"BLACK PEOPLE CEMETERY"
aka PLEASANT RIDGE
BALLARD COUNTY, KENTUCKY
The information about this African American Cemetery comes from the book, "Ballard Co. KY Cemeteries", Volume V, where it is identified only as "Black People Cemetery". I discovered, from the Death Certificates of Alan Blanks, Louis Mabry, and Bill Hays, that this cemetery was actually known as PLEASANT RIDGE Cemetery.
From the book, "Ballard Co. KY Cemeteries", Vol. V:
This old cemetery is located 3 or 4 miles northwest of the town of Lovelaceville on Highway 1837, next to the old FLOWERS Farm. It is back in a field where an old church and school once stood. There are many sunken graves without markers.
Markers that were readable in March 1991 were:
Liddie FLOWERS, March 20, 1863 - June 28, 1910, "MOTHER"
(wife of Silas/Salas)
Allen BLANKS age 81 years, died January 7, 1937
(funeral home marker)
Louis MABRY 186? - 1917 "FATHER"
Hobert MABRY September 4, 1897 - October 10, 1918 "SON"
World War I, Pvt. 69th CO. 159 (died in Battle)
"AT REST"
Lou E. MABRY March 23, 1881 - April 13, 1900
29 years 20 days
(wife of J. T.)
"A Light From Our House is Gone, A Voice We Loved is Stilled"
Mahala HUDGENS 1819 - July 18, 1895
Strother WILLIAMS 70 years, died February 10, 1900
Rebecca GRIFFEN 75 years, died April 21, 1909
(wife of Coleman)
Bill HAYS age 70 years, died July 4, 1938
(worked for Ashbrook family, drowned in pond)
Note: The last person buried here was a World War II veteran known as "Sleepy Sam".
Kathleen Hill did the following research about the individuals buried in this graveyard.
1. As the book noted, there were many sunken graves with no markers. After going thru the Death Certificates of some African American residents of Ballard County, I discovered that the following people were also buried in this cemetery. I am sure that there are many more people buried here that I just didn't find.
Salas Flowers 1850 - 1918 (husband of Liddie Flowers, son of John Flowers)
Vanderbilt Flowers 1885 - 1933 (son of Salas and Liddie Flowers)
Daisy Flowers 1888 - 1933 (wife of Van Flowers, daughter of Tobe Tomby ((difficult to read)) and Mariah MALLORY)
John Blanks 1885 - 1921 (son of Allen and Lizzie HILL Blanks)
Eva Mabry 1899 - 1925 (wife of Floyd Mabry, daughter of John HUNTER and Eliza DODSON)
Mary ROSS 1855 - 1931 (wife of Charles Ross, daughter of Gabe MABRY and Sarah SCOTT)
2. STROTHER WILLIAMS, 1830 - 1900
Strother Williams was a Union soldier in the Civil War. He enlisted as a Private, September 11, 1864 at Paducah, KY, in Co E, 8th Heavy Artillery, U. S. Colored Troops. Strother's unit fought against the Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest at Fort Anderson in Paducah, KY. He was mustered out February 10, 1866. On October 20, 1890, Strother Williams applied for a Pension from the Union Army.
Strother's Civil War records are cross-referenced under the name William Strother. His enlistment card states that he was 34 years old, 5 foot 7 inches tall, had black eyes and hair, was a farmer, and was born in Christian Co. KY.
Strother Williams is found on the 1870 Census of Hinkleville, Ballard Co., in the following household:
FORSTON, Cassandra 18, Mu, KY
Anna 6, Mu, KY
WILLIAMS, Strother 38, B, farmer, KY
Millie 11, Mu, KY
Susan 2, B, KY
HINES, Anna 20, Mu,
Charley 5, Mu, KY
On the 1880 Census of Lovelaceville, Ballard Co. KY, Strother was the head of the following household:
WILLIAMS, Strother 50, farmer, born KY, no birthplace for parents
Wife Feiby 50, born TN, no birthplace for parents
Dau Susie 12, born KY
WILLIAMS, Ines 45, born KY, no birthplace for parents
Son David 14, born KY
Re Anna and Charley Hines, found in the same household as Strother Williams on the 1870 census:
The Death Certificate of Anne Hines states she was born abt 1840 and died July 23, 1922. Her maiden name was TISDALE.
The Death Certificate of Charlie Lee Hines states that he was born December 22, 1867, and died Oct 17, 1951. His parents were Alfred Hines and Ann TISDALE.
