Carnahan/Deloaches Cemetery, Rapides Parish La Submitted by: Jane Parker McManus ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** CARNAHAN / DELOACHES CEMETERY - Rapides Parish Directions: From Alexandria, take Interstate I-49 North to Exit # 103 north of Boyce. Turn right onto LA Hwy. 8, and go to the old LA Hwy. 1 (.2 miles past new LA Hwy. 1). Turn right and continue for 1.0 mile to Zimmerman. Before crossing the track at Zimmerman, turn left on Red Bayou Road. Cross railroad track and go about two miles on unimproved road. Carnahan Cemetery is located on the left of a knoll just past the first and only house on the left. Continue past the cemetery and turn left. Almost immediately, turn left again and stop at farm gate. Walk from there, as cemetery is not accessible by automobile. Permission to go inside the pasture should be obtained from the owner of the land (Rayford Knight, 1990) who lives in the house just passed. There are actually three cemeteries in this pasture, but local residents refer to the whole as Carnahan. The others are "DeLoaches," and "Black Cemetery at Carnahan." The Black cemetery is the only one still in use, although it is seldom used. Cow patties are everywhere, and there is no brush except in the Black section. Native stones dot the hillside making it look larger than it really is. The entire burial ground probably covers several acres. For this report, these three cemeteries will be listed individually. All of them are part of a large pasture where cattle roam and bed down under the trees which dot the hillside. Most of the brush is kept down by the foraging cattle. Inside an iron fence about 8 feet square, there is no sign of burials. Lying on the ground just outside this enclosure are several taller sections of wrought iron fence framing, indicating that once there was a 5 or 6' iron fence around this section of the cemetery. A crude net wire fence recently surrounded this Carnahan family plot, but has been trampled down and no longer keeps the cattle from gathering under the shelter of the trees, scrub oak, none very large. From the size of the area fenced with net, this part of the cemetery was once 50 or 60 feet square. There are only three markers here, lying down or leaning against the scrub oak. Surprisingly enough, 2 of the 3 include very clear photographs. Tombstone inscriptions recorded by Mary Parker Partain, October, 1989, and submitted by Jane Parker McManus Carnahan, Mrs. L. E., wife of R. L. Carnahan - 16 Aug 1860 / 24 Aug 1900 [inscription at bottom unreadable] Carnahan, Rosalie, daughter of R. L. and L. E. Carnahan - 1907 / 1917 [photo of a beautiful child] Carnahan, Herbert - 1905 / 1918 [photo of young man in white shirt] [Marble base of one more tombstone, marker missing, no information] #2 Carnahan (DeLoaches Bluff Cemetery) This part of the cemetery is referred to as DeLoaches Cemetery. About 100 yards to the left of the Carnahan family, further up the hill, is a brick enclosure, about 5 or 6 feet high, with a stone base. It once had a small iron gate, and is about 30 feet by 20 feet. The bricks are homemade, the stones are similar to those scattered about the hillside, native Louisiana sandstone. The stumps inside the enclosure indicate that there was a cedar tree in each corner. One tree has been burned all around, such as might have been used for a campfire. The largest stump is about 18 inches in diameter. A living hickory tree about a foot in diameter had dropped its golden leaves and hickory nuts among the broken bricks and stones, and the cow dung was abundant everywhere. About 2 / 3 of the wall is still standing, showing what must have been expert mason work. Some sort of decoration was atop the fence at one time, perhaps iron spikes or railing, long since stolen. One marker fragment was standing in the right front corner. The top was broken off and missing, the part remaining read: Aged 52 years [A footstone was inscribed: A. C.] On the left side, a large brick tomb was open to a depth of about 3 feet, showing leaves and other debris. The marble slab which should have covered it was ajar. The complete inscription: DeLoach, William B. Sen. - Born in Beaufort District, S.C. Nov 25 1801/ Died Nov 7, 1850 "Here lies a husband and father Who to a wife and children were most dear He has left a world of trouble such as this And gone to enjoy a happier world of bliss Mourn not for he sleepeth The soft slumbers of the dead Resting in his Savior's arms The just but fit pillow for the head" The pattern of brick next to this vault would indicate that there was a path of brick from this grave to one adjacent to it, perhaps his wife? There was no sign of another marker, however, only the scattered bricks from the fence or wall. Under a huge Spanish moss-draped oak tree are several graves, the remains of a low native stone wall surrounding them. Only two stones are unbroken and these are newer-styled military markers, the block-type that is more durable. The stone enclosure was about 25 feet square, and is to the left of the brick wall. The inscription on a marble obelisk, about 5' tall if standing reads: Baillio, William, son of A. & E. Baillio Born Jan 20, 1848 Died Dec 20 1851 Aged 3 years 11 months "Wherefore should I take my mourn Now the darling child is dead He to early rest is gone He to Paradise has fled. We shall go to him but he Shall never return to me God forbids his longer stay God recalls his precious loan God has taken him away From my bosum to his own Surely what He wills is best Happy in His will I rest Faith cries out, it is the Lord Let him do as seems Him good Be Thy Holy Name adored Take the gift awhile bestowed Take the child no longer mine [corner broken] ?...ine? he is forever thine." Baillio, Gustavus A .