CEMETERY QUESTION

HOLLYWOOD CEMETERY

*On December 23, 1886, a group that had six days earlier incorporated as Hollywood Cemetery purchased fifty acres from Robert A. Hurt for $3,000

Walking through Hollywood Cemetery you can find some amazing headstones and statues

A great way to spend a cool fall Saturday

Photo by Cristie Wright

This statue was possibly for James E. Mercer (died 1925), the chief executive officer of McCowat-Mercer Printing Company in Jackson. The figure’s stooped, head-lowered position conveys despair and sorrow and the bouquet of flowers also signifies grief. Local tradition holds that the statue is Carrara marble imported from Italy, a marker befitting a prominent, cultured businessman.

*Web site https://hollywoodcemeteryjacksontn.org  

Next to the Hollywood Cemetery

B’nai Israel Congregation*

A Reform Congregation Since 1885

Sam Baum was the superintendent of the cemetery from 1911-1962. The excerpts below are from a transcription of his history of the cemetery (written in 1956). Moses Tuchfeld was superintendent of the cemetery prior to Sam Baum

Old Cemetery 1873-1895 New Cemetery 1896-to present

The old original cemetery was located on the south side of what is now known as E. Madison Street. Situated next to and on the east side of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. Now the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad.

It was a small cemetery enclosed with a solid ten foot high plank fence surrounding it, and was kept under lock and key at all times to keep vandals out as they committed some damage to the graves and tombstones at various times.

All of the remains were moved to our present cemetery B’nai Israel which is located on Hollywood Drive of this city, at the time same was purchased. November 30, 1896 deed filed and recorded as of December 22, 1896. [Deed Book #55, Pages 66-67]

All remains were interred in a special plot in the rear of the cemetery surrounded by concrete curbing and well taken care of. [Section C-Plot 1 and Section D-Plot 1] All tombstones were put up at the new graves. There were quite a number of the children’s remains that could not be identified as there were no tombstones at their graves. The vandals may have destroyed them.

Wherever children’s remains were buried, where their names were unknown, we had the word “unknown” imbedded in the concrete curbing at the head. And the few that were known ,their father’s name was imbedded in the curbing.

There were remains of two persons buried in this plot that died in later years, that you might say were transients. The first was that of Harry Yoachim who died May 23rd 1892, age 31 years. He was a barber and was working here at the time of this death. It is my recollection that his home was in Indiana and that his relatives were notified and they refused to do anything about it; so we buried him here and placed a tombstone at the head of his grave at the expense of the congregation and his grave has been taken care of ever since.

The other grave mentioned is that of an old gentleman by the name of Frank Zimmerman that was killed by a Mobile & Ohio freight train just south of this city on the 2nd day of April 1913. Every effort possible was made to locate some of his relatives at the time, but to no avail. I personally made several attempts in after years to locate some of the relatives that of course could not have any idea what-ever became of him, and would not doubt be very happy and grateful to know where he was buried and that his grave was well taken care of these many years.

I have brought the matter up several times at a Trustees meeting requesting that we put up a market or slab at his grave, but a certain member always objected and saw to it that I was voted down. I hope some day I will be able to get some sympathetic hearts to stand by me, and to see that his grave is properly identified. Of course, his relatives will never know it. But I know if it was my father, grandfather or great grandfather I would be grateful to anyone that would do this kindly service.

I have a record of a Greenfield child supposed to be buried in the first grave north of Sarah Englander’s grave, but this name does not show on the concrete curbing. It would be grave #15 on the east side of the plot. There was a Leon Greenfield that lived here about a year 1878. The family returned to their former Brooklyn, N.Y. home. The Kobie Mihalovitz infant is buried in a lone grave just east of the above mentioned plot. [NOTE: there were 2 infants according to cemetery records.]