“Little Martha” Ellis (1883-1896), the namesake of an Allman Brothers song, sits almost at the bottom of the hill and overlooks Rose Hill Cemetery from her vantage point. Whenever I visit, there is a new flower resting in the crook of her arm.
Young Wilson Knott (1855-1859) died a few weeks before his fourth birthday because of scarlet fever. Before the development of antibiotics, scarlet fever, a disease caused by the Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria, caused frequent breakouts in towns that would often lead to death for children.
The Out in the Rain Fountain sits not too far from the Oakland Cemetery Visitor’s Center. It was founded by J. L. Mott Iron Works in 1913 and copied from a Galloway & Graff sculpture originally made in 1876.
It’s listed on the Smithsonian’s Save Outdoor Sculpture database.
Florence Irene Ford died at the age of 10 because of yellow fever. She was terrified of storms and the dark, so her mother placed her in a glass-topped coffin with glass installed at the edge of her grave. The mother then had steps built at the top of the grave. She would join her daughter during those storms to keep her company. Considering this is Mississippi, she likely spent a lot of time on those stairs during spring and summer months. Cemetery official covered the glass wall to protect from vandals.
Located in Natchez City Cemetery, there is an interesting family plot. Rufus Case (1819-1858) was buried in his rocking chair next to his daughter, Laura Narcissa, while facing towards Louisiana. This “crypt” was built around him and the child.
