This historic church cemetery is in Jackson Parish, Louisiana near Chatham, Louisiana . Both the church structure and the cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. LAGenWeb has listed this
transcription where most of those buried are circa 1860 tombstones.
"Brooklyn Cemetery is located adjacent to Brooklyn Methodist Church which was established in 1838. This is the oldest surviving church in Jackson Parish. There is a placque on the premises which read: Brooklyn Church & Cemetery, Founded 1838, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U. S. Dept of Interior." There is also a monument which is located outside the cemetery and reads: "Wagon Train arrived at this place Dec. 24, 1857. Familes: Hearns, Shells, Jordans, Carrolls, Rev. O. R. Hearn, Wagon Master." The Church has an annual homecoming event each year. Both the cemetery and Church are well-kept with a strong fence surrounding the area of the cemetery." -- Listing Compiled by Lloyd & Linda Chatham, December 26, 1997
"Brooklyn Church traces its beginnings to 1857 when a wagon train of settlers from Georgia
camped at the church site and decided to settle in the area. According to church history, there was already a small log church at the site, but the settlers erected a new building soon after their arrival. Neither of these earlier structures is extant; the present building dates from 1902. Regular services at Brooklyn were discontinued in 1939, but homecoming services are held yearly. Upkeep is now the responsibility of the newly formed Brooklyn Church Preservation Society, Inc." - Louisiana Historical Preservation National Register
Find a Grave lists 147 internments at Brooklyn Methodist cemetery with photographs of headstones and even a few genealogies. There are interesting headstones such as this
one, Davey Chappell 1877-1888, and
this one for Mary Alice Head 1864-1871.
Photographs from Lousiana Historical Preservation
Gumbo Ya Ya can be found in the American Libraries Internet Archive. The much loved title can be read online or downloaded as a PDF file. The chapter on cemeteries begins on page 316. There are a few old black and white photographs and paintings included in the book. Included, too, are excerpts from local Louisiana newspapers of the mid to late 1800's describing cemeteries, thefts, plagues, and funerals. Gumbo Ya Ya was written by Louisiana Writers' Project; Saxon, Lyle, 1891-1946; Dreyer, Edward; Tallant, Robert, 1909-1957 with materials gathered by the Works Progress Administration, Louisiana Writers' Project and was sponsored by the Louisiana State Library Commission. The drawings are by Caroline Durefux and Roland Duvernet. Gumbo Ya Ya covers a variety of cemeteries in Louisiana including those in New Orleans but also other lesser known cemeteries in surrounding parishes.
