| The first families in this community migrated from Alabama in the 1850s. Originally known as
Avant or Avant Prairie, the settlement became Sunshine after the
Sunshine Methodist Church moved here from Harrison chapel in 1870.
In 1869 W. S. Compton, one of the early settlers, and D. A. Self,
local merchant and dentist, donated land for this community
cemetery. First burial was that of a young girl, Missouri A. E.
Humphrey (1869-1871). Other early graves date from the yellow fever
epidemic of 1873. The town was renamed in 1885 when Dew Post Office
opened. The name "Drew" was requested to honor a local resident, but
postal officials misread the application. A market center for cotton
farmers of the area, Dew had a cotton gin and several stores. Rural
delivery replaced the Dew Post Office in 1909. A land donation by
Wiley Black in 1901 enlarged the graveyard, which lies adjacent to
Dew Methodist Church where funeral services are held. About 1912-13
a cemetery association was organized. Descendants and community
residents gather at annual memorial day observances to tend the 11
and 1/3 acre site. The 1000 graves here include many from the
1918-19 influenza epidemic. |
Contributed by Harold N. Womble |