Forsythe Cemetery

Submitted by Patricia E. Ezell

 {Published in THE LOUISIANA GENEALOGICAL REGISTER, Vol.XLI, #4, Dec.1994]
*Information below is for personal use, and not commercial distribution)

The Forsythe Cemetery, located in Jena, La Salle Parish, La., reflects
the names of many early families who settled along Hemphill Creek in the
western half of old Catahoula Parish. The families of EZELL, BAKER, SPLAWN,
WALKER, COLEMAN, RHINEHART, YANCEY, PENTECOST, SANDIFERD, HEARD,
KING, YOUNG,
MYERS, BRADFORD, SHAIFER, KEENE and their descendants are known to have put down
roots in the area and played a key role in the early development of Jena and
the surrounding communities.

The cemetery is reported to have originally covered 3 1/2 acres.
Unfortunately, less than 1 acre remains today with many markers having been
lost over the years due to both neglect as well as development in the area by
local property owners. It appears the earliest burials may have been those of
young children, as the earliest identified grave is that of Elias Carter Splawn
(1855-1856), infant son of Eli Splawn and Elizabeth Baker, (daughter of
Benjamin Harvey Baker and Rebecca Baker). This death was soon followed by
another son, Washington Jackson Splawn (1852-1858), who died from drowning. The
next two burials were also children, John Rhinehart and Thomas Rhinehart, both
of whom died in 1861 from smallpox. They were soon joined in 1862 by their
mother,Emily Baker. Emily Baker Rhinehart was the wife of Thomas J. Rhinehart
and a daughter of Benjamin Harvey Baker and Rebecca Lanehart. The cemetery
appears to have been used continously through the years with the most recent
burial having occurred in June 1983 with the death of Gladys Shaifer.

Although no tombstones with the name of FORSYTHE have been located, it
Is likely that the cemetery's location is on or near the original homestead of
James T. Forsythe (b.1836,Ireland). Forsythe was an early postmaster,
merchant, and educator who served on the original Board of Directors of the
Jena Seminary. James Forsythe married Rebecca Adeline Baker in Catahoula Parish,
La. In 1878.Rebecca Adeline Baker (b.1848,LA - ), the daughter of James Monroe
Baker (1822-1899) and Lucinda Cockerham (1827-1851), was the granddaughter of
Benjamin Harvey Baker (1787,NC-1850,LA) and Rebecca Lanehart (1788-1827,LA).
The Bakers arrived in Catahoula Parish prior to 1835. The original Baker
homeplace and property adjoined the land where the cemetery is now found.
There are at least 1574 known descendants of Benjamin Harvey Baker and
Rebecca Lanehart. Many of those buried in this cemetery are descendants of
this family or of families who were associated with the Bakers.

Recent efforts to locate the original cemetery plat through court
Records have been unsuccessful. Up until 1993, most family plots received
sporadic and/or minimal care. When Olney P. Ezell, "Sonny", great grandson of
Jefferson Ezell and Rebecca Ann Baker, returned to Jena, he undertook a major
Restoration project to locate as many markers as possible and to repair some of
the broken markers. A number of community members became involved, including
John Henry Lees. Mr.Lees elicited help from his grandson, Kevin Nealy, who used
a power saw to cut the thicket of pine and oak saplings from the middle of the
cemetery.Snooks Hudspeth, with his crew of J.T.P.A. boys cut the remaining
bushes and briars with brush blades and dragged the brush to an area where they
loaded it into a city truck to be hauled away. Broken fences were removed, and
sand was brought in to restore a few plots to their original condition. What
results is a beautiful cemetery that serves as a memorial to some of the
arliest settlers of Catahoula and La Salle Parishes. It is hoped this
documentation of the cemetery will aid in others becoming interested in its
continued preservation.

Directions to the cemetery: R3E, T8N, Section 13: From the junction
of Hwy 127 (Nebo Road) and Highway 8 in Jena, LA, take Hwy 127 south approx. 1
mile to intersection of Will Baker Road (LaSalle Parish Road #2/State Road
772).There is a sign pointing to the Bellvue Baptist Baptist Church. Turn east
(left) on Will Baker Road. Immediately in the distance off to the right,
the cemetery can be seen on a slight rise above a field. (As of 1997, there
is a large beautiful home in the field below the cemetery which partially
blocks the view of cemetery from this road) Go approximately .3 mile, turn
right. This road is not named but there is a sign on the utility post that
indicate James Joubert lives down this road. The cemetery is located just
behind the Joubert shop and property; the access drive to the cemetery is on
the right side of the shop.

