Finding of Scott/Wright Ford’s Cemetery in Richland Parish Louisiana-June 2002 This article was written and submitted by Brenda Grammer. A copy of this also was run in the Richland Beacon News June 13, 2002. ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** S cott/Wright Ford’s Cemetery It happened so long ago that no one is around who remembers it. Nor could parents recall the event if they were still here. It was the year 1862, and it happened just north and east of present day Rayville during a time of civil war in our nation. But the war wasn’t what was on the mind of the little family that lived at Boeuf River northeast of Rayville. In 1862, this little community didn’t have a name, wasn’t large in population, and it was scattered over a 10 mile area. Boeuf River ran on the eastern side of the community, north to south, then curved below them to the west and then southward, providing the settlers with water. At a point just before the river turned westward, an adventurous soul had established a ferry, or ford, as it was better known as in those days, used to aid the pioneers in crossing the river during high water months. The ferry, known as Scott-Wright’s Ford, was the bottleneck of the community, a place where folks gathered for visiting and town activities. Elijah Scott lived at the site of the ferry with his wife Amanda on the east side of the river, and other Scott relatives were across on the west side of the river. Mr. Wright’s homestead was about two miles away to the west. A small church was built by the community near the ferry. It sat conveniently on the east bank of the river, perfect for baptisms in the muddy water. The event we’re speaking of was a simple affair. A man died. He wasn’t old, just 38. He had a son, a stepson actually, the child of his wife by another marriage which had left her a widow. Sadly, the son also died. How this man and his stepson died, we do not know nor are we likely to ever find out. But when it happened, the man’s body was placed in a wooden box built especially for him and taken from his home north to the small church by the river. Family and friends bid him farewell, then solemnly carried him across the church yard toward the rising sun about 100 yards away. There they laid him in the new cemetery where he was joined by the body of his stepson. A small but permanent marker was placed at the gravesite facing east, listing both names and all dates. Over the next 100 years, other pioneers were placed around Christopher C. Chennault and his stepson. They came in 1872, 1883, 1885, 1891, 1893. A new century brought others in 1909 and 1911, then 1924, and finally 1934. Then it would be another 34 years, 1968, before another marker would be placed in the little cemetery, which was still small, only about an acre in size, if that. The names inscribed on the simple but elegant tombstones, some surrounded at one time by lovingly-placed wrought iron fences, included Amanda Scott, wife of Elijah Scott, who ran the ferry; George Wright, a Justice of the Peace; J. Newton Pitts, the first Clerk of Court for Richland Parish; Frances Marion Box, Barbria (Barbara) Scott Box and their son Oscar T. Box; Birdie Box; Georgiana Greer; the Johns, Alice and John B.; the Gammills, Wesley and Nancy; a Confederate soldier, J. F. Martin and his wife Fannie; William Lathrum; Amanda Pugh; and Henry and Mollie Steinhilper; plus other family members sharing these names. Through the years, the church fell into disrepair and was abandoned. A new one was erected, but not on the river bank. They moved the church away from the river, closer to the road about a quarter mile north of the little cemetery. Soon no one was buried n the old section of the cemetery any longer. The original pioneers of the community were left to the south. Those who died after the 1940s, and even some prior, were buried in the land between the Old Cemetery and the church, until 140 years later, the land was filled by pioneers and their descendants, the cemetery reaching the church’s south wall. Today the church has settled into a shell of its former self, and the little cemetery, expanded over the years to about two or three acres, has returned to nature for the most part. Cornfields surround the area. Driving north from Rayville on Pine Street and going some 7 miles from Hwy. 80, one can see on the right a small plot of woods, then a mini cemetery surrounded by woods, and continuing on, more woods and finally the church with a respectable cemetery. Unbeknownst to most, the woods contain jewels, the pioneers of Richland Parish, long forgotten by family and citizens of the parish they helped settle. The bridge across Boeuf River at Adcock Road, which is not marked, just south of the church and grounds, marks the approximate place of Scott-Wright’s Ford. Christopher C. Chennault and the Scotts and Gammills and Johns and all the others still stand sentinel over the river and the surrounding corn fields, but they are unseen. Intense briars, elms, cedars, locust, sweet gum and bamboo have reclaimed the land, leaving massive fallen trees melting wrought iron fences and toppling the beautiful gravestones. Leaf debris forms a thick pad throughout the south quarter of the cemetery, and the natural order of nature has rendered all the marked and unmarked resting places into pits of remembrance. In the 1980s, an adventurous lady made a trek into the Old Cemetery, duly noting all the gravestones found. This list she gathered has survived. In late May