Dunnam Cemetery, Rapides Parish Louisiana
Submitted by Jane Parker McManus 

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DUNNAM CEMETERY - Rapides Parish

Directions:   West from Alexandria on LA Hwy. 28, turn South on LA Hwy. 121 at
Gardner.  Just past the town of Hineston, turn left onto LA Hwy. 112 (Union
Hill Road).  Go 3.7 miles and turn right on Padgett Road, just before Lone
Star Baptist Church.  Go ..3 miles south of Lone Star Cemetery, and turn left
onto the property of Rev. Carl Teal (house cannot be seen clearly from the
road).  Permission must be obtained from the Teals in order to visit the
cemetery, because entrance is through their pasture and several farm gates.

About one mile back in the dense woods on a good dirt road is a small cemetery
on a knoll.  It has a good fence and is maintained by the Lone Star Baptist
Church, although the Dunnam heirs still retain title to the property. 
Tradition stories in the area indicate that the knoll was once the center of
an Indian village.  This is borne out by the fact that much "digging" has
taken place outside the cemetery on the banks of the Calcasieu Creek.  During
the great flood of 1935, the knoll was the only part of the area not covered
with water.

The Dunnams, a German family from South Carolina, came into the area and
purchased a large amount of property that included this knoll.  The land is
still held by the descendants, none of whom live in the area.  The family will
not agree to deed the cemetery to the church, but they do nothing to maintain
it.  There is a large cedar tree in the center of the knoll which is diseased
and will in all probability fall across all the graves in the future.  Near
the tree is a depression which seems to be an unmarked grave.  According to
the Rev. Teal who was our guide, at least six of the short wooden posts were
marking unknown graves.  Tombstone inscriptions recorded by Mary Parker
Partain, November 1991, and submitted by Jane Parker McManus

[3 unreadable funeral markers - no information]
[iron marker with missing nameplate - no information]
Potter, Beckie - 1868 / 1943    Mother  
     [last burial, Rev. Teal attended this funeral as a young boy]

Goodman, David - 18 Dec 1831 / 7 Dec 1902

Weatherford, Alfred - 1797 Edgefield Dist. SC / 1877
Weatherford, Frances Christian, wife of Alfred Weatherford - 1803 Richmond VA
/ 1875

Dunnam, Francis Joseph - 15 Aug 1815 Darlington Dist. SC / 14 Sep 1850 Rapides
Parish LA
     Son of Thos. B. Dunnam
Dunnam, Thos. Blackwell - 23 Oct 1781 Wingaw Dist. SC / 3 Sep 1846 Rapides
Parish LA

[Between these two tall marble tombstones is a half stone with the top half
broken off and missing.  It was probably the wife of Thomas B. Dunnam because
of its location and similarity of stone base.]

[Note:  According to the 1850 Rapides Parish Census records # 664/664, Francis
Joseph Dunnam and his family was listed as follows:

     Dunnam, F. J. - born 1815 South Carolina
     Dunnam, Celia Ann - born 1817 Mississippi
     Dunnam, James M. - born 1845 Louisiana
     Dunnam, Martin L. - born 1846 Louisiana
     Dunnam, Julia E. - born 1848 Louisiana
     Dunnam, Francis I. - born 1849 Louisiana

[In 1860 Rapides Parish Census, # 758/759, Francis Dunnam was disceased, but
his wife and four children were still living in Rapides Parish. ]