Ann and Charlie Hines are buried in the Henderson Cemetery in Ballard. Co.
3. BILL HAYS 1868 - 1938
Bill Hays is listed as a servant/laborer in household of (the white couple) John and Maude Ashbrooks, near Gage, in the census years 1910, 1920, 1930. He was single, born GA, parents born GA.
The informant on Bill Hays' KY Death Certificate was John Ashbrook.
The Death Certificate stated that Bill died of drowning in a pond, July 4, 1938. But the Death Certificate also states that "no PROOF for the cause of death was submitted". The certificate further stated that Bill was: age about 70, parents names unknown, burial Pleasant Ridge July 5th, and he was single.
Certificate # 15911
4. ALLEN BLANKS 1859 - 1937
Allen Blanks' KY Death Certificate #63, dated January 7, 1937, Lovelaceville, Ballard Co., states the following:
He was married to Lizzie (HILL)* Blanks. He was about 83 years old, birth date not known. His occupation was Blacksmith.
Allen was born in McCracken Co. KY to Albert Blanks and Kate Mems/MIMS.
He was buried at Pleasant Ridge Jan 8th.
Allen and his family are found in Ballard Co. on the 1930 and 1920 census in Lovelaceville, the 1910 census, and the 1900 census in Hinkleville.
All in the family were noted as Mulatto.
In 1900, the census shows:
Allen W., born Sept 1859 in KY, father either KY or VA, mother either TN or VA or KY. He was a Blacksmith, and married about 1882
Wife Lizzie, born Aug 1865 (she died after Allen)
Children on 1900 census: Beulah b. May 83, John A. b. May 85, James b. Apr 87, Willie b. Sept 89, Katie b. Nov 91, Birdie/Bertie b. January 94, and Silvie/Pollie b. March 97.
But the 1910 Census shows Lizzie was the mother of 9 children with only 6 still living in 1910. Five of the six children were still living at home: Willie, Kattie, Birdie, Polly/Silvie, and another daughter Eula born 1901.
The 1920 census for Allen's household shows son Willie W and his wife Cordie b. abt 1890, and grandson James age 3 8/12, in Allen's household. Allen's son Willie was a general store chauffer. Allen's wife Lizzie was a laundress.
In 1930, Allen and Lizzie have 3 Blanks grandchildren living with them - Elizabeth 7, James 5 and Melvin 2 ½, all born KY.
*Allen and Lizzie's son John's Ballard Co. Death Certificate states:
Johny Blanks was born May 21, 1885, and died May 22, 1921 of TB. He was a hotel porter. His mother's name was LIZZIE HILL. He is buried at Pleasant Ridge (but no marker was found)
It appears that Lizzie Hill was also born in McCracken Co. KY. The 1870 census of McCracken Co. shows Lizzie in the following household:
HILL, Phillis 65, female, Black, born VA
Marcella 22, female, Black, born VA
Lizzie 5, female, Mulatto, born KY
Jack born March 1870, male, Mulatto, born KY
I believe that Allen W. Blanks was born into slavery in the household of Harriett Blanks, widow of Allen W. Blanks, Sr., (Soldier of War of 1812, b. abt 1778 in Charlotte Co., VA, and died 1848 in Christian Co., KY.)
Harriett L. Blanks was a MORRIS born in NC.
The 1860 Ballard Co Slave Schedule shows Harriett with 8 slaves, all Mulattos, females ages 45, 23, 14, 3. males ages 25, 21, 19, and 8. The 1860 census of Blandville, Ballard Co., showed Harriett with $8,000 in personal property. Since all of her Slaves were Mulatto, they could have been the children of her husband and/or her son, Allen Blanks, Jr.
5. LIDDIE FLOWERS 1863 - 1910
LIDDIE (Lydia) FLOWERS married Silas/Salas Flowers about 1882. She was born March 1863 in Kentucky. Salas was born in February 1853, possibly in Tennessee. They lived on Lovelaceville Road, near the town of Hinkleville. Since the notes about this cemetery state that it is on the property of the "old Flowers farm", this is probably the property of Liddie and Salas Flowers.
According to Salas Flowers April 3, 1918 Death Certificate, he was born September 23, 1850 in KY. His father was John Flowers, born VA. His mother's maiden name was listed as unknown but her birthplace was TN. Salas is buried at Pleasant Ridge but no tombstone was found for him.
