altare m.b. church graveyard
The Altare Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard sits quietly behind the historic Altare church along Newton–Calhoun Road, a sacred space that has served the congregation and surrounding community for well over a century. Although the original church is now known as Cornerstone, and a newer Altare M.B. Church stands further down the road, the graveyard remains the enduring heart of the Altare community.
The oldest known burial dates to 1895, marked by the headstone of Lucy Currie. Many earlier graves have no surviving markers, a reflection of the limited resources available to Black families in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In such cases, the identities of those buried here are preserved through death certificates, family memories, church records, and local newspaper notices. Mississippi did not begin maintaining statewide death registration until 1912, and the early years of that system were incomplete, making the church graveyard an essential historical source in its own right.
Altare Cemetery reflects the story of a church-centered African American community. Many buried here were founders, deacons, choir leaders, ushers, mothers of the church, veterans, school supporters, and long-serving members of Altare Missionary Baptist Church. Their lives tell the story of a congregation shaped by faith, education, civic participation, and mutual support.
While several individuals interred here were born enslaved or were direct descendants of enslaved families from plantations south of Newton, the cemetery’s defining identity is rooted not in kinship but in spiritual fellowship. It stands today as a testament to the enduring strength of a rural Black church—its worship, its leadership, its families, and its unwavering resilience across generations.
More than a burial ground, the Altare M.B. Church Graveyard is a living memorial to a community whose faith sustained them through hardship and whose unity continues to guide their descendants.
List of individuals laid to rest at this gravesite
| In Memory of | Birth/Death | Aged | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldridge, Martha Steele | 1852-1917 | 65 | Rheumatism |
| Anderson, Rosella Walker | 1902-1923 | 21 | Unclear |
| Arrington, Ambus | 1916-1971 | 55 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Annie Evans | 1892-1914 | 22 | Septic Fever Pregnancy |
| Arrington, Bairl, Jr. | 1912-1946 | 34 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Charles Edward | 1937-1996 | 59 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Christy Lynn | 1959-2002 | 42 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Curtis | 1924-1999 | 75 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Earnest | 1942-2000 | 58 | Natural Causes |
| Arrington, Elsie Lee McKee | 1938-2023 | 85 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Emma Walker | 1882-1923 | 41 | carcinoma of uterus |
| Arrington, Erik | 1983-2005 | 21 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Essie Mae Coleman | 1931-2006 | 75 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Geneva Belt | 1908-1971 | 63 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Henry H. | 1891-1988 | 97 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Herbert | 1914-1982 | 68 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Hubert Mark | 1959-2024 | 64 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Isabella Walker | 1895-1961 | 66 | Unknown |