- Nov 14, 1845 / Nov 15, 1861, Louisiana Pvt Co C 12 Regt. LA Inf. Confederate States Army Baillio, Jean John L. - Mar 10, 1782 / Mar 8, 1842 Louisiana Pvt. 17 Regt. La Militia War of 1812 [This Jean John L. Baillio stone is at the head of a marble slab broken in many places, but readable:] "In memory of John L. Baillio" Next to the marble slab is another one made just like it, broken in two pieces, one on the ground, the other piece covering a concrete vault which extends or shows about 1' above ground. The vault is open and appears to be empty except for debris. Baillio, Mary G., consort of John L. Baillio - died Aug 6, 1852 in the 68 years of her age Between the Carnahan plot and the Deloach enclosure, is a distance of 100 yards at least. This entire area, including the DeLoach enclosure, is a sharp knoll, with a dozen or more mounds where brick vaults were located, and where the years of rain and wind have worked the sandy soil away, leaving the bricks exposed. About the same number of impressions mark caved-in graves, either sunk by erosion or because of the absence of a lid or slab. None of these graves have markers, marker bases, or slabs. Most are on the knoll, but there could have been more on the hillside, now covered with years of topsoil washed from higher up. Near the top, just outside the back of the DeLoach enclosure, is a brick box about four feet long, may be lined with marble, about 18" off the ground at this time. The slab, which is ajar reads: Baillio, Lodviska M. E. Baillio - 1 Aug 1827 and died 8 Apr 1828, 8 mo. and 8 days "Now called aloft by angels shewn the way Lodviska's spotless soul to endless day Angelic beauty, innocence and grace Ripen'd with her days and blossum'd in her face" [This slab may be bronze, so dirty it was difficult to tell. It may be the only slab intact anywhere in this cemetery, and is lying flat on the ground right out in the open.] In this same area with the Baillio baby, are several graves printed in French. On a broken marble slab over a brick vault extending above ground on this knoll: Ci Cii Zulma Lacour, Nee le 13 Mai 1815 / Morte le 15 Sept 1853 aged de 38 ans 3 mois et 23 jours , Marlee le 10 Juille 1845 Almost covered with sod on the side of a hill, two more sunken graves: HelioDore GodeFroy - ne le 8 Fevrier 1817 / Mort le 30 September 1833 age de 16 ans et 7 moi This next stone has only part of slab showing; the rest is broken off and may be imbedded. Same family name as above. ? mie GodeFroy - ? le 11 Fevrier 1812 ? ee a l'age de 21 ans ? 12 Juin 1833 ? 21 September ? 25 Ans * * * * * #3 Carnahan (Black Cemetery) In the rear or extreme right of the DeLoach area is an area reserved for African-American Burials. There were no really old tombstones here, but there are many of the same kind of mounds and depressions as on top of the hill. It is overgrown with 6 foot brier bushes. Until the cattle got in the area, there was a wire fence around it. The fence is still there, but most of it has been trampled down by the cattle. There are several segments of iron fence, indicating it might have once been a beautiful enclosure. A few concrete vaults have been made, but only one is marked with a small homemade marker: J. L. H. - 27 Sept 1900 / 17 Nov 1901 M. H. [marble footstone at unmarked burial] Hatch, J. N. - 18 Jan 1893 ?8? / 11 Sep 1916 Dexter, Ben Pond - 18 Aug 1862 / 11 Dec 1906 Fradieu, Sarah - 6 Apr 1880 / 18 Sep 1937 Bordley, Thelma M. - died Jun 11, 1960, aged 41 years [funeral marker only] Dearbonne, ?Zilpha? - 24 Aug 1913 / 13 Jul 1932 Battles, Albert - 5 Feb 1922 / 12 Jan 1954, Tec. 5 1324 Engr. G. S. Regt. WW2 Smith, Gertie - 17 Jun 1864 / 1922, G.U.O. of O. F. Household # 3318 Smith, John - Born 19 - ? [unreadable homemade marker] Tennessee, Rev. L. W. - died Jan 5, 1918, aged 62 years Valsan, Eliza - 3 Oct 1857 / 7 Jan 1913 Member Pride of Lena Tabernackle [sic] H. H. of R # 3318 [?], Fanny [unreadable concrete stone] Branch, Foster - 15 ? 1889 / 2 Dec 1918 Branch, Overton - [no dates] Also buried in this section are the following, however, their graves are under the brier growth: Beard, "Uncle" Frank - [no dates] Beard, "Aunt" Fannie - [no dates] Tennessee, Ethel Washington (Sally) - 13 Nov 1900 / 25 Mar 1990 [Note from MPP 4 / 90] - My sisters and I attended the funeral of Sally Tennessee, a friend and neighbor who we all had known very well. Coming to this cemetery for a funeral was an experience. Brush had to be cleared in order for the grave to be dug. This part of the cemetery is so heavily overgrown that even the cattle cannot keep down the brush. A path had been cleared for the hearse, but all those present had to dodge the briars, holes, and barnyard muck in order to pay our respects to probably the last member of a once-proud family of this community. She was a sister to the Aunt Fannie Beard (also buried in this area), and Sally's grave will soon be lost under the briars, just as her sister's grave is now. Carnahan - DeLoaches Cemetery (Continued)