Salas Flowers is listed on the 1870 Census of Hinkleville, Ballard County as Black and 18 years old. He and Viria Flowers, age 11, were living in the household of Henry and Jane GOINES, a Black farmer. Also in this household was a Rose HICKS, age 34. The only other Flowers household in Ballard in 1870, was for the Black family, in Lovelaceville, of Wilie Flowers, 18, his wife Margaret 17, and their son Robert T., age 2.
There were no Slave owners named Flowers on the 1860 Slave Schedule of Ballard Co. KY. But a total of 14 Slaves, in neighboring McCracken County, were owned by Mary, Thomas H., and James Flowers.
Liddie and Salas had 9 children.
Their sons were: Vanderbilt born September 1885, Clint born February 1891, and Hugh born 1902.
Their daughters were: Rene born October 1883, Maudie born May 1886, Naomie born August 1888, Brookie born January 1894, Hattie born March 1896, and Codie born March 1898.
The 1933 Death Certificate of Liddie's son, Van Flowers, states that his mother was Lydia, maiden name unknown, born KY.
6. LOUIS MABRY 1866 - 1917
Louis Mabry's KY Death Certificate, #31968, for December 15, 1917, states that he was born October 1866 in Ballard Co., KY, the son of Gabe (Gabriel) Mabry, born VA, and mother's name unknown, born VA.
The 1870 and 1880 census of Lovelaceville, Ballard Co., shows Louis as a son in the household of Gabe (Gabriel) Mabry (b. about 1830 in NC) and his wife Lucy J. (b. about 1840 in NC). More about Gabe Mabry later.
About 1885, Louis Mabry married Emma Unknown. They were the parents of 5 children, shown on the 1900 and 1910 census of Ballard Co. The children were: Tennie b. January 1887, Ethel born January 1889, Izora b. Aug 1891, Hettie b. February 1894, and Hobert b. September 1896.
HOBERT MABRY, 1896 - 1918, was a solider of World War I. He died in battle and his buried next to his father Louis.
Re GABE/GABRIEL MABRY, born about 1830 in NC
A. It would appear that Gabriel Mabry was the Slave of Charles Mabry, b. abt 1819 in NC, died 1882 in Ballard; and Charles's wife Catherine "Kittie" SALLEE, b. abt 1827 in NC, died 1917 in Ballard. The Mabry's arrived in Ballard Co. KY between 1850 and 1860 (they were in Christian Co. KY in 1850)
B. Gabe Mabry had children by more than one woman.
1. On the 1870 and 1880 census of Ballard, Gabe is shown married to a woman named Lucy J. with several children, including Louis Mabry.
2. The 1931 McCracken Co. KY Death Certificate of Mary Mabry ROSS (wife of Charles Ross), states that she was born 1855 in KY, the daughter of GABE MABRY and Sarah SCOTT.
3. The 1911 McCracken Co. KY Death Certificate of Charles Mabry, states that he was born 1859 in KY, the son of GABE MABRY and Jossie HALL
7. LOU E. MABRY, 1880 - 1900
The Ballard Co. Cemetery book has a mistake regarding the tombstone inscription of Lou E. Mabry. The book states that Lou was born in 1881 and died 1900 (making her 19 when she died), but the book also states that the tombstone reads that at her death she was "29 years, 20 days", (making her birth year 1871).
Lou E. Unknown married James T. Mabry in 1898.
Lou appears on the 1900 census of Ballard with her husband and son, Davie born February 1899, and this census states she was born March 1880.
8. REBECCA GRIFFIN, 1834 - 1909
Rebecca (Becky) is not with Coleman Griffin on the 1870 census. They are together on the 1880 and 1900 census. It is difficult to tell which children in their household in 1880 are from previous relationships. The 1900 Census says they were married 22 years, i. e. since 1878.
Coleman Griffin died July 9, 1911 in McCracken Co., KY. His Death Certificate states that he was "about 110 years old", born in VA, parents names unknown.
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REFERENCES:
1. Ballard County, Kentucky Cemeteries, Volume V, published 1995, by the Ballard-Carlisle Historical and Genealogical Society, Box 279, Wickliffe, KY 42087.
2. Census of Ballard County, KY for the years 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930.
3. Kentucky Death Index
4. Kentucky Death Records 1852 - 1953 (actual Death Certificates)
5. Vital Statistics of Far Western Kentucky, by M. Juliette Magee (out of print)
6. Ballard's Brave Boys, by M. Juliette Magee (out of print)
7. Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System found at
www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/
April 2008
