Burford Cemetery History, Tate County, Mississippi

Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by Betty Arnold Loftis -- bloftiss@gmi.net

      Burford's cemetery is the oldest known graveyard in the Southern part of DeSoto
County, Mississippi. This cemetery is now located in Tate County, Mississippi. This
territory, known as DeSoto County, Mississippi, was opened up in 1836 for settlers to
buy land. This brought many families to DeSoto County, Mississippi. Among them were
Stephen Nowlen, Solomon Burford and their families who arrived in DeSoto County in
the year 1836. They had come from Giles and Lincoln County, Tennessee.

      Stephen Nowlen bought a section of land known a Section 34, Township 4 and Range
6 on May 30, 1836, and on December 9, 1836 Solomon Burford bought a section of land
known as Section 35, Township 3, Range 6 in DeSoto County.

      Solomon Burford died unexpectedly on February 27, 1836 in Marshall County,
Mississippi. Due to the fact that this territory was just recently opened there were no
established cemeteries. His sons brought him to DeSoto County, (now Tate County), and
buried him on his friend, Steven Nowlen's property. A grave marker was erected which
bears record for being the oldest known tombstone in this County. Stephen was the
brother of Solomon's daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Nowlen, the wife of his son Alexander
Mitchell Burford; Elizabeth died after giving birth, to their first child, Lucy Amanda
Burford.

      After the death of his father, Alexander Mitchell Burford purchased on July 11, 1838,
480 acres of land from Stephen Nowlen, which included the cemetery where Solomon
was buried; this became known as Burford Cemetery. From this day on Burford
decedents have been buried here. The cemetery is located in the Old Georgia Ridge
Community on the north side of Old Georgia Ridge Road, (know now as Peyton Road), 6
miles east of Coldwater, Mississippi in Tate County.

      The first known document of proof we have of Burford Cemetery, (located in the
South Center of Section 34, Township 4, Range 6, containing 3 acres of land), appears in
the Tax Book for the "Assessments of Land in County of Tate for The Fiscal Year 1888
on Page 22, Line 19."

      On February 22, 1890, Alexander Mitchell Burford died at the age of 82 years, 11
months and 27 days. He is buried in Burford Cemetery.

      The executors of the estate of Alexander Mitchell were his sons, namely K.L.
Burford, T. F. Burford and L. J. Burford. When the estate was settled, they set aside a
two-acre tract of land for the use and benefit of Solomon Burford's heirs and friends.

      Even though the land has changed hands many times since the estate settlement, the
Burford Cemetery has remained in tact.

      In 1978 the 4H Club members of Poagville put in many hours of work cleaning off
the Cemetery. Members of this group were Gregg Blair, Renee Thomas, Margaret
Thomas, David Stevens, Frances Bourdelle, Susanna Thomas and Donna Scruggs. After
this time the property was partially cleaned every year by Betty Burford and other family
members.

      In 1989 Dr. Alexander Mitchell Burford, Jr. started a trust fund for the Burford

      Cemetery. We now have a Burford Cemetery Association which is located in Tate
County, Mississippi. The trustees are Dr. Alexander Mitchell Burford, Jr. of Florence,
Alabama, Mr. Cecil W. Burford of Tate County, Mississippi and Mrs. Betty Arnold
Loftiss of Tate County, Mississippi; all are direct descendants of Solomon Burford.

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         This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb
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                      < bloftiss@gmi.net >
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