Mar
13
2010
Ebenezer Church Graveyard Clean-up Day, May 29th
SAVE THE DATE: May 29, 2010
Mar
12
2010
Hettie Adger Cemetery cont.
Not only can cemeteries serve as the only evidence of a persons existence, they can tell an untold story. Based on the data we’ve collected for Hettie Adger cemetery, there are 3 tombstones over 100 years old. 
The oldest one, laid in 1906 making it 103 years old is of, Dora Adger, no doubt kinsman to Hettie Adger. Her gravemarker said she was born in 1886 which made her 20 years old at death. She was obviously very beloved to her family based on the inscription “Aged 20 yrs, 3 mos and 9 days”. There’s an emblem with a hand holding the bible embedded at the top of the marker and for this gravestone to be over 100 years old it is still very legible although it has fallen over through the years. What happened to her…how did she die at the young age of 20 and who were parents?
Here’s a brief snapshot of all 243 visible markers at Hettie Adger:
Hettie Adger graveyard statistics
There are at least 8 metal pipes used as gravemarkers in this cemetery. The metal pipes would bring the total to 251 gravemarkers. The metal pipes are always daunting to look at because we will never who those individuals are. I have come across death certificates that claim persons buried at this cemetery but we can not find the gravemarkers. 
Folks in the community also claim there are many graves buried on top of graves which isn’t surprising if you think about soil erosion. This area was once flanked by constant flooding prior to the raft removal of the Red River so the soil is naturally susceptible to sinking.
There are clusters of families, particularly the Bradfords, who have at least 26 markers that are identifiable by surname in addition to other Bradford kinsman who do not carry the name due to marriage. Another popular family buried here are the Thomases with 13 markers, the Jeffersons with 13 markers and of course the Adgers with 20 markers. Who were these people and how did their existence help shape the surrounding communities?
to be continued…
Jan
22
2010
Hettie Adger Cemetery/St. Paul CME Church
I continue to tell people sometimes the only evidence of one’s existence
is found in the graveyard. If you are of African descent and
you lived in Louisiana and died before 1915, your tombstone was basically your death certificate. The state of Louisiana did not start issuing death certificates until after 1915 in Caddo/Bossier parishes. Just think of all of those ancestors we never knew existed. Just think about all of those ancestors who came and left with no gravemarker at all.
This past May, the parishioners of St. Paul CME Church, adjacent to Hettie Adger Cemetery, raised just under $5,000 to help maintain the grounds and make some repairs. There are gravemarkers seeping into the boardering marsh that empties into the creek, some buried in brush, and some simply sinking into the ground.
This cemetery is one of the oldest in Northwest LA being one of the first to bury African Americans and survivors of slavery. The church it is attached to has a vast history that goes all the way back to slavery when it was formed at Rush Point plantation located in present day Belcher, LA. The enslaved Africans intially organized themselves
while attending Carolina Bluff CME church in Plain Dealing, LA around 1800 with 19 charter members. They mobilized enough resources to branch off and build a log cabin church house at Rush Point plantation in 1815. Rush Point plantation was owned by the Dickson family (of modern day Morris & Dickson Co.) and was
situated in current day Dixie, LA. In 1897, additional charter members & charter member descendents donated property and deeds to establish and rebuild the sanctuary relocated in Belcher, LA, just north of Dixie. In 1924, a new sanctuary was erected on the same deeded property. In 1961, the present day sanctuary was built and still stands today. Hettie Adger, a long time parishioner, contributed generously to St. Paul’s C.M.E. Church history by donating additional burial land, which continues to remain the resting ground of many of our ancestors.
Cemetery site: http://www.redriversankofa.org/stpaul.html