--photo by Leroy Blair
This cemetery is located alongside the church building in what has been called "The Colony." The African Americans have lived south of Rose Bud since the end of the Civil War. This is in Section 8, Township 7 North, Range 8 West. Marked graves were first listed there March 26, 1966, by Cloie and Leister Presley of the White County Historical Society, and published in the 1995 edition of White County Heritage. Charles Alexander of R#1, Box 72, Mt. Vernon, Arkansas, made an effort to get information on the unmarked graves and supplied that list.
In 1995 a number of families were participating in an annual homecoming for the Mount Olive and Bedford Chapel community. According to chairperson Lynn Funnell, these families who participated are descendants of the early members of the community: Monroe and Octavia Dupriest, Bonnie and Fannie Clements, Samuel and Ardealure Alexander, William and Louella Alexander, Alford and Tilda Bedford, Columbus and Mindy Britton, Adam and Vinice Dupriest, Will and Minnie Britton, Willie and Savannah Walker, Dan and Estella Hardin.
The Mount Olive/Bedford Chapel Cemetery was visited January 8, 2001, by White County Historical Society member Leroy Blair, who added 20 names and other information to the original list. "To get to this cemetery from Rose Bud," Blair wrote in his report, "take Highway 5 south about six miles, turn right on Manning Road. Go about two miles. The cemetery is beside the Mount Olive Church. It is fairly clean. There are a lot of graves marked with rocks with no information on them. I counted 26 marked only with rocks. I also counted 13 old funeral home markers that are no longer legible." Blair was unable to find the following graves which were on the old list: Ulie Adkison, Mrs. Ardailure Alexander, Cleveland Bedford Jr., Allen Biggers, Floyd Brooks, Rachel Brooks, Henry Holland, Mrs. Amanda Holland, Katie Howard, Mrs. N.B. (Zeland) Nix, William A. Nix, Dwaine Simpson, Mrs. Pearle Biggers Walker and William Williams. Blair returned in late 2002 and found no new burials but that the cemetery had been cleaned since his previous visit.
If you have corrections or additions to this list or other information on this cemetery, please contact the White County Historical Society, P.O. Box 537, Searcy, AR 72145.
MARKED GRAVES
Adkison, Ulie, wife of B.A. Adkison – 1888 – July 28, 1916
Alexander, Luther – September 9, 1895 – December 1, 1918 – WWI
Alexander, Mrs. Ardailure (died) April 5, 1953 – age 62
Alexander, Nannie L. – August 2, 1921 – vacant – on double stone with W.C. Theodore Alexander
Alexander, Samuel Austin – (died) February 26, 1966 – 100 years, 3 months, 29 days
Alexander, W.C. Theodore – November 16, 1910 – July 29, 1988 – on double stone with Nannie Alexander
Alexander, Willie J. – May 2, 1938 – July 12, 1971
Bedford, Cleveland, Jr. – (died) December 19, 1963 – age 31 years
Bedford, Cleveland Sr. – September 4, 1912 – September 6, 1986
Bedford, Laura – May 21, 1876 - December 11, 1952
Bedford, Louise Hardin – March 12, 1916 – September 2, 1967
Bedford, Mattie Alexander – November 7, 1916 – June 4, 1991 – on double stone with William Titus Bedford
Bedford, Millard F., Ark. Pvt. WWI – February 11, 1911 – June 30, 1950
Bedford, Tilda, wife of Alford – September 1, 1920 – April 5, 1961
Bedford, William T. – July 14, 1881 – October 31, 1957
Bedford, William Titus – February 16, 1904 – April 18, 1977 – on double stone with Mattie Alexander Bedford
Biggers, Allen – February 22, 1901 – July 1, 1962
Brooks, Floyd – 1851 – April 6, 1941
Brooks, Rachel – no dates (funeral home marker)
Clements, Fannie – 1862 – only date – on a rock
Clements, Golden – 1904 – 1986
Clements, Mattie – 1886 – 1920
Clemones, Lue Ella – April 17, 1879 – June 21, 1947 – married Alfred Nix December 27, 1892
Clemonts, Nellie – died February 8, 1978 – age 68 years
Dupriest, Dumas – died June 4, 1982 – age 57 years
Dupriest, Herbert M. – 1918 – 1983 – Cpl. U.S. Army WWII
Harper, Thomas – 1921 – 1983
Holland, Henry – (died) June 25, 1953 – 60 years
Holland, Mrs. Amanda – (died) May 2, 1951 – 97 years, ? months, 20 days
Howard, Katie – April, 1910 – May 7, 1951
Morris, Simon E. – October 15, 1899 – November 8, 1944
Nelson, Jim – August 31, 1903 – January 9, 1927 – MTAV, Mt. Vernon Chamber 4311
Nix, Mrs. N.B. (Zeland) – (died) February 11, 1964 – 61 years, 4 months, 24 days.
