Chestnut Springs Cemetery

CHESTNUT SPRINGS CEMETERY aka PEPPER CEMETERY aka MABRY CEMETERY, Est. 1853

Chestnut Springs Cemetery

Picture taken 1955

Chestnut Springs Church & School Location

Picture taken 2010

Chestnut Springs Cemetery is located in NW¼ S36 T22E R10E in Calhoun County, MS.

Chestnut Springs Church Est. 1880 was in the SW¼ S36 T22 R10E in Calhoun County, MS. The church was ¼ mile SE of the cemetery.

Originally, there were chestnut trees in the church yard and a spring to the north and a spring to the east.

Also, Chestnut Springs Church building was used for the Chestnut Springs School.

Chestnut Springs Cemetery was Est. 1853 when Matilda Moon Pepper died because of childbirth. The baby, Ruth Ann Matilda, lived. Matilda realized that she was going to die. The weather was bad and Matilda knew that the family would not be able to carry her body to the community cemetery. Matilda asked Jesse, her husband, to bury her in the garden under the peach tree.

In 1928 Margaret Rachel Pepper Douglas died. At that time her grandson, W. C. "Bill" Few, went to the cemetery with Aunt Mary Alice Mabry Scarbrough and asked who were buried in the rock marked graves. Bill Few made a plot of the cemetery from Aunt Mary Alice's description. Sarah M. Few Hallum, Bill's daughter, owns that original cemetery plot. Tombstones were added in the early 1940s and early 1980s. We think we have accurate identification of whom is buried there with the exception of one rock grave.

Sarah Margaret Few Hallum and I, Beverly Mabry Hannaford, plan to edit a comprehensive compilation of this cemetery and the people who are buried there.

From Webster County Genealogical Website: "Minutes of School Board meeting, Sept 1890." (Chestnut Springs School was in Calhoun County but this was in the Webster Co. School Board minutes.)"All buildings were built of frame, school term was four months with 20 teaching days each month unless otherwise noted. When the assistant teacher taught, the regular teacher was not paid. The enrollment didn't change much, but the attendance was scanty. Record of Monthly and Term Reports of Free School, 1889-1891 Winter Term, White Race.
CHESTNUT SPRINGS:(Log Building, value $12.00) Enroll. M-15 F-5; Trustees: W. H. Mabry, O. P. Finley, S. G. Taylor; Teacher L. A. Finch, $46.15."
Note: My gr. grandfather W. H. Mabry and S. G. Taylor were brothers-in-law. S. G. Taylor m. Angeline Mabry.

August 14, 1898: The church disorganized and voted to grant the house (church building) to the school. Signed Elder J. D. McPhail and W. R. Love, C. C. (This information is taken from Chestnut Springs Church minutes. I, Beverly Mabry Hannaford, own and treasure the Chestnut Springs Church minute book.) This building burned about 1905.

More later about Chestnut Sprs.

Graves from North to South-Beginning on the East side

Row 1
Jim Scarbrough
  July 7,1801
  Sept.2,1889

Row 2
Molly Crowder
  1800s

Fanny Payne
  ca.1860-Late 1800s

Ellen Payne
  ca.1840-Late 1800s

Infant son of
Bertha & E. F. Morgan
  Born and Died
  Feb. 2,1908

Richard Howard
  1800s

Vianna Mae Paxton
  Daughter of
  Greenberry & Lee Ann (Howard)Paxton
  B. & D. ca. Early 1880s

Baby of Jack & Lula (Winters) Howard
  B. &. D. ca. 1880s

Baby of John D. & Nancy (Howard) Crowder
  B. & D. ca. 1890s

Row 3
    Carter
Vada Viola "Dollie" Carter    (nee Mabry)
  May 7, 1873
  Dec. 1, 1932

Dr. E. H. Mabry    (This is Eldredge twin to Ellis)
  Nov. 6, 1865
  Dec. 9, 1910

Frances Pepper Mabry
Wife of W. H. Mabry
  Born Jan. 2,1842
  Died Apr. 12,1918
    MABRY
William Harrison Mabry  (Known as "Hash" Mabry)
  Born July 24, 1832  (Hash was son of James "Eaton" Mabry b. ca 1779 NC)
  Died June 25, 1898
    (Incorrectly written on tombstone "William Hanson Mabry")

William Jesse Mabry    (Twin to James Eaton "Jim" Mabry)
  Sept. 6, 1869
  Oct. 15, 1872

Lonnie Scarbrough
  1900-ca.1901

Mabry Scarbrough
  ca. 1907-1908

    SCARBROUGH
R. O. 1860-1930
Mary Alice 1867-1937    (nee Mabry)

Row 4
    Mother
Margaret Ursula Green    (nee "Shulie" Mabry)
  Nov. 26, 1871
  May 26,1943

    CARTER
Thomas Wilson
  Nov. 2, 1878
  March 7, 1916
    (one tombstone)
Dora Della Douglas
  Sept. 17, 1880
  Oct. 30,1955

Wiley Douglas Carter
  Nov. 14, 1903
  Jan. 9, 1904

Howard Clay Carter
  March 21, 1909
  Jan. 21, 1910

James Iris Carter
  July 17, 1910
  Sept. 7, 1910

William Oscar Carter
  Oct. 29, 1913
  March 1, 1985
(bu. at Collins, MS)

Mary Douglas Smith
  1847-Late 1800s

    IN MEMORY OF
Thomas J. Douglas
  Born Jan 12, 1843
  Died July 11, 1887
  44 YRS. 5 MS. 29 DS.

Margaret Rachel Douglas    (nee Pepper)
  Wife of Thos. J. Douglas
  Born Jan. 23, 1846
  Died Apr. 21, 1928

W. A. Douglas
  Nov. 9, 1870
  Aug. 4, 1956

Row 5
Baby of Jack & Margaret (Pepper) Lovett
  B. & D. ca 1890s

Eli Few
  Oct. 8, 1814
  Oct. 9, 1890

Mary Lane Few
  ca 1820-1860s

Martha Susan Pepper
  Jan. 28, 1860
  Apr. 15, 1862

Large rock marking a grave

Jefferson Beauregard Branch
  Born Dec. 25, 1861
  Died Jan. 18,1862

Anderson G. Douglas
  Son of T. J. & M. R. Douglas
  Born July 24, 1866
  Died Aug. 21, 1867
  Aged 1 yr. 14's

Jesse Lee Douglas
  Son of T. J. and M. R. Douglas
  Born Sept. 13, 1872
  Died Aug. 25, 1876
  2 yrs. 11 m's 12 d's

Sydney Calhoun Douglas
  Son of T. J. and M. R. Douglas
  Born Dec. 4, 1876
  Did Sept. 29, 1877
  9 m's 15 d's

Row 6
    C.S.A. CO. I. 4 MS INF.
Pvt. Jesse Pepper, Jr.
  Jan. 31, 1844
  Apr. 2, 1862
  BU. CROWN HILL CEM. INDIANAPOLIS, IND

    PEPPER
Jesse 1795-1863
Matilda M. 1813-1853    (Matilda "Moon" Payne Pepper--first grave)

    PEPPER
Elizabeth 1850-1857
Ruth 1853-1855

Row 7
Elvira Payne Richardson  (dau. of Daniel and Matilda Moon Payne)
  1834-ca.1912