and early June of 2002, several genealogy buffs searching for long-lost family members made several trips to the site before finally venturing far enough into the south end of the woods, which resembled a South American jungle, to rediscover these pioneers. It was late evening when they arrived. The majority of the perimeter was too overgrown to venture into. Finally finding an opening, they crept in. It was dark, sultry and silent, and literally a jungle. One approached the first tombstone, only some 20 feet inside, and found etched there on the flat upright stone with rounded top so typical of western tombstones, “Oscar T. Box, Son of F.M. and Barbara Box, Born May 8, 1886, Died Oct. 16, 1911.” Elated, they knew they had found what they were searching for: Oscar Box, a familiar name. First they cried out to one another, then they stood silent in this vine-wrapped, briar-ridden, canopy-darkened tomb, staring at the beautiful stones that marked so many gone so long ago, realizing that over the next hour they would be viewing stones hidden for decades, family members long lost. They had found three generations of family and friends of family, long ago returned to the earth but still searched for. People who had helped develop Richland Parish, who had given up the temptation to venture farther west in order to live in this flat, rich land. The genealogists went to work, photographing, scraping away moss, and wiping sweat and spider webs from their faces as they ventured through the undergrowth, ignoring the possibility of snake and spider bites to reclaim the graves of their ancestors, or in some cases, ancestors of their friends. Each tombstone was hard-fought for, trees, briars and webs hindering the way. No one hurried. It wasn’t that large, but it was dense. In the early days of settlement in Richland Parish, bamboo ruled. Now it has reclaimed a portion of this cemetery. One person trudged forward, and finding the tall ornate marker of George Wright in the midst of the bamboo, read the inscription on the marker, calling to another some 25 feet away who was stooped and making notes under the low-hanging elm branches and climbing briars. Not just the name and dates, but a beautiful tribute also noted on the side of the tall marker; loving and beautiful words ngraved so long ago. Not getting a response to her readings, she called out. “Is anyone writing this down?” The answer came: “Just a minute. I’m crying. It’s so beautiful.” Abandoned cemeteries are scattered among the fields and woods of Richland Parish and surrounding parishes. Over the years, farmers have plowed these sites under if they were found in their fields. Plantable land is valuable. Tombstones and gravesites are not cash crops and are soon lost. But those that remain wrapped in the bindings of nature are reclaimable. The feeling of walking into these woods and finding an announcement that here lies an ancestor is indescribable if you’re the one searching. Names written in Bibles come alive. Old maps pinpoint their dwelling places, and it’s as if you’re meeting and getting to know them. Left to the elements, old cemeteries decay fast. Trees erupt and bend fences surrounding gravesites; tombstones get tilted, turned, fall over, and cover quickly with green moss, then dirt. A canopy forms over the whole area, and vines and animals return to possess the land. Rain falls, decay sets in, and the graves sink, testimony to the wooden, unlined burial boxes common to our ancestors. Leaves gather in the sinking and before ong, a perfect outline of the burial place is pronounced for those who venture in. It can be unnerving. This particular cemetery needs some tender love and care. It would be wonderful if it were done by the descendants of the occupants. Are the following names in your family: Steinhilper * Scott * Wright * Johns * Pitts * Martin * Box * Gammill * Chennault * Lathrum * Pugh * Greer Scott-Wright’s Ford Cemetery is in need of reclamation and resurrection. Who is to do this? Descended family? The owner of the land? Interested genealogists? Detentionees? Good question. The cemetery is small, but well-occupied. It cannot be bulldozed because of the numerous graves. However, it can be cleaned up with muscle and small equipment. Cedar trees have fallen across fenced-in plots, crushing them. Chain saws are needed. Weed cutters. Dirt and equipment to apply filler dirt, for numerous gravesites are unmarked but clearly visible due to the sinking. These need small markers to designate the sites for when they are filled. We need brave souls who love working in the wild and respect the grounds upon which they will be walking. A sign for Scott-Wright’s Ford Cemetery would be wonderful. At present, it is unfortunate, but the ones who wish most desperately to reclaim this cemetery are women, descendants of the occupants, most approaching the “elder” title. They are not physically able to go in armed with chain saws and dump trucks full of dirt. They need assistance, and it would be wonderful if it came from the descendants of those in the cemetery. Scott-Wright’s Ford Cemetery is not the only one in the parish, or surrounding parishes, that needs reclaiming. There are probably many. We would like to begin here. To assist in the reclaiming of Scott-Wright’s Ford Cemetery, contact any of the following: Dot Golliher, 318-728-7932 (dotg@bayou.com) dBanks@Vicksburg.com (Donnis Banks) Grammer@bayou.com (Brenda E. Grammer) Barbrg@txucom.net (Barbara Gandy) Written by Brenda Grammer