Download [Page] [Document]
mcc-ns1-163

---

Farming For A Better Future, page 137

---

(Left) 1972 USGS Topographic Map of Bethel School and Cemetery, Sinking Creek, Alabama Quadrangle (Bottom Left) 1988 USGS Topographic Map of Bethel Church and Cemetery, Sinking Creek, Alabama Quadrangle Interestingly, the 1972 topographic map labels “Bethel School” with no church. By the 1950s, most rural schoolhouses of North Alabama had been consolidated, and by the 1970s, integration had made many of the smaller and poorly-equipped rural African American schools obsolete. With the exception of some of the larger schools in the cities, there were no African American schools used in the early 20th century that survived into the 1970s. The Bethel Lauderdale MB Church Cemetery, also referred to simply as Bethel Lauderdale Cemetery, has at least 348 graves across two sections. One section is to the east of the church and is older, dating to the 1880s through to the 1970s, and has about 150 graves. The earliest burials from the 19th century appear to be of white families, including the earliest known interment of Effie Hendrix (1883-1884). The other section is to the west and dates from the 1970s to the present. Common family names here include Beckwith, Boddie, Brown, Chandler, Cole, Perkins, Rowell, Russell, Scott, Smith, Thompson, Vaughn, and Williams. Several landowning farmers are buried here. Ned Jones (1902-1946) owned a farm in the Woodland district in 1930. Wesley Williams, Jr. (19191986) is most likely the son of the Wesley Williams, who owned a farm in 1930. Thomas H. Perkins, Sr. (1879-1963), who owned a farm in 1920, and his son, (Below) Excerpt of 1930 Census Record Showing Ned Jones Owning a Farm (National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry.com) (Bottom) Excerpt of 1920 Census Record Showing Thomas Perkins, Sr. Owning a Farm (National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry.com) Thomas H. Perkins, Jr. (1907-1970) are both buried here. Fred Rowell (1887-1959) took over his father's farm by 1920 and is also buried here. 61 Buckingham Cemetery The Buckingham Cemetery is a small cemetery located on the north side of Haviland Drive in North Florence on Chisholm Road. The cemetery is situated between two houses and surrounded by a mid-20th-century neighborhood built some 70 years after the cemetery was established. There are only about eight marked and two unmarked graves. The first interment is Candis Euins (died 1881) and the last known burial is Mahala A. Buckingham (1896-1983). One of the other burials here is that of Richard H. Buckingham (1868- 137 - LAUDERDALE - (4665)    

---