The monuments listed below were photographed and transcribed on Dec 24,
1993 by Patricia E. Ezell, great granddaughter of Jefferson Ezell and Martha
Elizabeth Splawn. Due to the irregular placement of many of the graves, it
was not always possible to clearly determine the extent of each family plot.
Rather than a straight alphabetic listing, an effort has been made to list
markers as nearly as possible to actual placement in the cemetery. The
graves are listed beginning on the north side running south. Notes enclosed
in brackets describe the marker in some manner; information enclosed in
parenthesis was obtained from sources listed at the end of this article;
information shown in italics reflects additional writing on the actual
marker.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
FORSYTHE CEMETERY MARKERS

YOUNG [double marker, tall obelisk]
Young, Absalom Nov 21, 1809 - Mar 30, 1886
"Our father has gone to a mansion of rest,
To the glorious land in the duty blest"
Young, Eliza S. June 30,1813 - July 9, 1884
"She is gone to the land where the weary
Enjoy the sweet rapture of sacred repose"
(Dgt.of Blassingame W.Harvey and Elizabeth Stone)
Young, John S. [unable to read dates]
Co. G 11 LA Inf CSA
(John Stone Young [9 Mar 1837-29 May 1929] married Emeline
Stone, dgt. of Mortimer Stone and Nancy Holley)
Young, A. [unable to read dates]
Co. D 3 LA Cav CSA
(Absalom Young [25 Jun 1843-11 Oct 1930], son of James Young
and Mary Simmons; husband of Sarah E. Williams [1851-1884])
Pentecost, J.G. Feb 24, 1888 - Nov 9, 1893
Pentecost, Caroline Elizabeth, wife of P.F. Dugan
Nov 14, 1831 - Dec 6, 1901
[top of monument is in the shape of a cross]
Pentecost, Mrs. Susie A. 1871 - 1938
(Susie A. Young, dgt.of Absalom Young [1843-1930] and Sarah
E. Williams; wife of Eddie G. Pentecost [1873-1948])
Otwell, John B. Oct 29, 1903 - July 13, 1968
"Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise"
Keen, Espie E. wife of J.B. Otwell Dec 2, 1908 - Apr 1, 1927
"It was hard indeed to part with thee, but Christ's
strong arm supported me. Reunited at last"
Sandiferd, Susan Cassie 9-25-1847 - 11-13-1931
(Susan Casandra Fortner, dgt. of Martin Fortner & Lucy Tune)
Sandiferd, John Hardy 2-17-1849 - 2-4-1937
(son of John Hardy Sandiferd & Elizabeth Pentecost of
St.Helena Parish, La.; husband to Susan Casandra Fortner)
Sandiferd, Mary Ellen 6-13-1863 - 11.13-1936
(dgt. of John Sandiferd & Susan Casandra Fortner)
Roberts, Mildred Keene July 21, 1915 - April 2, 1932
"Our love goes with you and our souls wait to join you"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

EZELL PLOT
(See more detailed information about this family at the end of article)

Ezell, Jefferson Oct 2,1831 - Jan 16,1891 [monument approx.8'tall}
(son of Benjamin Ezell and Rebecca Morris of Pike
Co., Mississippi; early physician in Catahoula
Parish; husband to [1}Rebecca Ann Baker & [2]Martha
Elizabeth Splawn; died from pneumonia.