| Arrington, James Edward | 1934-1987 | 53 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Lou | 1839-1914 | 75 | Breast Cancer |
| Arrington, Louise Evans | 1898-1983 | 85 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Lucindy | 1906-1920 | 14 | Typhoid Fever |
| Arrington, Margie Mae Jordan | 1918-1991 | 73 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Meldora Jackson | 1921-1966 | 45 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Minnie Lee Coleman | 1920-1984 | 64 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Rebecca | 1887-1913 | 26 | Unclear |
| Arrington, Robert Lee | 1938-1995 | 56 | Unknown |
| Arrington, Sarah Ann Foster | 1877-1930 | 52 | Paralysis |
| Arrington, Therman | 1943-1964 | 21 | Train Hits Car |
| Arrington, Therman Bernard | 1965-1979 | 14 | Accidental Drowning |
| Arrington, Wardell | 1929-2000 | 71 | Unknown |
| Arrington, William | 1949-2021 | 71 | Unknown |
| Bailey, Angie Lee Coleman | 1937-2014 | 77 | Unknown |
| Beal, Fannie | 1884-1914 | 29 | Unclear – No Doctor |
| Brown, Lillie | 1916-1916 | 5 days | Unknown – No Doctor |
| Chapman, Alberta | 1908-1981 | 73 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Arena Hoye | 1889-1913 | 24 | fibroid uterus, pregnancy |
| Chapman, Benjamin Frank | 1866-1941 | 74 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Calvin | 1933-1969 | 35 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Colbert | 1932-1969 | 36 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Cora Lee Arrington | 1917-1992 | 74 | Auto Accident |
| Chapman, Cromwell | 1914-1997 | 83 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Daniel | 1858-1931 | 73 | Enlarged Prostate |
| Chapman, Denson | 1886-1956 | 70 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Denson, Infant Son | 1923-1923 | 0 | Stillborn – Malinda Watson Midwife |
| Chapman, Dilcy Evans | 1848-1927 | 79 | Unknown – No Doctor |
| Chapman, Eliza Watson | 1867-1907 | 40 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Emma Pruitt | 1887-1917 | 30 | Tuberculosis |
| Chapman, Ezekial | 1907-1921 | 14 | Tuberculosis |
| Chapman, Feazell | 1901-1915 | 14 | Typhoid Fever |
| Chapman, Genie | 1887-1925 | 38 | Tuberculosis |
| Chapman, Hannah Coleman | 1885-1962 | 77 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Henry | 1851-1921 | 69 | Dysentery |
| Chapman, Lemon, Infant Daughter | 1928-1928 | 1 day | Infant bled to death from umbilical cord |
| Chapman, John | 1875-1953 | 77 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Johnny L. | 1934-1968 | 33 | Complication from surgical procedure |
| Chapman, Joseph Ray | 1926-1927 | 18 days | Unknown – No Doctor |
| Chapman, Larkin | 1934-1975 | 40 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Louiser Evans | 1884-1944 | 59 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Lucindy Walker | 1879-1958 | 79 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Mandy | 1860-1913 | 52 | Pneumonia |
| Chapman, Mary | 1830-1916 | 86 | Old Age |
