In the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: Orren Batts, 41, wife Mary, 34, and children Dennis, 16, Amos, 14, Henriet, 10, Haywood, 9, Precilla, 5, and Louisa, 3. ![]() The three Reverse-N Style headstones found so far mark the graves of two siblings (Charlie Armstrong and Annie Armstrong Braswell Dawson) and a collateral relative (Dennis Batts, who was the father of Annie Dawson’s husband’s second wife). Two of the names on the headstones are spelled with double N’s, the first of which is reversed. Two are decorated by a large naturalistic leaf - one a sweetgum and the other an oak - drawn above the inscription. All are simple cement slabs with half-round tops, and their inscriptions feature large letters deeply drawn in a natural handwritten style. Other than one other ( Charlie Armstrong) I saw on an earlier visit to Heritage, these are the only markers I have seen in this style, but I will be on the lookout for more. On a recent visit to the former Elm City Colored Cemetery, now known as Heritage Cemetery, I noticed these two concrete markers, clearly produced by the same maker. Whether the work of an individual, like Best, or a company, they were likely produced in Wilson or an adjoining county, and perhaps by African-American craftsmen. Now, after a few years of exploring local African-American cemeteries, I recognize the signature work of other monument makers. Best, the marble cutter who carved thousands of gravestones in and around Wilson County between the 1920s and mid-1970s. ![]() I’ve gone on and on about the artistry of Clarence B.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |