Old Shady Grove Cemetery

Surveyed by Marylee W. Knight 10-14-98
GPS Coordinates: 320145N, 0941630W

Directions: From Carthage go westbound on State Highway 315 for 13.2 miles to the intersection with FM 348 on the right. Turn right on to FM 348 and proceed northbound for 1.2 miles. Turn right on to Panola County Road 155 and proceed eastbound for 1.6 miles. This cemetery will be on the left side of the road with a large opening on the east side of the cemetery where Shady Grove Church once stood. No sign of the church remains.

Old Shady Grove Cemetery is open on the east side but nestled in a stand of trees on the other three sides. The oldest marked graves are in the center of the cemetery. These graves are for Chania Gates (1842-1914) Clara Adams (Only date Oct 8 1844 possibly her birth date) and Margaret Laret (Only date Oct 28 1858 possibly her birth date). The newer graves lie along the edges of the cemetery particularly pocketed in the extreme four corners leading one to believe that there is a large number of old unmarked graves in the center portion. A total of 34 unmarked graves were tallied in this survey but the ground in the cemetery is very rough and many more graves could be disguised by the rugged contours of the terrain. Regrettably a large number of the marked graves have only a funeral home marker that time and the elements have wiped clean of all traces of identity and even the name of the funeral home. There is also a large number marked by broken chunks of different colored granite polished on one side. The tombstone of Ozell Wilson appears to be rather old and possibly was broken from its original base and is now mounted on the front of a square column of red brick approximately three feet tall.

It is obvious that this cemetery is treasured by the families of those buried there. The grass outside the cemetery is very high but the cemetery had been recently mowed and showed signs of constant maintenance. Many of the graves were decorated with artificial flowers. This was even true of some of the unmarked graves indicating that someone knows who is buried there and efforts will be made to obtain documentation on those graves. One grave marked only with an illegible funeral home marker had a large cape jasmine bush planted on it that had continued to grow and thrive even during the last few years of drought.