| Chapman, Mary Lee | 1918-1919 | one month | Child ill – No Doctor in attendance |
| Chapman, Moses Monroe | 1881-1913 | 31 | Run down by log car |
| Chapman, Orithis | 1979-2020 | 40 | Unknown |
| Chapman, Reveresdell | 1924-1925 | 1 | Unknown – No Doctor |
| Chapman, Robert H. | 1916-1986 | 70 | Unknown |
| Chapman, W.D. | 1927-1927 | 15 days | hemorrhaging from the nose – no doctor |
| Coleman, Ardell Evans | 1897-1969 | 71 | Unknown |
| Coleman, Dorothy Jean | 1962-1963 | 9 months | Unknown |
| Coleman, Eliza Jane | 1929-1994 | 65 | Unknown |
| Coleman, Joe | 1895-1965 | 69 | Unknown |
| Coleman, Leroy, Sr. | 1935-2009 | 73 | Unknown |
| Coleman, Ruby Jean Williams | 1937-2015 | 78 | Unknown |
| Coleman, Will, Infant Daughter | 1928-1928 | 0 | Stillborn – Mary Ratcliff Midwife |
| Croff, Sudie Mae Coleman | 1942-2005 | 63 | Unknown |
| Currie, Lucy | 1881-1895 | 14 | Unknown |
| Davis, Mary Dean Arrington | 1950-1997 | 46 | Unknown |
| Douglas, Phraser | 1866-1916 | 50 | heart failure caused by syphilis |
| Eatman, Kizziah Ann Walker | 1874-1929 | 51 | Heart disease |
| Ellis, Clyde | 1948-2002 | 54 | Unknown |
| Ellis, Isabella Evans | 1899-1965 | 66 | Unknown |
| Evans, Abraham | 1926-1928 | 1 | Colitis- Green Fruit |
| Evans, Albert Lee | 1926-1927 | 1 | pneumonia and influenza |
| Evans, Ann Nichols | 1850-1926 | 75 | Unclear |
| Evans, Armilla Flowers | 1904-1924 | 19 | Murdered by Husband |
| Evans, Charlie | 1896-1973 | 76 | Unknown |
| Evans, Claudie | 1926-1928 | 2 | Bowel trouble |
| Evans, Clifton | 1902-1915 | 13 | Unknown |
| Evans, Dora Lee | 1919-1923 | 4 | Whooping cough |
| Evans, Drusilla Infant Daughter | 1927-1927 | 0 | Stillborn |
| Evans, Elias | 1872-1951 | 75 | Unclear |
| Evans, Eligah | 1893-1972 | 79 | Unknown |
| Evans, Fannie Chapman | 1892-1965 | 73 | Unknown |
| Evans, Jeff Infant Son | 1925-1925 | 0 | Stillborn |
| Evans, Joanna | 1901-1923 | 21 | Tuberculosis |
| Evans, Johnie | 1922-1923 | 6 month | Unclear |
| Evans, Laney | 1885-1913 | 27 | Tuberculosis |
| Evans, Lela | ?-1955 | ? | Unknown |
| Evans, Lemon | 1902-1957 | 55 | Unknown |
| Evans, Lillie Mae | 1901-1956 | 55 | Unknown |
| Evans, Marvin | 1910-1962 | 52 | Unknown |
| Evans, Mattie Mae | 1908-1968 | 59 | Heart Attack |
| Evans, Maud | 1907-1927 | 20 | Tuberculosis |
| Evans, Minnie | 1906-1915 | 9 | Typhoid fever |
| Evans, Nora Hughes | 1878-1919 | 40 | Renal dropsy and tuberculosis |
| Evans, Oliver | 1876-1916 | 40 | Apoplexy |
| Evans, Olivia | 1884-1922 | 38 | Acute nephritis |
| Evans, Pleas | 1876-1927 | 51 | Myocarditis |
| Evans, Polly Walker | 1893-1918 | 25 | Influenza |
| Evans, Quella | 1891-1916 | 25 | Pneumonia |
| Evans, Rachael Jane Cotton | 1879-1971 | 97 | Natural Causes |
| Evans, Rebecca Walker | 1898-1943 | 45 | Apoplexy |
| Evans, Simon | 1924-1924 | 6 days | Unknown – No attendant |
| Evans, Steve | 1867-1913 | 46 | Pneumonia |
| Evans, Warren | 1879-1955 | 72 | Myocardial infarction |
| Evans, Willie Eugene Infant Daughter | 1929-1929 | 0 | Stillborn |
| Flowers, Freddie | 1914-1922 | 8 | Flu that his mother had |
| Flowers, Lula Mae Beason | 1922-1986 | 63 | Unknown |
| Flowers, Mary | 1901-1923 | 21 | Tuberculosis |
| Flowers, Sam | 1850-1913 | 62 | Apoplexy |
