HAMMOND-EDWARDS CEMETERY, (100 yards S. of Silver Poplar Pl.), MADISON COUNTY, ALABAMA

Mapping the Location

Photo Overviews of the Hammond-Edwards Cemetery: 0320/0321W/0322/0323/0324

EDWARDS, Josie, Wife of Wiley Edwards, (b. cir 1883) - 17 May 1904 0319C/0319
EDWARDS, Eveline, Wife of Mack Edwards, (b. cir 1850) - 1 Jan 1908 0317C/0317/0318
NANCE, Bessie, Daughter of J.E. & Fannie Nance, 3 Jan 1900 - 3 Jul 1901 0313C/0313/0314/footstone B.N.:0315
NANCE, Oliver, Son of J.E. & Fannie Nance, 19 Nov 1901 - 4 Jun 1902 0312C/0312/0314/footstone O.N.: 0316

Census of 1900 Madison County Alabama
Name:John Nance (household head)
Age:54
Birth Date:Mar 1846
Birthplace:Tennessee
Home in 1900:Madison, Madison, Alabama
Sheet Number:1B
Family Number:21
Race:Black
Gender:Male
Relation to Head of House:Head
Marital Status:Married 31 years, m. 1869
Spouse's Name:Francis Nance
Father's Birthplace:North Carolina/Mother's Birthplace:Tennessee
Occupation:Day Laborer

Household Members:
Name Age
John Nance       54
Francis Nance    49
Emma Nance       22
Columbus Nance   10
John Harris       7
Thomas Jemar      7
Minnie L Jemar 1/12
Susie Collins    34

This small cemetery is found deep into the woods between Orville Smith Road and Wall Triana Highway in a long stretch of Woodland that parallels TVA transmissions lines. It has been abandoned many years and is found only on Google maps, but placed there in the wrong location. It is a small Cemetery whereby no one even knows where it is. Nearby African American neighbors who may descended from these folks lying here did not know of its existence and for that matter seemed not to care to me. I am surprised it has not been bulldozed by unthinking folks. The first step in the destruction of old abandoned cemeteries is losing their location from public knowledge. Then comes the bulldozers, vandals and ugly things of nature that happen to graveyards. Often times these guys and their bulldozers are not even aware of the cemetery presence.
This is known as the Hammond Cemetery on maps so I renamed it the Hammond-Edwards Cemetery to reflect another designation in the naming process. This is to clarify that there are several Hammond Cemeteries already in Madison County. I added it to Findagrave.com and gave it the name there of Hammond Cemetery of Orville Smith and added Eveline Edwards.
There are very old Cedars that are long since dead that sprang up at one time around these stones. These served to beautify this premise at the time for relatives who kept this space as a serene place to visit. A place memorialized by the sadness of their loss. Now they too have joined their kin awaiting the 2nd coming of Christ and more time has posted this place as an abandoned relic of the past. Folks we should respect these places of burial in spite of our inability to connect with them as our ancestors.