Ezell,Bettie 1866-1926
(dgt.of Jefferson Ezell, M.D. & Martha Elizabeth Splawn;
died from cancer; granddgt.of Benjamin H.Baker & Rebecca
Lanehart)
Ezell,Amanda A. Apr 6, 1831 - 50 yrs 9 ms.20 ds
(dgt.of Benjamin Ezell and Rebecca Morris; sister
to Jefferson Ezell, M.D.; Amanda did not marry)

EZELL (double marker)
Ezell,Bertha J. 1869-1958
(dgt.of Preston W. Hair & Elvira McCree; wife of
Isaac Benjamin Ezell; niece of Isabella A. Hair
Heard)
Ezell,Isaac B. 1861-1947
(Isaac Benjamin Ezell; only child of Jefferson
Ezell & Rebecca Baker; grandson of Benjamin H.
Baker & Rebecca Lanehart; husband of Bertha J. Hair)

Ezell,Jefferson E. 1893-1925
(son of Isaac Benjamin Ezell & Bertha Jane Hair;
grandson of Jefferson Ezell & Rebecca Baker;
husband to Pearl White)
Ezell,Olney P.,Sr. March 31,1898 - July 1,1973
"He was a good father and friend to all"
(son of Isaac Benjamin Ezell & Bertha Jane Hair;
husband of Lucy La Croix)
Ezell,Dick W. 1903 - 1939
(son of Isaac Benjamin Ezell & Bertha Jane Hair;
husband of Pearl Tedley)
Ezell,Isaac Dewitt Sept. 21,1895 - Oct 15,1970
"Louisiana Pvt. Btry E, 126 Fld Arty BN, World War 1"
(son of Isaac B. Ezell & Bertha J.Hair)
Ezell,James Buchanan 1905-1947
(son of Isaac B. Ezell & Bertha Jane Hair; husband of
Jimmie Lee Edwards and Lillie Lou Durham)

Ringgold,Frank Routh Feb 19, 1891, Age 11 yrs 1 mon,25 d's
"Gone too soon. How many hopes he buried here"
(Thought to be a member of the Ringgold family who owned
a saw mill. Although grave is in the Ezell plot, no blood
relationship has been identified between this child and
any member of the BAKER, EZELL, HAMILTON, WARD, WALKER
or BROWNING families)

HAMILTON [double marker]
Hamilton,Roy D. Jan 8,1884 - Sept 15,1976
Hamilton,Lily Ezell May 25,1888 - Jan 5,1961
(wife of Roy D. Hamilton; dgt.of Isaac Benjamin Ezell & Bertha J.Hair;
granddgt of Jefferson Ezell,M.D. & Rebecca Baker; granddgt. of
Preston W. Hair & Elvira McCree)
Ward, Maude Ezell Feb.19,1891 - July 21,1980
(dgt.of Isaac Benjamin Ezell & Bertha Jane Hair; granddgt.of
Jefferson Ezell,M.D. & Rebecca A. Baker; wife of Talton C. Ward)
Ward, Talton C. Sept 9,1887 - March 31,1960
(husband of Nellie Maude Ezell)
Ward, Curtis C. April 9,1914 - May 31,1917
"What hopes have perished here with you, my son"
(son of Nellie Maude Ezell & Talton C.Ward)

Walker,Moses Turnley Oct.26,1878 - Mar 20,1961
(son of John Green Walker & Ellen Turnley;
husband to _____Cooper & Mattie Breithaupt; grandson of William
Turnley & Martha A. McCoy;grandson of Moses Walker & Charity Baker;
great grandson of Benjamin H. Baker & Rebecca Lanehart)
Walker,G.E. (unable to read dates on marker)
Browning,Margaret Nov 30,1856 - June 15,1940
"Let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a
friend to man"
(dgt. of Isaac Lanehart Baker & Elizabeth Carter; granddgt.
Benjamin Baker & Rebecca Lanehart; granddgt. of Elias Carter
and Lucy Duke Stone; wife of Harmon Browning)

YANCEY [double marker]
Yancey, J.H. Langston Oct 30, 1860 - Apr 5, 1910
Yancey, Alice Rhinehart Oct 22, 1856 - Jul 1, 1941
"Those whom we never cease to love we never lose"
(Alice Rhinehart, dgt. of Thomas J. Rhinehart & Emily Baker;
granddgt. of Benjamin H. Baker & Rebecca Lanehart and of Adam
Lainhart & Elizabeth King; wife of J.H. Langston Rhinehart)

