Old Shady Grove Cemetery

Surveyed by Marylee W. Knight 10-14-98
GPS Coordinates: 320145N, 0941630W

Directions: From Carthage go westbound on State Highway 315 for 13.2 miles to the intersection with FM 348 on the right. Turn right on to FM 348 and proceed northbound for 1.2 miles. Turn right on to Panola County Road 155 and proceed eastbound for 1.6 miles. This cemetery will be on the left side of the road with a large opening on the east side of the cemetery where Shady Grove Church once stood. No sign of the church remains.

Old Shady Grove Cemetery is open on the east side but nestled in a stand of trees on the other three sides. The oldest marked graves are in the center of the cemetery. These graves are for Chania Gates (1842-1914) Clara Adams (Only date Oct 8 1844 possibly her birth date) and Margaret Laret (Only date Oct 28 1858 possibly her birth date). The newer graves lie along the edges of the cemetery particularly pocketed in the extreme four corners leading one to believe that there is a large number of old unmarked graves in the center portion. A total of 34 unmarked graves were tallied in this survey but the ground in the cemetery is very rough and many more graves could be disguised by the rugged contours of the terrain. Regrettably a large number of the marked graves have only a funeral home marker that time and the elements have wiped clean of all traces of identity and even the name of the funeral home. There is also a large number marked by broken chunks of different colored granite polished on one side. The tombstone of Ozell Wilson appears to be rather old and possibly was broken from its original base and is now mounted on the front of a square column of red brick approximately three feet tall.

It is obvious that this cemetery is treasured by the families of those buried there. The grass outside the cemetery is very high but the cemetery had been recently mowed and showed signs of constant maintenance. Many of the graves were decorated with artificial flowers. This was even true of some of the unmarked graves indicating that someone knows who is buried there and efforts will be made to obtain documentation on those graves. One grave marked only with an illegible funeral home marker had a large cape jasmine bush planted on it that had continued to grow and thrive even during the last few years of drought.

Name
Birth
Death
Parents
Spouse
Children
Comments

Adams, Clara
-
-
~
~
~
Only date Oct 8 1844, possibly her birth date

Ballard, R S Diamond or Damon
-
-
~
~
~
~

Ballard, Rose May
Nov 6 1938
Aug 20 1972
~
~
~
Mother of Five

Carter, Lee C "Baby"
Aug 10 1943
Aug 10 1943
~
~
~
~

Castleberry, Annie
1897
1926
~
~
~
In Loving Memories

Castleberry, Walter B
Dec 20 1920
1926
~
~
~
Loving Brother

Davis, Ardell
Jul 11 1931
Aug 17 1990
~
~
~
Father

Davis, Charlie
1888
1956
~
~
~
~

Davis, Jess
192?
-
~
~
~
~

Davis, Jess B
Jul 19 1907
Jan 16 1996
~
Onnie
~
Married 65 years husband of Onnie

Davis, Jesse B
-
1996
~
~
~
(Jenkins-Gorman Funeral Home marker)

Davis, Joe
1949
1978
~
~
~
PVT US Army Viet Nam

Davis, Joe B
Apr 11 1915
Mar 1973
~
~
~
~

Davis, Mrs Febbie
-
Sep 23 1953
~
~
~
~

Davis, Onnie
Mar 25 1911
Apr 26 1993
~
Jess B
~
Married 65 years wife of Jess B

Davis, Rev George S
Dec 25 1921
May 14 1992
~
~
~
"Father" "I Have Kept the Faith"

