Old Macedonia Church Cemetery: The Layout

Old Macedonia Church Cemetery made me wish I had brought bug spray and a friend along. The cemetery is directly off of Tryon Road on Mid Pines (the cemetery is on the right). There is a little gravel driveway in which you can pull up. A forest backs the cemetery and there are trees and tall weeds throughout. This cemetery should not be confused with Macedonia UMC cemetery which is down the road at Tryon Road and Holly Springs Road, although both were started by Macedonia UMC.

The history of Macedonia UMC states that:

The original location was at the corner of Mid Pines and Tryon Roads Raleigh. That church was built on land totaling one acre, acquired from Charles Williams for the sum of $0.50 (50 cents). The formal dedication for that building was held June 6 1886. The paster of that church was J.F. Butts and the presiding Elder was N.M.D. Wilson. (1)

It you visit this cemetery now, however, there is no sign of a church.

The cemetery has various family plots scattered throughout, many graves marked only with stones, and some marked with unreadable funeral home markers. The main plots and their locations are listed below. Some family plots are enclosed, others are not.

A- Holderfield
B- Batts
C- Cates & King
D- Watkins & King
E- West
F- Johnson
G- Johnson
H- Gilchrist
I- Powell






Want more information about the internments at Old Macedonia Church Cemetery:
1.http://www.macedoniaumc.org/about_us/history/
2. http://www.interment.net/data/us/nc/wake/macedonia/mac.htm
3. http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/wake/cem108.htm

Nameless Negative: Post #3 Time for School?

My posts have dropped off in the past few months because I've been busy student teaching which brings me to this question: does this "Nameless Negative" look like a school picture? The young man on the right is Burton Alexander Powell from Halifax County, NC. He only had brothers though, so this probably isn't a family photo.

Allen, Jones, Powell, Sorrell (Ephesus Baptist Church)

I always look for certain surnames, like Powell, Sorrell, Jones, and Allen. Only a few people with these surnames are buried in Ephesus Baptist Church Cemetery:

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Emma B. Powell
Emma B. Powell (b. Sep 1871, d. 3 Aug 1933) was married to Zack Hamilton on 17 Oct 1894 in Swift Creek Township, Wake County, NC.

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Frank Powell

James Frank Powell (b. 6 Jan 1877, d. 29 Jun 1961) was the son of Billy Powell and Lucy Powell. He was buried to Lena Andrews and was a tobacco farmer. James "Frank" Powell was buried 30 Jun 1961 at Ephesus. 

Cora Powell

Cora Cooper Powell (b. 28 Dec 1880, d. 21 Feb 1954) was married to Frank Powell on 8 January 1899 in Cary, Wake, NC. 

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Martha L. Sorrell

Martha L. Sorrell (b. 11 Sept 1868, d. 25 Apr 1872) was the daughter of W.M. & M.M. Sorrell. 

Mr. I. N. Allen & Family
I almost didn't see this stone. It is in the ground and covered by grass (I pulled as much of the grass off as I could to take a picture of the stone. 

Mrs. I. N. Allen

Mrs. I. N. Allen (b. 17 Dec 1855, d. 22 Feb 1936).

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Mary Elvia Jones Smith

Mary Elvia Jones Smith (b. 17 May 1900, d. 10 Feb 2007)... no information about her yet!

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Beulah Harris Jones

Beulah Harris Jones (b. 23 Apr 1895, d. 26 Dec 1980)

Moutell Otis Jones

Moutell Otis Jones (b. 20 Dec 1895, d. 23 Jan 1948) 

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Thelma Lenor Jones
Thelma Lenor Jones (b. 24 Jun 1916, d. 23 Jan 1932)

Family Recipe Friday: Chocolate Chess Pie

This is Uriel Powell's favorite recipe...one for Chocolate chess pie. This recipe was provided by Mary Frances Ellington and if I ever get a chance to make this, I'll add a picture or two.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick Margarine
• 4 tbsp. cocoa
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 small can evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar and cocoa, add to melted margarine. Stir thoroughly and add other ingredients. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Cook at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Enjoy!

Keeper of history: Uriel Orin Powell

One of the best things about someone who keeps everything... you get to understand them just a little after they have died. My great-grand uncle, Uriel Powell, is a perfect example. Even though he died in 1989, my grandmother still has some things that Uriel kept, pictures and news articles, and just a few years ago I got the opportunity to scan these things to have digital copies. 

Several of the pictures in the slideshow below show Uriel with his sister, Mary Lois Powell (my great grandmother), and with Mary F. Ellington (my grandmother). The newspaper articles show Uriel's intense devotion to stamp collecting, participation in the Halifax-North Hampton American Association of Retired Persons, and 50th-year reunion gathering of the 1931 graduating class of Roanoke Rapids High School. The only thing missing is a picture or two of the African Violets Uriel raised. 

Uriel Orin Powell

One of the reasons I started this blog is because I wanted to make all the old photos, documents, and bible records I had available to others who might be interested. This blog wouldn't have been possible without my great grand uncle, Uriel Orin Powell's collection of records, research, and family photographs. Uriel died about 7 months after I was born, but I've enjoyed looking at everything he collected over the years since I was 15. A lot of what I know about Uriel comes from my grandmother. Uriel was my grandmother's uncle, but he raised her and was more like a father.

Uriel was born 4 Oct 1910 in Rosemary, Halifax Co., North Carolina. At the age of 13 (May 1924) he was baptized at Rosemary Baptist Church. He graduated from Roanoke Rapids High School in 1931. After high school Uriel worked in the Cotton Mill until his house was built, and then he worked in the US Post Office (for 32 and 1/2 years) as a clerk and for 5 years as a substitute carrier.

Uriel's parents were Burton Alexander Powell and Mary Ellen Cawthorn; his siblings were Robert Alexander Powell, Rodney Ray Powell, Mary Lois Powell, and Fannie Paige Powell.

Uriel died of a heart attack 2 July 1989, was cremated, and placed in the back wall of Rosemary Baptist Church.