  • Name
  • Birth
    Death
  • Parents
  • Spouse
  • Children
  • Comments
  • Adams, Clara
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Only date Oct 8 1844, possibly her birth date
  • Ballard, R S Diamond or Damon
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Ballard, Rose May
  • Nov 6 1938
    Aug 20 1972
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Mother of Five
  • Carter, Lee C "Baby"
  • Aug 10 1943
    Aug 10 1943
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Castleberry, Annie
  • 1897
    1926
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • In Loving Memories
  • Castleberry, Walter B
  • Dec 20 1920
    1926
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Loving Brother
  • Davis, Ardell
  • Jul 11 1931
    Aug 17 1990
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Father
  • Davis, Charlie
  • 1888
    1956
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Davis, Jess
  • 192?
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Davis, Jess B
  • Jul 19 1907
    Jan 16 1996
  • ~
  • Onnie
  • ~
  • Married 65 years husband of Onnie
  • Davis, Jesse B
  • -
    1996
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • (Jenkins-Gorman Funeral Home marker)
  • Davis, Joe
  • 1949
    1978
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • PVT US Army Viet Nam
  • Davis, Joe B
  • Apr 11 1915
    Mar 1973
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Davis, Mrs Febbie
  • -
    Sep 23 1953
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Davis, Onnie
  • Mar 25 1911
    Apr 26 1993
  • ~
  • Jess B
  • ~
  • Married 65 years wife of Jess B
  • Davis, Rev George S
  • Dec 25 1921
    May 14 1992
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • "Father" "I Have Kept the Faith"
  • Davis, Rev LR
  • Apr 12 1919
    May 5 1983
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Davis, Synthia
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • May 11 1942, only date on stone
  • Davis, Verlin
  • 1930
    1992
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Cpl US Army
  • Fite, Alberta
  • Sep 19 1904
    Nov 17 1976
  • ~
  • Eddie
  • ~
  • wife of Eddie
  • Fite, Della
  • Sep 20 1868
    Apr 9 1983
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Fite, Eddie
  • Jan 15 1906
    Apr 23 1989
  • ~
  • Alberta
  • ~
  • husband of Alberta
  • Fite, Hubert
  • 1900
    1974
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Fite, I C
  • 1874
    1959
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Mason
  • Fletcher, Bonnie
  • 1900
    1994
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Fletcher, James R
  • Nov 11 1941
    Sep 2 1990
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • PVT US Army Viet Nam
  • Fletcher, Novie
  • 1906
    1978
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Frazer, Mrs Hattie
  • Apr 30 1900
    Feb 19 1973
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Loving Mother
  • Gates, Arline
  • Mar 1 1904
    Oct 18 196?
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Gates, Chania
  • Feb 8 1842
    May 29 1914
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Gates, Herbert Lee
  • Sep 12 1926
    Oct 3 1990
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Gates, K C
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • TX Quarter Masters Corp
  • Gates, Leonard
  • Apr 1 1912
    Oct 25 1979
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Gates, Nora
  • Nov 8 1913
    Aug 4 1982
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Gates, Sammie
  • 1877
    1960
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Hall, James E
  • 1949
    1975
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • At Rest
  • Harris, Mrs Inez
  • Apr 23 1943
    Sep 29 1990
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Hill, ??
  • 1916
    1988
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Holt, John
  • 1874
    1924
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Hooper, John
  • Mar 1 1917
    Dec 8 1948
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • TX PVT 27th Cav WW II
  • Horton, Dayle
  • 1925
    1972
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Horton, Mary Lanell
  • Dec 15 1986
    Apr 21 1987
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Jackson, Elizabeth
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • J. McDaniel and C. Collins
  • "A member of Shedy Grove Longbranch"
  • Johnson, Jessie H
  • Aug 7 1902
    Apr 27 1982
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Mason
  • Johnson, Paul Bryan
  • Nov 14 1987
    Nov 2 1987
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Age 20 days
  • Laret, Margaret
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Only date Oct 28 1858, possibly her birth date
  • McDaniels, Evie
  • 1900
    1972
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Osborn, Lucile "Dusty"
  • Aug 14 1907
    Apr 26 1947
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Osborne, Felix Jr
  • Aug 6 1923
    May 16 1985
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Owens, Gussie Bee
  • Feb 1910
    Oct 3 1989
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Loving Mother
  • Page, Rev Levi
  • Nov 5 1928
    May 5 1988
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Pellum, Carl
  • 1902
    1920
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Pellum, Elnora C
  • Jul 15 1908
    Jan 30 1986
  • ~
  • Obie
  • ~
  • Wife of Obie
  • Pellum, Eula B
  • 1903
    1977
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Pellum, Lois
  • Nov 10 1917
    Jan 3 1983
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Pellum, Obie
  • 1907
    1981
  • ~
  • Elnora
  • ~
  • Husband of Elnora
  • Rattler, Julius
  • Nov 20 1901
    Dec 5 1986
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • "Daddy Jule" "M. Nov 25 1925"
  • Rattler, Virneater
  • Mar 20 1907
    Jul 22 1985
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • "Mama Skeet" "M. Nov 25 1925"
  • Reagan, Banner
  • -
    May 3 1967
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Father
  • Reagins, Cornelius
  • Aug 30 1900
    Feb 14 1993
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Father "At peace the world could not give"
  • Reagins, Johnnie G
  • Feb 12 1899
    Oct 4 1954
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • TX PVT 55 CMLIMPRG Co WW II
  • Reagins, Onerine Davis
  • 1928
    1971
  • ~
  • Devola
  • Charles Eva and Vera
  • ~
  • Reagins, Willie James
  • 1907
    1959
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Richardson, Virginia Osborne
  • Dec 17 1917
    Nov 24 1985
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Rudd, Edward
  • ?? 19 1979
    ?? 19 1979
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Age 0 y 0 m 0 d (Southern F.H. marker)
  • Rudd, Rose Mary
  • Feb 8 1954
    May 4 1985
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Smith, Anthony
  • Jul 6 1900
    Jun 11 1968
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • PVT Co D 270 Inf WW II
  • Smith, Earlie
  • 1903
    1983
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Tatum, Gilbert M
  • 1919
    1980
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • PVT US Army WWII
  • Tatum, Ola B
  • Aug 22 1921
    May 16 1979
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Picture of Ola B. on tombstone
  • Tatum, Rose Mary Rattler
  • Feb 25 1928
    Sep 18 1991
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Dates noted as "Sunrise" and "Sunset"
  • Thomas, James E
  • Feb 24 1926
    Jun 9 1986
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • STM 1 US Navy WW II
  • Thompson, Elmon "Jack-O"
  • Mar 10 1898
    Mar 18 1974
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Thompson, Mrs K----
  • -
    May 18 ??
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Age 36 years (People's Funeral Home marker)
  • Unknown, Baby
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Unmarked infants grave right beside graves of Julius & Virneater Rattler
  • Unknown, Adult
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Grave right beside Rev. George Davis marked only with unreadable People's Funeral Home marker
  • Unknown, Adult
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Recent grave right beside that of Lois Pellum
  • Walker, Gussie Carl
  • May 19 1928
    Dec 7 1988
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • PFC US Army Korea
  • Washington, Elsie
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Wesley, Lois
  • Feb 17 1922
    May 2 1990
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • A devoted Christian
  • Wils, Jessie
  • May 12 1877
    May 18 1946
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Wilson, Garrett
  • 1876
    1924
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • ~
  • Wilson, Ozell
  • -
    -
  • ~
  • ~
  • Dad