Davis, Rev LR
Apr 12 1919
May 5 1983
~
~
~
~

Davis, Synthia
-
-
~
~
~
May 11 1942, only date on stone

Davis, Verlin
1930
1992
~
~
~
Cpl US Army

Fite, Alberta
Sep 19 1904
Nov 17 1976
~
Eddie
~
wife of Eddie

Fite, Della
Sep 20 1868
Apr 9 1983
~
~
~
~

Fite, Eddie
Jan 15 1906
Apr 23 1989
~
Alberta
~
husband of Alberta

Fite, Hubert
1900
1974
~
~
~
~

Fite, I C
1874
1959
~
~
~
Mason

Fletcher, Bonnie
1900
1994
~
~
~
~

Fletcher, James R
Nov 11 1941
Sep 2 1990
~
~
~
PVT US Army Viet Nam

Fletcher, Novie
1906
1978
~
~
~
~

Frazer, Mrs Hattie
Apr 30 1900
Feb 19 1973
~
~
~
Loving Mother

Gates, Arline
Mar 1 1904
Oct 18 196?
~
~
~
~

Gates, Chania
Feb 8 1842
May 29 1914
~
~
~
~

Gates, Herbert Lee
Sep 12 1926
Oct 3 1990
~
~
~
~

Gates, K C
-
-
~
~
~
TX Quarter Masters Corp

Gates, Leonard
Apr 1 1912
Oct 25 1979
~
~
~
~

Gates, Nora
Nov 8 1913
Aug 4 1982
~
~
~
~

Gates, Sammie
1877
1960
~
~
~
~

Hall, James E
1949
1975
~
~
~
At Rest

Harris, Mrs Inez
Apr 23 1943
Sep 29 1990
~
~
~
~

Hill, ??
1916
1988
~
~
~
~

Holt, John
1874
1924
~
~
~
~

Hooper, John
Mar 1 1917
Dec 8 1948
~
~
~
TX PVT 27th Cav WW II

Horton, Dayle
1925
1972
~
~
~
~

Horton, Mary Lanell
Dec 15 1986
Apr 21 1987
~
~
~
~

Jackson, Elizabeth
-
-
~
~
J. McDaniel and C. Collins
"A member of Shedy Grove Longbranch"

Johnson, Jessie H
Aug 7 1902
Apr 27 1982
~
~
~
Mason

Johnson, Paul Bryan
Nov 14 1987
Nov 2 1987
~
~
~
Age 20 days

Laret, Margaret
-
-
~
~
~
Only date Oct 28 1858, possibly her birth date

McDaniels, Evie
1900
1972
~
~
~
~

Osborn, Lucile "Dusty"
Aug 14 1907
Apr 26 1947
~
~
~
~

Osborne, Felix Jr
Aug 6 1923
May 16 1985
~
~
~
~

Owens, Gussie Bee
Feb 1910
Oct 3 1989
~
~
~
Loving Mother

Page, Rev Levi
Nov 5 1928
May 5 1988
~
~
~
~

Pellum, Carl
1902
1920
~
~
~
~

Pellum, Elnora C
Jul 15 1908
Jan 30 1986
~
Obie
~
Wife of Obie

Pellum, Eula B
1903
1977
~
~
~
~

Pellum, Lois
Nov 10 1917
Jan 3 1983
~
~
~
~

Pellum, Obie
1907
1981
~
Elnora
~
Husband of Elnora

Rattler, Julius
Nov 20 1901
Dec 5 1986
~
~
~
"Daddy Jule" "M. Nov 25 1925"

Rattler, Virneater
Mar 20 1907
Jul 22 1985
~
~
~
"Mama Skeet" "M. Nov 25 1925"

Reagan, Banner
-
May 3 1967
~
~
~
Father

Reagins, Cornelius
Aug 30 1900
Feb 14 1993
~
~
~
Father "At peace the world could not give"

Reagins, Johnnie G
Feb 12 1899
Oct 4 1954
~
~
~
TX PVT 55 CMLIMPRG Co WW II

Reagins, Onerine Davis
1928
1971
~
Devola
Charles Eva and Vera
~

Reagins, Willie James
1907
1959
~
~
~
~

Richardson, Virginia Osborne
Dec 17 1917
Nov 24 1985
~
~
~
~

Rudd, Edward
?? 19 1979
?? 19 1979
~
~
~
Age 0 y 0 m 0 d (Southern F.H. marker)

Rudd, Rose Mary
Feb 8 1954
May 4 1985
~
~
~
~

Smith, Anthony
Jul 6 1900
Jun 11 1968
~
~
~
PVT Co D 270 Inf WW II

Smith, Earlie
1903
1983
~
~
~
~

Tatum, Gilbert M
1919
1980
~
~
~
PVT US Army WWII

Tatum, Ola B
Aug 22 1921
May 16 1979
~
~
~
Picture of Ola B. on tombstone

Tatum, Rose Mary Rattler
Feb 25 1928
Sep 18 1991
~
~
~
Dates noted as "Sunrise" and "Sunset"

Thomas, James E
Feb 24 1926
Jun 9 1986
~
~
~
STM 1 US Navy WW II

Thompson, Elmon "Jack-O"
Mar 10 1898
Mar 18 1974
~
~
~
~

Thompson, Mrs K----
-
May 18 ??
~
~
~
Age 36 years (People's Funeral Home marker)

Unknown, Baby
-
-
~
~
~
Unmarked infants grave right beside graves of Julius & Virneater Rattler

Unknown, Adult
-
-
~
~
~
Grave right beside Rev. George Davis marked only with unreadable People's Funeral Home marker

Unknown, Adult
-
-
~
~
~
Recent grave right beside that of Lois Pellum

Walker, Gussie Carl
May 19 1928
Dec 7 1988
~
~
~
PFC US Army Korea

Washington, Elsie
-
-
~
~
~
~

Wesley, Lois
Feb 17 1922
May 2 1990
~
~
~
A devoted Christian

Wils, Jessie
May 12 1877
May 18 1946
~
~
~
~

Wilson, Garrett
1876
1924
~
~
~
~

Wilson, Ozell
-
-
~
~
Dad