| Flowers, Sammy Lee | 1942-1971 | 29 | Unknown |
| Gaines, Willie Lee Arrington | 1928-1966 | 38 | Uremia |
| Garner, Mary Eliza | 1891-1974 | 82 | Unknown |
| Gibson, Francis Chapman | 1851-1927 | 76 | Nephritis |
| Giles, Lula Mae Evans | 1916-1983 | 67 | Unknown |
| Gordon, Helen Jean | 1959-2023 | 64 | Unknown |
| Grass, Lakeesha Lashona | 1977-2024 | 47 | Unknown |
| Grass, Robert, Jr. | 1961-2015 | 53 | Unknown |
| Grass, Robert, Sr. | 1940-2004 | 64 | Unknown |
| Grass, Sallie Mae Thames | 1944-2008 | 63 | Unknown |
| Grass, Willie Marshal | 1922-1922 | 1 month | Food Poisoning |
| Green, Gus | 1914-1914 | 18 days | Unknown – No Doctor |
| Griffin, Alleen Ware | 1942-2004 | 62 | Unknown |
| Harper, Wanda Louise | 1960-1980 | 20 | Unknown |
| Heard, Annie Bell | 1898-? | ? | Unknown |
| Hughes, Adeline | 1900-1919 | 19 | Typhoid Fever |
| Hughes, Arbella Arrington | 1880-1959 | 79 | Unknown |
| Hughes, John | 1881-1966 | 84 | Unknown |
| Hunter, Will Julius | 1929-1930 | 6 months | Whooping Cough |
| Jackson, Vaulght | 1940-2004 | 64 | Unknown |
| Jefferson, Roberta Chapman | 1872-1967 | 95 | Unknown |
| Johnson, Amanda Infant Daughter | 1924-1924 | 0 | Stillborn – Malinda Watson Midwife |
| Johnson, Annette | 1957-2017 | 59 | Unknown |
| Johnson, Charles Williams | 1948-2016 | 67 | Unknown |
| Johnson, Floyd | 1897-1968 | 70 | Unknown |
| Johnson, Lucy | 1856-1912 | 57 | Unknown |
| Johnson, Rose Evans | 1903-1925 | 23 | Influenza/Unclear |
| Johnson, Ruthie Mae Coleman | 1927-1979 | 52 | Unknown |
| Johnson, Sarah Jane Chapman | 1908-1980 | 70 | Unknown |
| Johnson, Tom | 1927-2004 | 76 | Unknown |
| Jones, Annie Mae Johnson | 1938-2001 | 63 | Unknown |
| Jordan, Dell L. Walker | 1896-1970 | 74 | Unknown |
| Jordan, Howard | 1930-2000 | 71 | Unknown |
| Jordan, Lela Mae Coleman | 1925-2009 | 83 | Unknown |
| Kain, Clinton | 1911-1926 | 15 | Typhoid Fever |
| Knight, Lula Mae Evans | 1916-1976 | 59 | Unknown |
| Lassiter, Rose | 1858-1918 | 59 | Tuberculosis |
| Lewis, Charlie | 1896-1929 | 33 | Accidently crushed |
| Lewis, Clozel | 1952-1961 | 9 | Hit by automobile |
| Lewis, James, Jr. | 1906-1978 | 72 | Unknown |
| Lewis, Lucy | 1912-1926 | 14 | Typhoid Fever |
| Lewis, Robert Charles (R.C.) | 1908-1964 | 55 | Unknown |
| Lewis, Tommie | 1892-1974 | 81 | Unknown |
| Lindsey, Andy | 1889-1966 | 77 | Unknown |
| Lindsey, Frank | 1893-1937 | 44 | Pneumonia |
| Lindsey, Ruby | 1933-2008 | 75 | Unknown |
| Lindsey, Willie Colbert | 1936-2013 | 77 | Unknown |
| Love, Thomas Anthony | 1931-1984 | 53 | Unknown |
| Lucas, Eric Cortez | 1989-2018 | 29 | Unknown |
| Lum, Jimmie L. | 1968-2021 | 52 | Unknown |
| McClure, Cal | 1889-1929 | 39 | Spinal syphilis |
| McCord, Lilla Amos | 1899-1917 | 18 | Pellagra |
| McCune, Charles E. | 1944-1999 | 54 | Unknown |
| McCune, Iola Evans | 1912-1998 | 86 | Unknown |
| McCune, Mary Helen | 1938-2004 | 65 | Unknown |
| McKee, Rufus Thomas | 1932-2003 | 70 | Unknown |
| McKee, Verna Mae | 1933-2010 | 76 | Unknown |
| Moncrief, Willie Mae | 1937-2006 | 69 | Unknown |
| Montgomery, Mary Coleman | 1922-2011 | 89 | Unknown |
| Mosley, Joe Willie | 1921-1921 | 3 month | Colitis |
| Murphy Bessie Chapman | 1892-1967 | 74 | Unknown |