Rhinehart, Emily died 1862 "Mother"
(Emily Baker, dgt.of Benjamin Harvey Baker & Rebecca Lanehart;
m1: Hansford W.Hair, abt. 1842; m2: Thomas J.Rhinehart- 1852;
died of smallpox)
Rhinehart, Thomas 1831 - 1907 "Father"
(Son of Jacob Rhinehart; grandson of Mathias Rhinehart and Mary
Price; brother to Sarah Rhinehart;husband to Emily Baker)
Rhinehart, Thomas Jr. 1858 - 1861
(son of Emily Baker & Thomas Rhinehart; died of smallpox)
Rhinehart, John 1860 - 1861
(son of Emily Baker & Thomas Rhinehart; died of smallpox)


SPLAWN - EZELL PLOT:

[SPLAWN - EZELL marker includes 6 names; monument erected in 1992
by Elizabeth Ezell Kemp of Pineville, LA;dgt.of Willie Splawn Ezell and
Martha
Elizabeth Boddie Ezell]
"What we keep in the memory is ours unchanged forever"

Splawn,Eli June 22,1818 - Jan 29, 1884
(husband of Elizabeth Baker)
Splawn,Elizabeth Baker (Walker)(Jones) 1812 - 1862
(dgt.of Benjamin Harvey Baker & Rebecca Lanehart;
wife of Eli Splawn)
Splawn,Elias Carter 11 Jun 1855 - 6 Dec 1856
(son of Eli Splawn & Elizabeth Baker)
Splawn,Washington Jackson 7 Nov 1852 - 1 Sept 1858
(son of Eli Splawn & Elizabeth Baker)
Ezell,Martha Elizabeth Splawn 21 Jul 1845 - 21 Apr 1935
"Wife of Dr. Jefferson Ezell"
(dgt.of Eli Splawn & Elizabeth Baker; granddgt.of Benjamin H.
Baker & Rebecca Lanehart; 2nd wife of Dr. Jefferson Ezell)
Ezell,Dewitt Melvin 3 Jun 1873 - 27 Nov 1955
"Son of Jefferson & Martha Ezell"
(grandson of Eli Splawn & Elizabeth Baker; grandson of Benjamin H.
Baker & Rebecca Lanehart and of Benjamin Ezell & Rebecca Morris)

Heard,John B. 14 Nov 1805 - 17 Mar 1873 [tall marker,
"Sacred to the memory of John B. Heard" broken off base.
"Aged 67 yrs 1 month 5 days" laying on ground]
"Gone but not forgotten"
(son of Ephriam Heard & _____Bailey; husband of Elizabeth Woody
Andrews)

Heard,Sarah A, wife of O.Kirby Mar 10, 1847 - Aug 14, 1878
"Erected to the memory of mother" [hand holding an open Bible]
(dgt. of John Bailey Heard & Elizabeth Woody Andrews &
wife of Oliver Kirby)

Hair,Isabella A., wife of J.E. Heard [clasped hands]
June 25, 1847 - July 16, 1931
"She's passed beyond all earthly woes, She smiles in a sunnier
Sphere" (dgt. of Henry Hair & Eliza Hawthorne;
aunt to Bertha J.Hair Ezell)

Heard, J.E. Apr 18, 1837 - Apr 23, 1899 [clasped hands]
(James Ephrium Heard, son of John Bailey Heard & Elizabeth Woody
Andrews; husband of Isabella A. Heard)

Heard,Sophronia Caroline, wife of H.W. Hair [clasped hands]
July 23, 1840 - Aug 16, 1887
(dgt. of John Bailey Heard & Elizabeth Woody Andrews; wife of
Hansford Walton Hair, who was son of Emily Baker [Hair]
Rhinehart)

King, Margaret Corine, dgt. of G.F. & E.E. King
b. Jan 21, 1877 [remainder of marker is broken;unable to read]

King,Lillie Rebecca, dau.of G.F. & E.E. King
May 30, 1879 - July 11, 1889
"How soon fades the tender flower"
(dgt. of G.F. King & Elizabeth Coleman)

King, James Claud, son of G.F. & E.E. King
Sept 1, 1893 - Oct 8, 1894

King, Minnie E. Feb 3, 1883 - Sep 26, 1887 [heart shaped marker]

