Family Cemetery Dating Back To 1835 Is Restored

Tribble family members gathered last month to rededicate their family cemetery following months of work at the site. The cemetery is located in southwest Yalobusha County, on County Road 233.

On August 22, descendants of the Tribble family gathered at their Tribble Cemetery located in Yalobusha County, to rededicate commitments to their ancestors. This event was the culmination of a desire by a granddaughter, Mrs. Lynne Chappuis Mitchell, to see her great grandmother’s headstone repaired after being broken for several decades. For her 90th birthday, a nephew repaired the stone and fulfilled her wish.
Upon reflection, the nephew made a proposal to restore the cemetery and Mrs. Mitchell expressed her support for the project. It took a year, but her 91st birthday was celebrated in the restored cemetery. The project required 12 large trees to be removed, the erection of a panel fence with posts, and a memorial stone with the chronology of the Tribble migration from Virginia to Mississippi after the Revolutionary War.
The property was surveyed and deeded to the newly formed Tribble Cemetery Association. There are 35 burials with 24 of them unknown. The earliest burial was for an unnamed male child who died at birth in 1835. With Mrs. Mitchell’s memories from her mother, the graves of her great-grandparents, and great, great-grandparents were identified and marked with new granite markers.
Approximately 17 people attended the ceremony. Relationship charts were handed out showing their connections with each other and with those buried. There were four individuals who discovered they are first cousins and two of them met each other for the first time.
Special rededication remarks were made by nephew Reverend Chuck Provine. The singing of “Amazing Grace” by the families in attendance was thrilling and no further than 50 yards from where their ancestors gathered for Sunday services under a large oak tree over a 100 years ago. This tree was blown down by a storm several months ago and is missed by those who used its shade in the summer months.
This restoration event is a special blessing to many individuals with the discovery of new relationships and knowledge of their deceased ancestors and is in keeping with Malachi 4:6.
Several area businesses and individuals deserve recognition for their project contributions: Attorney Brad Peeples, Surveyor Mark Thornton, property owner Jerry Harris, Frank and Michelle of Caldwell Tree Services for stump removals, Steve McCormick for his donation of dirt used to level many sunken graves, Harvey and Raymond Little for their tree removal work, Sonny Hill with his “general contractor” support enabled the project to be finished on time, and the employees of True Value Hardware, Tractor Supply Company, and Davidson Monument Company. The support of Mike Worsham from the Yalobusha County Historical Society was extremely beneficial. Cathy Hill of Missouri is providing her skills and knowledge for the registration of the Tribble Cemetery in Find-A-Grave records.

By  Max Lee Waldrop, Jr.
Springfield, Tennessee
(Editor’s note, Max Lee Waldrop, Jr. can be reached at (615) 693-2918 or at longrunner100@yahoo.com)