Edgefield Baptist Church Cemetery No. 2, Rapides Parish Louisiana Submitted by Jane Parker McManus ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Directions: Take US Hwy. 71 South from Alexandria to signal light in Cheneyville. Turn left at light and cross Bayou Beouf. Turn right and go approximately 4.0 miles to sharp curve that makes right angle. Edgefield Church in on the left in the sharp curve. In 1967, the church built a neat frame building near the road. This structure is typical of small Southern churches with steeple above center door. With the need for a parking area, and larger building, it was necessary to move some of the vaults to the rear of the property. The rows of graves extend far behind the church into the edge of the field. There were so many unmarked vaults or slabs that they could not be listed in the proper location in this listing, but were counted and will be listed by number at the end. Tombstone inscriptions recorded as approached on 15 October 1996 by Mary Parker Partain. On a plaque at the cornerstone of the small African-American Church is: 2nd Edgefield Baptist Church - Rebuilt 1967 Deacons: Ben Walker, Horace Patterson, Edward Williams, Frank Johnson, Henry Wilkins, Leonard Irving, Leonard Reed, Clyde Wilson, Charles Monk Secretary: Mercedes Blue; Pastor: Rev. J. J. Parkes Wilson, James - [hand-lettered slab - unreadable dates] Wilson, Cheryl J. - 23 Sep 1962/26 May 1995 [Funeral Marker] Foster, Ruby Mae - 25 Oct 1925/16 Dec 1982 Mother/Grandmother Walker, Ben - 5 Dec 1905/20 Nov 1980 [Masonic Emblem] Compton, William Sr. - 15 Jul 1914/19 Apr 1974 Marks, Sarah - 10 Sep 1889/25 May 1971 Mama Davis, Tommy Sr. - 25 Dec 1901/6 Apr 1980 Davis, Ophelia - 8 Mar 1903/19 Sep 1982 Jackson, Beatrice L.? - 1911/1977 Mother Row 2: [Back to Front, behind Church] Price, Herman Sr. - 17 Apr 1923/15 Jan 1984, Pfc. US Army WW2 Linder, Ike - 1881/1920 Foster, Charles - 1892/1946 Group in Center of Cemetery, behind Church: Harris, Richard Jr. - 26 Jun 1926/25 May 1996 [Funeral Marker] Byrd, Sandy Jr. - 15 Sep 1914/23 Feb 1982 Barfield, Eli - 11 Mar 1872/17 Sep 1924 [Old iron fenced enclosure, one grave] Field in rear of cemetery toward the road: ________ ? - May 1878/ _____? [broken, hand-lettered marker] Redoux?, - [unreadable concrete cross on vault] Harris, Henderson Jr. - 8 May 1910/23 Nov 1971 Big Poppa Harris, Henderson Sr. - 22 Jul 1931/11 Oct 1974 Father Harris, Henrietta Reed - 1 Aug 1914/13 Aug 1983 Reed, Clarence Jr. - 6 Dec 1931/6 Jul 1986 Marks, Clyde Henderson - 1945/1985, US Army Vietnam Leary, James E. - 1912/1986, Sgt. US Army WW2 Irving, Augusta - 5 Aug 1905/12 Jun 1986 Leary, James Sr. - 14 Feb 1945/11 Feb 1995 Leary, Diane - 2 Oct 1966/8 Sep 1990 Irving, Carrie Mays - 1898/18 Jun 1938 Mother Chaney, Robert - 1900/1955 Father Johnson, Mrs. Ellen - died 14 Oct 1959 [hand-lettered on slab] Leary, Louis - 4 Sep 1937/21 Apr 1993 Group of burials near road on left: Parker, Gladys Mae - 17 Jun 1929/30 Mar 1988 Mother Hayward, Blanche D. - 16 Oct 1910/12 Nov 1992 Hayward, Adolph - 19 Aug 1892/12 Sep 1964 Lewis, Daisy M. - 27 Aug 1898/21 Dec 1988 Jones, Charlie Jr. - died 25 Oct 1996, 75 yrs. [Funeral marker] ------------- Burials since cemetery copied (obituaries in local paper): Green, Leola - died 12 Nov 1996, 83 yrs. Jones, Charlie Jr. - died 25 Oct 1996, 75 yrs. [Note: There were approximately 105 unmarked vaults, 11 unmarked slabs, and several totally unreadable old funeral markers or stones. MPP]