belonged to them. Elizabeth's sister-in-law, Mrs. Mary Jones (born
about 1802 in South Carolina) who lived in Manifest with Joshua and Elizabeth's family, is
probably buried there too. Also William C. Girlinghouse's wife (Emma) is very likely buried 
next to him in this cemetery. We know that several graves were originally located under the 
old roadbed, which is where the Crooms may be. Between William E. Girlinghouse's burial spot 
and Henry Newman Girlinghouse's, there are thought to be two or three children's graves, 
according to one source.