Introduction to Midway Cemetery
Census
Taken by Zilla and
Dewitt Spencer, April 2005
Midway Church
is located approximately six miles south of Vardaman, Ms, off Highway 341; exit
left on county road 454. The cemetery is adjacent to the church, which was organized
in 1848, four years before Calhoun County
was formed, and was originally in Chickasaw
County.
Most members of my family- Inmons
and Morgans and kin- are buried here, and I don’t
think I’ve missed a Memorial Day (always first Sunday in May) my entire life.
A transcription of Hillcrest or Vardaman
Cemetery by former resident James
Morgan (Sonny) Young is our model. Seeing his excellent work on that census
inspired us to undertake the same thing for Midway. We are indebted to Sonny
for his pattern and his help with the tables and other technical aspects of our
transcription. I also want to acknowledge the help of my husband, Dewitt
Spencer, and cousins Norman Griffin and Bobby Inmon.
We tried to put in the notes section just the information
appearing on the tombstone or marker with additional information within
brackets. For easier reading, quotation
marks were placed around quotes although they may not have appeared on the
tombstone.
I know we made many mistakes, and we will appreciate your
letting us know those for correction. Contact Zilla
Spencer, 382 Hwy 341 S, Vardaman, Ms, 38878; phone 662-682-7732 or e-mail at [email protected]. We intend to have hard
copies of this census available in exchange for a donation to the cemetery fund
at the annual memorial or by contacting Bobby Inmon, P.O.
Box 72, Vardaman, Ms 38878,
phone 662-682-7331 or e-mail [email protected]
.
Zilla
Rose Morgan Spencer
April
2005
For
census purposes the cemetery was divided into five sections.
The
Northeast Section is located to the east of
the south access road entering the parking lot and proceeding to the north
gate.
This
area has few graves. It is populated with pine and other trees.
The
Northwest Section is the area to the west of
the north-south access road and to the north of the access road running
east
and west.
The
Central Section is the area south of the
east-west access road and running south to a line ending with
the
Hermit Morgan monument as the southern-most marker.
The
Southeast Section begins on a line made by the
Tabb monument and runs uphill, albeit in a southerly direction, and
each
row begins in a more easterly direction. This section ends where the woods
close in slightly on the west side.
The
Southwest Section begins with the Boyette
markers.
Note:
In the large open area west of the Central and part of the Southeast Sections,
there were many slave markers and
possibly
other graves. At one time, cedar crosses stood above the slave graves but time
has destroyed these. The last monument
currently
in the Southwest Section is that of Billy Thomas (Tommy) Penick, Jr. In making
the census each row was begun
in the northeast corner (as indicated on the map).
Please
use your Search or Find buttons to locate names
and your BACK button
to return to the Cemetery Page.
This
is very important if you go to Midway to actually see a grave!
The
reference cell to the left of each name indicates the section, row, and site
the grave is located.
Thus
CR3S36 indicates the marker is located in the Central Section, Row 3, and Site
36.