King, Melissa M., wife of Robert L. Dawson
Oct 23, 1872 - Nov 22, 1957
(Melissa Margaret King, dgt. of B.F. King & Nancy Casandra Coleman)

Dawson, Robert Lee Dec 13, 1868 - Apr 30, 1914
"In my Father's house are many mansions"

Dawson, Robert E. 1906 - 1951


KING [double marker]
Coleman,N.C., wife of B.F. King Oct 13, 1850 - Dec 14, 1921
(Nancy Casandra Coleman, dgt.of Urban Coleman
& Sarah Strahan of Copiah Co. MS)
King, B.F. Aug 24, 1843 - Mar 1909

King, B.F. Aug 24, 1843 - Mar 3 1909 [single marker, heart shaped]
"Gone but not forgotten"
(son of John King & Rebecca Sorrels of NC)

Coleman, Benjamin Franklin Aug 24, 1843 - Mar 3, 1909

Coleman, Johanna Maud Mar 11, 1866 - Mar 31, 1892
"The lovely flower has faded"

Coleman, Urbin Hardy May 2, 1883 - Sep 9, 1904
"Weep not father and mother for me,
For I am waiting in glory for thee"

Richardson, Myrtle, wife of Wm. M. Coleman, Jr.
Oct 3, 1899 - June 27, 1921

Pyle, Alma, wife of E.C. Pyle Feb 29, 1892 - Mar 31, 1927
(dgt. of Mary Elvira Davis & James N.Coleman)

COLEMAN [double marker with urn in center]
Coleman, Mary Elvira Nov 9, 1859 - Apr 4, 1950 "Mother"
Coleman, James N. Jul 12, 1855 - Nov 15, 1939 "Father"
(Mary Elvira Coleman was the dgt. of Martha Ann Morris & Allen
John Davis & granddaughter of Moses Davis & Sarah Cockerham annd
of Levi Morris & Frances d. Maupin)

Coleman, Mellissia, wife of I.L. Parker
Nov 15, 1886 - Apr 30, 1916
(dgt of William Moses Coleman & Mary Ella Myers; wife of Ira Lee Parker)

Parker, Mary Louise Oct 9, 1913 - Oct 27, 1913
(dgt. of Ira Lee Parker & Melissia Coleman Parker)
Parker, Troy L. Nov 24, 1906 - Dec 8, 19067F
"Too good for earth, God called him home"
(son of Ira Lee Parker & Melissia Coleman Parker)

Coleman, W.M. Jr. Oct 22, 1889 - Sep 28, 1909
(son of William Moses Coleman & Mary Ella Myers)

COLEMAN [double marker]
Coleman, William Moses January 1,1858 - February 23, 1935
Coleman, Mary Ella February 3, 1866 - July 13, 1905
"The last tribute of your loving children"
(Wm. Moses Coleman, son of William N. & Sarah Coleman;
Mary Ella Myers, dgt.of W.P.Myers & M.A. Myers)

MYERS [double marker; has broken off base;
laying flat on ground]
Myers, W.P. July 22, 1835 - Dec 15, 1915 "Father"
(William Presley Myers)
Myers, M.A. June 20, 1843 - Jan 4, 1916 "Mother"
(Melissa Arromanta Myers)

Adams, Chas. A. June 15, 1885 - Aug 11, 1919 "Our loved one"
[Masonic emblem] (Charles Alonzo Adams, captain of
U.S.S. Ransdell; died from burns suffered from boat
boiler fire; son of Tolbert Adams & Emma Myers; grandson of Tolbert
Adams & Emma J. Myers; husband of Elizabeth Ann Marie Kirby)

Adams, Mrs. Emma J. 1864 - 1936
(Emma J. Myers, dgt. of William Presley Myers & Melissa
Arromanta Myers; mother of Charles Alonzo Adams)

(Tolbert Adams is reported to be buried next to his wife,
Emma, but a marker was not found; sons, John William and
James may also be buried here)

Wagner, Cecil H. Jan 6, 1904 - Feb 14, 1924
"We shall meet again"

Waggoner, William Wesley 1865-1945
"In memory of our dear father"
(Son of Wm.W. Waggoner & Mary Dean; grandson of John Waggoner &
Phoebe Cockerham; brother to Sarah Florence Waggoner who married
Thomas W. Shaifer; husband of Sarah Andrews)

