the oldest gravestones in our cemetery

The three non-military gravestones in the cemetery all have the last name Parker. They are all relatives of David Parker, who was one of Timbuctoo’s first settlers in 1826, and who was arguably the most prominent member of the Timbuctoo community for several decades.  His first wife, Eliza Parker, died in 1847. He second wife, Matilda, died in 1870.  There is also a stone for his son Frisby, who died in 1872.  The first US Colored Troops' gravestone is also from the early 1870s, but clearly, the cemetery was in operation before the Civil War broke out in 1861.

Gravestone photos courtesy of  Sue Melnick Fajgier and Holly Draycott