Nix, Telmon B. – 1913 – vacant – on double stone with Versie R. Nix
Nix, Versie R. – 1908 – 2000 – on double stone with Telmon B. Nix
Nix, William A. – died April 7, 1954 – age 84 years – born in Atlanta, Georgia, c1870
Owens, Brooks – (died) November 15, 1922 – MTAV, Mt. Vernon Chamber 4311
Simpson, Dwaine – February 25, 1963 – stillborn
Thompson, Elvia L. – October 24, 1902 – June 28, 1976
Walker, Mrs. Pearlie Biggers – (died) April 21, 1965 – 71 years, 8 months, 16 days
Williams, Vinece – October 6, 1884 – August 21, 1974
Williams, William – (died) October 31, 1963 – 75 years.
UNMARKED GRAVES
The Presleys reported about 55 unmarked graves. Charles Alexander supplied the following names:
Alexander, Austine – 1923 – stillborn
Alexander, Henry – 1926 – stillborn – this grave now has a metal plate set in cement
Alexander, Henry – 1940 - stillborn
Alexander, Kathyline – 1928 – stillborn
Alexander, Mrs. Inez H. – (died) June 30, 1952
Alexander, Pearlie – August 16, 1936 – 18 years
Alexander, son of Rev. & Mrs. W.C.T. Alexander – November 6, 1958 – stillborn
Alexander, Wilson Pearce – 1943 – July 1, 1950
Bedford, Mr. Alfred – (died) May 23, 1938 – age 78
Bedford, Thomas – (died) October 31, 1957 – age 77
Biggers, Marvin – no information
Blackwell, Mrs.Flora – (died) 1920
Britton, Mrs. Ophilia Dupriest – October 5, 1913 – January 15, 1934
Brooks, Mrs. Elsie S. – (died) January 9, 1944 – age 18 years
Campbell, Mr. Madge – no information
Clemons, Mr. Coleman – 1892 – April 26, 1931
Clemons, Mrs. Fannie Strickland – 1849 – 1930
Clemons, Thom Booney, Sr. – 1848 – January 15, 1926
Clemons, Tilda – 1925 – stillborn
Dupriest, Mr. Adam – (died) January, 1923
Dupriest, Mrs. Odell Morris – no information
Harper, Mr. Simon – (died) November 8, 1944
Hill, Mr. Horace – (died) 1947 – WWII
Mix, Mrs. Mary Ann – (died) 1916
Montgomery, Mrs. Elizabeth – no information – a rock was found with her name scratched on it when the cemetery was surveyed in January 2001
Morris, Mr. Samuel – late 1830s – April 11, 1926 – a rock with her name scratched on it was also found in January 2001
Morris, Mrs. Betty – no information
Morris, Samuel – died in U.S. Army – 1917 or 1918
Nelson, Mr. Joseph – no information
Nelson, Mr. Roy – (died) 1945
Nix, Bertha Marvale – 1943 – stillborn
Nix, Clemont – 1938 – stillborn
Smith, Mrs. Geraldine P. – (died) 1922
Stapler, Mr. Jeff – (died) June 24, 1942 – age 79 – a rock with his name scratched on it was found in January 2001
Strickland, Mr. Miyles – (died) May, 1931
Strickland, Mr. Nash – no information
Thomas, Mr. Jim – died 1917