West (Old) Cemetery - Vernon Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Jane P. McManus ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From LA Hwy. 28 in East Leesville, turn North onto LA Hwy. 117 toward Kurthwood, and go 6.7 miles. Turn right on Military Road (secondary gravel road), and go to the Gill Hunt Road (on the right). At this point, turn left onto unimproved road. Go 1.2 miles and turn left onto another dirt road. A locked gate blocks the road at this point (Hunting Club Members only). Permission and a key are necessary to continue further. Rayford and Mary West of Leesville accompanied us to this cemetery. Gene Stephens provided the vehicle. A short distance down this road another locked gate (Blackland Hunting Club) blocks the road. After 1.6 miles, turn left again onto a trail. This portion of the road was part of the old Beef Trail which extended from Texas through Central Louisiana during the 1800's. Today, it consists of mud ruts made by trucks, and probably would be best traveled on 4-wheel vehicles. Inscriptions copied as approached by Jane P. McManus 9 November 1994, submitted 15 March 2000 (janemcmanus@gateway.net). The small cemetery is located on the right side of the trail, and is fenced and mowed. In the center of the fenced area a small rusted iron fence surrounds the only marked burial in this cemetery. There are two large cedar trees at the corner of the smaller iron fence. Two of the original wooden posts which were part of the old outer fence have been preserved and placed inside the small iron fence. This property (Section 11 Township 3 Nort Range 8 West) was the homestead of Madison West & Lucretia Neal, and the cemetery was just a short distance from the old house. In 1976, local Vernon Parish Historian, Jack Hadnot located and copied this cemetery. At that time he reported the only a trace remaining of the large cemetery which once had 50 or 60 well-tended graves was the iron fenced plot with one double stone. With diligent research and interview of older residents, especially Willie and Ottis West, Jack was able to identify several individuals who were interred in this cemetery, and through his efforts this list is shown below. Also in 1979, Willie West (at the age of 91), son of Madison West & Martha Lucretia Neal, gave his testimony as to the individuals buried in unmarked graves, and noted that several slaves were buried in the fields outside the fenced area. That list is kept by his son, Rayford West of Leesville, who also maintains the cemetery. * * * [Inside small iron fence] * * * West, Madison - 22 Feb 1822/30 Dec 1880 Father [son of William West & Lydia West who are buried in Collins Cemetery, Slagle] West, Martha Lucretia Neal, wife of Madison West - 3 Dec 1829/7 Apr 1903 [daughter of Mitchell Neal & Nancy Henderson] [Double Stone] - [married 29 Jun 1852] [buried in unmarked grave inside this iron fence]: Bolton, Anna Coashia West - [14 Mar 1860/22 Jun 1881] [daughter of Madison West & Martha Lucretia Neal, married 15 Apr 1879 to Joseph Bolton] West, Thomas - [9 Mar 1862/9 Dec 1865] [son of Madison West & Martha Lucretia Neal] [unmarked graves outside the iron fence, identified by Jack Hadnot, Ottis West, & Willie West] Weeks, Charles M. - [b. 1825 MS/d. 1850 LA, son of Wiley Weeks & Delila (?)] Harrison, Mr. - [d. 1850 LA] [These 2 men participated in the famous "Rawhide Fight"1 which occurred at the schoolhouse on Burton Creek in the Walnut Hill area, on James Groves' property] Weeks, Lucy Ann Wade - [b. ca 1834/d. bef. 1862] [1st wife of James Alexander Weeks] Weeks, Jeptha - [ca 1827 MS] [son of Wiley Weeks & Delila (?)] Palmer family - [no information] Johnston [children of Stewart Johnson] Grant, Infant of William A. Grant & Minerva Calvit West - [no dates] [grandchild of Stephen N. Grant & Marie Celina Armand, & Madison West & M. L. Neal] Carlock, infants of John Carlock & Mary Amanda Hunt - [no dates] [3 children died at the same time and were buried in same coffin] Carlock, Thomas, son of John Carlock & Mary Amanda Hunt - [b. Jan 1880/d. young] Carlock, Sarah - [b. ca 1834/d. aft. 1880, w/o James Gibson Carlock] "Grandma" Carlock, James Gibson - [b. ca. 1829/d. aft. 1872] "Grandpa" Rice, Mr. - [no dates, a carpenter who worked on Madison West's home] 1Ford, Curry, "Rawhide Fight," Leesville Leader, 1955.