Boyce Cemetery, African-American Burials, Rapides Parish La Submitted by Jane Parker McManus ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** BOYCE CEMETERY - Rapides Parish African-American Burials Directions: A large wooded area lies between the Red River and the levee that was once part of the town of Boyce (Rapides), LA, and is home of a large African-American Cemetery. Local residents were forced to cease burials in this area after the flood of 1958 (which was the worst in that area in a long time). Now access to the area can be made only on foot. We parked the car at a locked gate, climbed the pasture fence, walked a half-mile along the levee, and then turned down the cattle trail into the woods. The numerous burials, some with above ground vaults made of concrete, others with concrete slabs were scattered throughout the woods. Most of the tombstones were small, concrete, hand carved, and many of these were broken. There were a few wooden markers left; however the constant dampness and high water from the floods had rotted all but the hardiest marker. The area was totally overgrown with weed and brush. A stick was used to remove briars and debris from the tombstones in order to record the information. There were too many depressions to count in this several acre area where graves had collapsed and no markers of any kind remain. Dozens of old funeral markers with no information readable dotted the area. A rough guess of unmarked graves would be at least twice the number of those with some kind of readable marker. Tombstone inscriptions recorded by Mary Parker Partain, March 1990, and submitted by Jane Parker McManus Beechman, Cavers - died 28 May 1964, 70 yrs. Pannel, George - died 22 Feb 1960 Ross, Clearine N. - 2 Nov 1910/20 Jul 1922 Ross, Oscar - 1893/30 May 1933 Hamilton, Sarah - Nov 1847/11 Feb 1913 Thompson, Augustus - 24 Aug 1882/28 Apr 1924 Ford, Ron - died 27 Oct 1918 [concrete slab without name] - 18 Nov 1903/28 Apr 1930 Young, Webster [hand carved "Wbestur Younc" - no dates] Lewis, Ocdria - [hand carved - no dates] Lewis, Rev. Isaac - [hand carved - no dates] Jackson, Rev. John - Pastor of St. Thomas Baptist Church at Boyce, LA - died 26 Oct 1897/was buried 27 Oct 1897 by the Elders of the Eighth District [small upright beautiful little marker] Perkins, Rev. Jacob - died 27 Oct 1897 aged 83 years [beautiful upright stone [Note: Rev. Perkins died on the day Rev. Jackson was buried, they might have been in an accident.] Butler, Silas - 12 Jun 1927/[only date], Morning Star Chamber 3942 Boyce, LA Butler, Newton B. - 6 May 1886/19 Aug 1914 Grissom, Rosa - 26 Dec 1889/9 Aug 1928, Morning Star Chamber 3942 Boyce, LA Beecham, Rebecca - 15 Jul 1864/13 Oct 1907 Lovell, Craig - died 3 Aug 1919, 26 years Pvt. Soldier, Box 27 CO 161 DB Johnson, Martha Lovell - 3 Feb 1889/Sep 1929, Household Ruth #1861 Ester Chapter #172 OES Johnson, Hartsell Sr. - 1886/1955, aged 72 Evans, John D. - 1910/[unreadable] age 43 years Starks, Leanna - died 10 Jun 1901, aged 63 [hand carved] Williams, Jeff - LA [rest is underground and unreadable] [Military marker] Lewis, Mary - died Jul 1905 Johnson, Oscar Jr., son of Annie Ruth Curtis - 1916/1947, aged 31 years Hilaire, Savore - 23 Dec 1873/2 Mar 1958 ELie, [sic] Delcy - Apr 1842/24 Feb 1934 [hand carved] Evans, Authur Jack - died Aug 1937 Anderson, Marie - 18 Nov 1929, 5? [unreadable] Mother Owens, Martha - 19 Jun 1891/2 Sep 1951 Phillips, Amelia - died 11 Nov 1928 "At Res" [sic] Owens, Elizabeth - 14 Feb 1917 "At Res" [sic] [Above 3 stones are identical hand carved] Owens, John - died 1917 Armistad, Kate - 1865/1914 Colemon, Emly - died 5 Oct 1916 Hampton, Sophia - 17 Apr 1900/25 Oct 1918 Colemon, Lou - 25 Aug 1928 Morning Star Chapter 6042 Boyce, LA Hamilton, Sarah - Nov 1847/11 Feb 1918 Thompson, Augusta - 24 Aug 1882/28 Apr 1924 Colemon, Mathew - 1892/1947 Colemon, Rosa - 1899/1943 Berryman, Burnett E. - 31 Jan 1912/26 May ? [unreadable] Bodley, Mose - 1879/1962 Davis, Monroe - 1901/1954, aged 53 years [this was once a large elegant tomb with large vases on each side, now broken although pieces are still there]