Taylor, Lela Sarah Apr 18, 1885 - Mar 12, 1976
"In memory of our loving mother"

Fuller, Archie H. Feb 22, 1876 - Sep 22, 1914
[Woodmen of the World, log shaped]

Fuller, Bammer Apr 6, 1909 - April 29, 1909

Shaifer, James M. Apr 8, 1872 - Nov 15, 1912
[Woodmen of the World, log shaped;
marker is laying on its side]

Shaifer, Thomas Oct 20, 1858 - Jul 13, 1909 "Father"
[clasped hands]
(Thomas W. Shaifer, son of George W. Shaifer & Sarah Rhinehart;
grandson of Jacob Rhinehart; great grandson of Mathias Rhinehart
& Mary Price)

Shaifer, Nannie Apr 9, 1868 - May 17, 1947 "Mother"

Shaifer, Nannie 4.9.1868 - 5.17.1949
"Faithful to her trust, Even unto Death"
(Sarah Florence Waggoner, dgt.of William W. Waggoner and Mary Dean;
descendant of John Cockerham & Nancy Tarver, her 3rd great
grandparents)

Shaifer, Walter G. Oct 29, 1887 - June 5, 1912
"How many hopes are buried here" [Woodmen of the World; obelisk
marker enclosed in iron fence; gate marked -The Stewart Iron
Works. Cincinatti, Ohio]
(son of Nannie & Thomas Shaifer; died from complications of
injuries suffer in train accident at Sulphur saw mill]

Shaifer, Guy June 23, 1902 - May 23, 1953

Shaifer, Gladys Sept 23, 1905 - June 7, 1983
"Her life was beauty, goodness and love"

Johnson, Ellen F., dgt. of Mr. & Mrs. T.W. Shaifer;
wife of D.J. Johnson
Feb 14, 1890 - Dec 1, 1918 Married: Nov 11, 1908
"Rest Mother, rest in quiet sleep, While friends in sorrow thee
weep"
[Woodmen Circle memorial, log shaped]

BRADFORD [plot is fenced]
Bradford, Myrtle E, wife of Walter Stone
June 23, 1901- Dec 28, 1922
"Resting till the resurrection morn"

[double marker]
Bradford, Mary E. Smith 23 Dec 1867 - Mar 18, 1928
Bradford, Truman B. 24 Sep 1860 - Jan 8, 1944
"How many hopes lie buried here"

Bradford, Eva Ann, dgt. of Rube & Becky Bradford
Dec 5, 1933 - Oct 3, 1936
"Our precious darling"

Bradford, Rufus Monroe, son of J.H. & L.E. Bradford
Dec 10, 1892 - Aug 12, 1896
[resting lamb on marker; marker & grave outside fenced plot]

Chevallier, Fronie B. Love Sep 9, 1893 - Jul 12, 1976

Love, Allen Thomas Apr 27, 1875 - Mar 23, 1936

Harper, Bill 1900 - 1939

Ryder, Annette, dgt. of Thos & L.M. Ryder
Jan 4, 1900 - Jul 15, 1904

Strickland, Luciel Apr 16, 1925 - Apr 18, 1928 "Only sleeping"
[plot is outlined with bricks]

Humble, Elizabeth Jan 26, 1874 - Apr 24, 1928
"She believes & sleeps in Jesus"
[plot is outlined with bricks; footstone: Wife]
Humble, Hugh O. Feb 4, 1875 - Apr 21, 1966
"He believes & sleeps in Jesus"
[plot is outlined with bricks; footstone: Papa]


KEENE PLOT [plot is surrounded by fence w/locked gate; unable to
get close enough to see markers clearly]
[double marker]
Keene, Ila Crane Oct 12, 1898 - Sep 28, 1981
Keene, Jim Bishop May 3, 1898 - Nov 14, 1967