| Murphy, Shelton Watson | 1924-1999 | 74 | Unknown |
| Nichols, Allen | 1843-1913 | 67 | cardiac asthenia/chronic indigestion |
| Norman, Francis Johnson | 1881-1917 | 36 | chronic nephritis/pregnancy |
| Page, Jewel McCune | 1948-2006 | 57 | Unknown |
| Parker, Lizzie | 1900-1969 | 69 | Unknown |
| Ratcliff, Mary Evans | 1904-1929 | 35 | Influenza |
| Ratcliff, Henry | 1904-1923 | 19 | Pneumonia/Influenza |
| Ratcliff, Julie Ann Chapman | 1911-1979 | 63 | Unknown |
| Rigsby, Allen | 1857-1941 | 83 | Valvular Heart Disease – Old Age |
| Rigsby, Leola Evans | 1900-1941 | 41 | Complications of childbirth |
| Rigsby, Mollie (Mary) Chapman | 1862-1933 | 70 | Unknown |
| Rigsby, Pauline | 1941-1941 | 0 | Stillborn |
| Roberts, Mamie McCune | 1942-1992 | 50 | Unknown |
| Salter, Alfred | 1929-1929 | 1 month | Influenza |
| Satcher, Mattie Infant Daughter | 1915-1915 | 0 | Stillborn |
| Shamburger, Lucille Watts | 1907-1928 | 21 | Tuberculosis |
| Temple, Alice Lorraine Moore | 1965-2005 | 39 | Unknown |
| Thames, Emma Lee | 1929-1930 | 8 months | Infantile paralysis/Polo |
| Thames, Henry Lee | 1949-2017 | 68 | Unknown |
| Townsend, Jamarkus V. | 1996-2017 | 20 | Homicide – Gang Violence |
| Walker, A.G. | 1932-1955 | 22 | Unknown |
| Walker, Annie Bell Scanlan | 1897-1966 | 69 | Burn to death house fire |
| Walker, Arthur | 1903-1939 | 35 | Unknown – No Doctor |
| Walker, Bernice | 1931-1979 | 48 | Unknown |
| Walker, Calvin “Cal” | 1892-1975 | 83 | Unknown |
| Walker, Derrick O’Neil | 1966-1966 | 6 days | Unknown |
| Walker, Dilla | 1936-1936 | 2 months | Colitis |
| Walker, Elvira “Virinda” Evans | 1887-1936 | 49 | cirrhosis of the liver |
| Walker, Frances Jefferson | 1908-2005 | 97 | Unknown |
| Walker, Frank | 1902-1965 | 63 | Unknown |
| Walker, Grover Cleveland | 1911-1984 | 73 | Unknown |
| Walker, Harold | 1966-1979 | 13 | Burned to death in house fire |
| Walker, Harriet Evans | 1835-1925 | 90 | Don’t know |
| Walker, John Wesley | 1872-1943 | 71 | Angina Pectoris |
| Walker, Kitson Lassiter | 1876-1943 | 67 | Stroke |
| Walker, Lola Evans | 1900-1968 | 68 | Unknown |
| Walker, Johnny Lee Rev. | 1932-1980 | 47 | Unknown |
| Walker, Larkin | 1897-1917 | 15 | Unknown – No Doctor |
| Walker, Larry | 1952-2018 | 65 | Unknown |
| Walker, Mary Eliza | 1913-1999 | 87 | Unknown |
| Walker, Morris | 1845-1929 | 84 | Unclear |
| Walker, O.B. | 1928-1934 | 6 | accidental gunshot wound to the head |
| Walker, Ophelia Scanlan Infant Son | 1914-1914 | 0 | Stillborn |
| Walker, Otis | 1900-1985 | 85 | Unknown |
| Walker, Riney Evans | 1850-1926 | 70 | Unknown – No Doctor |
| Walker, Sam | 1895-1913 | 18 | Tuberculosis |
| Walker, Susie Love | 1909-1990 | 81 | Unknown |
| Walker, Tommy | 1893-1967 | 73 | Unknown |
| Walker, Willia Evans | 1893-1962 | 69 | Unknown |
| Walker, Willie | 1908-1968 | 60 | Unknown |
| Ware, Ben | 1922-2002 | 79 | Unknown |
| Ware, Mattie Lou Evans | 1923-2014 | 90 | Unknown |
| Wash, Annie Evans | 1906-1928 | 22 | Tuberculosis |
| Wash, Charlotte Ann Mckee | 1956-2022 | 66 | Unknown |
| Watson, Thomas | 1842-1917 | 73 | Unclear |
| William, X.L. | 1941-1943 | 2 | Hypostatic Pneumonia |
| Windham, Donnie | 1941-2022 | 81 | Unknown |
| Windham, Martha Jane Walker | 1946-2015 | 68 | Unknown |