Hatch Cemetery, Rapides Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Jane P. Mcmanus Date: December 14, 2005 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Hatch Cemetery This cemetery is located on private property in Echo, Rapides Parish, LA. Inscriptions were copied by Patrick Lacombe on 14 August 2003, (incomplete at this time), with information and descriptions supplied by the landowner. Also according to the landowner, there is a Confederate officer buried in the area adjacent to the iron fence. A large tree has grown up in the middle of the tomb, but the old bricks are still there. There is an old brick and cement well that is located about 100 feet from the cemetery. An old syrup mill was located here after the war, but now a few bricks and cement are all that remains. 1st headstone: [beautiful 4-sided obelisk about 5 foot tall, metal (zinc or tin)] Lewis, Mary Olivia – 1 Sep 1884 / 1 Aug 1903, aged 19 yrs. 11 mos. [Side 1] “Rest darling sister, rest” [Side 2] “We loved her” [kneeling angel with “Lewis” engraved on 2nd tier] [Side 3] “We miss thee from our home, Ola, we miss thee from thy place. A shadow o’er our life is cast. We miss the sunshine of thy face. We miss thy kind and willing hand. Thy fond and earnest care. Our home is dark without thee. We miss thee everywhere.” [1905 inscribed under epitaph] [Side 4] “Ever remembered” [angels engraved on this side] 2nd tombstone: [6’ to the right of this first burial, hard to read first letter on small stone] Jones, Waterson or Materson - died 2 Jun 1894, aged 19 yrs. “I will rejoice in the Lord.” 3rd tombstone: [15’ from above stone, large 2-1/2’ tall, obelisk] Hatch, Albert - 1 Aug 1882 / 25 Dec 1906 [Side 1] “Sleep on dear child, and take thy rest, in Jesus’ arms, forever blest” Hatch, John L. – 6 Jul 1853 / 25 Dec 1906 Side 2] “Sleep on dear father and take thy rest, in Jesus’ arms forever blest” [Note: In 1906, Echo was booming town, with a few stores and sidewalks, and even had police station and a jail. Newspaper records at the Alexandria Archives had the following record of that Christmas day in 1906: Albert, the son of John, went into Echo where he got into trouble. Friends went home and told his father, John, that Albert was in trouble and needed him. When the police learned John was on his way to town, they deputized four more deputies. The police shot John in the chest and beat Albert’s brains out – he had three large holes in his head.] 4th tombstone: [beside the John/Albert tombstone] Hatch, Josephine – [dates broken and missing] “Our darling at rest” [A broken metal headstone is in front of old above-ground tomb. The tomb is about 2’ high, made of bricks and cement, and is crumbling and deteriorating on all 4 sides. According to the landowner, this was the original burial site for Capt. Joseph T. Hatch of Rapides Parish. In 1946, the family moved the body to another cemetery (either Greenwood cemetery in Pineville or one near Lake Charles). Hatch was buried in a cast iron coffin weighing 1500 lbs., and it required a wrecker truck to pull the coffin from the ground.] Hatch, Arthur, son of J. L. & Elizabeth Hatch – 27 May 1879 / 10 Aug 1904 “Killed by falling of a tree.” [inscription on the back of tombstone: “It is sad that one we cherish should be taken from our home. But the joy that do not perish lived in memory alone. All the years we have spent together, all the happy, golden hours shall be cherished in remembrance. Fragrant sweets from memories’ flowers.] Hatch, Whoncy, daughter of J. L. & Elizabeth Hatch – [no dates] “There is a Heaven” [this stone was buried about 8 inches under the ground. It was discovered when a probe was inserted in the ground. We don’t know if there is anything on the backside of it, but has not been righted it. No writing on the back of similar stones.] Hatch, John Hobson, son of J. L. & Elizabeth Hatch – [no dates] “He is at rest.” [this stone is broken into 3 pieces, but is still readable.] Hatch, Joseph Thomas, born in Rapides LA – [no dates] “Sacred to the memory of” [broken stone] [1870 census, Joseph Thomas Hatch was the father of John Hatch (above). Hatch, Allice, daughter of J. L. & Elizabeth Hatch – [ no dates] “Here is my home” Hatch, Infant of J. L. & Elizabeth Hatch – [no dates] “Budded on earth to bloom in Heaven” Hobbs, Leatha A., wife of J. P. Hobbs - 22 Mar 1871 / 1 Dec 1897 “Anchored in the bar” Hobbs, Mrs. Pocahontas Hobbs – 12 Jul 12 1856 / 5 Oct 1889 [On census records, Pocahontas was the daughter of Joseph Thomas Hatch.] [Picture of angel on stone] 12 ‘ behind: Morris, Monroe H. – died 10 Dec 1910, aged 62 yrs. “Into thy hands, I commend my spirit.” [this stone was hard to read, located about 12’ behind Hobbs burials] Morris, Mary – 17 Jan 18?? / 24 Oct 19??, aged 61 yrs. “She died as she lived, trusting in God” [stone is broken into 4 pieces, cannot find all parts or read birth & death years] Maricle, Alice, wife of David Maricle – 8 Nov 1886 / 8 Jul 1906. Wright, Geneva, daughter of A. L. & Lou Wright – 29 Aug 1904 / 6 Nov 1905 [unreadable epitaph] Wright, Homer son of A. L. & L. Wright – 30 Mar 1898 / 1 Nov 1903 [unreadable epitaph; large tree has grown prohibiting access to the base of Wright stones] Wright, Lena, daughter of A. L. & L. Wright – 30 May 1893 / 23 Sep 1897 “Of such is the kingdom of Heaven” Wright, Ernest, son of A. L. & L. Wright – 18 Apr 1895 – 23 Jul 1897 “Budded on earth to bloom in Heaven” Wright, Clarence, son of A. L. & L. Wright – 9 Feb 1903 / 10 Sep 1903 [unreadable epitaph] Washington, Eddie, son of B. & M. Washington – 19 Feb 1896 / 5 May 1896 “Asleep in Jesus” [this stone is about 100 feet from the Wright burials located on the bank of the bayou] [Note: There is an old iron fence about 10 x 30 feet. There were no tombstones inside, but several low spots. With probes, we found nothing. An 8-foot section was removed on one side; plaque on door reads “The Stewart Ironworks, Cincinnati OH.”] [To be completed – an area with weeds, some Turners & Hackneys located about 100 feet away from main graveyard – on the Bayou bank. Don’t know why they were separated so much. PL]