Keene, Daisy Forman 1882 - 1950
Keene, C.B. 1872 - 1944
Keene, Thomas J. "Pete" 1876 - 1941
Keene, Henry Gove May 27, 1916 (1918?) - Dec 9, 1940
[photo on marker]
Rojas, Maud Keene Oct 1898 - ? [unable to view]
Keene, Hattie June 6, 1866 - 1910 "Mother"
(may be dgt of Major Alexander Eubanks & Laura Virginia Moses)
Keene, Carl Thomas Jan 5, 1885 - Mar 5, 1967
"He died as he lived - A Christian"

Walker, B.L. Dec 23, 1883 - Mar 25, 1925
"God gave - He took, He will restore
He doeth all things well"
(flat marker located northeast of Keene plot, further down in
woods amidst a grove of trees)

EZELL Plot: Located approximately in the center of the Ezell plot is an 8
ft.
monument erected in the memory of Jefferson Ezell, M.D. one of the early
physicians in Catahoula Parish, La. The monument was manufactured by and
purchased from R.L. Rosebrough Sons, Marble and Granite Works of St. Louis,
Missouri. The cost of the monument in 1891, including shipping to M.M.
Marcus in Monroe, La., was $32.00. The original sale information and
postcard from the
monument works was found in the Family Bible of Martha Elizabeth Splawn and
is
currently in the possession of Patricia E. Ezell.

Jefferson Ezell, (b.1831, Pike Co.,Ms.) son of Benjamin Ezell
(1793-1835) and Rebecca Morris (1798-1891) arrived in Catahoula Parish in
July 1856 after having studied medicine at the Medical School of New Orleans
(now Tulane Univ.) in the winter of 1855. These medical studies were
continued in the winters of 1856 and 1857. With the start of the Civil War,
Jefferson enlisted on 19 August 1862 and served in Company D of the 3rd La.
Cavalry until May 1865 at which time he was paroled at Alexandria.
However, during a portion of the war, Jefferson paid Isaac Lanehart Kees to
take his place so that he could return to Catahoula Parish to attend to the
medical needs of the families in the community. Mr. Kees was said to have
been paid $50.00 in silver, and to have been given a horse, a
musket, a cutlass and a uniform. In 1871, Jefferson Ezell travelled to
Louisville, Kentucky where he continued his medical studies and received his
Medical Degree from the Univ. of Louisville on 3 March 1873.

To supplement his income as a country doctor, Dr. Ezell raised cotton
and corn and was a co-partner with James Forsythe in a mercantile business in
Jena. He also co-owned a liquor store or saloon with Eli Splawn. Dr. Ezell
married twice: first in 1861 to Rebecca Ann Baker ( -1862), daughter of
Isaac Lanehart Baker (1820-1920) and Elizabeth Carter (1823-1871) and second in
1866 to Rebecca's first cousin, Martha Elizabeth Splawn, daughter of Eli
Splawn and Elizabeth Baker. Dr. Ezell was instrumental in the founding of the
Jena Seminary in 1890, which was later to became Jena High School. He served on
the Board of Directors until his death from acute pneumonia in January of
1891. He fathered 8 children, 7 of whom were left to be raised by his
widow, Martha, and, one, Isaac Benjamin Ezell who alternated between the
Ezell home and that of his maternal grandparents, Isaac Lanehart Baker and
Elizabeth Carter. Today, there are 291 known descendants of Dr. Jefferson
Ezell.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

Catahoula Parish, La. Conveyance Book C
Hair, Edwina Baker. THE LOUISIANA BAKER FAMILIES AND THEIR
DESCENDANTS, Gueydan, La.,April 1972.
Haley, Sophia Crawford. CATAHOULA PARISH MARRIAGES
Kauffmann, Nell Shepperd, compiler & editor. JOHN COCKERHAM,
BARNWELL DISTRICT, SC & AMITE COUNTY, MS AND HIS DESCENDANTS
(A PROGRESS REPORT). Georgetown, Tx., Copy-Right, Inc,
c1987.
Knight, Carol. 1850 CENSUS OF CATAHOULA PARISH, LOUISIANA
Knight, Carol Young. MY YOUNG FAMILY OF CATAHOULA PARISH LOUISIANA.
Aledo, Tx., 1994.
LaSalle Parish Genealogical Association. HISTORY OF LA SALLE
PARISH, LOUISIANA. Dallas, Curtis Media Corp, c1989.