Category Archives: Graves

William and Mattie (Hawkins) Butler – At Rest

group shot
Photograph by James Edward Williams – a corner of the Harmony Missionary Baptist Church Community Cemetery.
James Edward & Samuel Williams - cousins.
James Edward & Samuel Williams – cousins with cameras.

My husband and his cousin recently attended an extended Williams/Butler family reunion in Arkansas. This reunion has been going on for 43 years, although not every year has seen a reunion, most have. While there they photographed some of the grave stones in the Harmony Missionary Baptist Church Community Cemetery in Sparkman, AK.  The two headstones featured in today’s post are of my husband’s great grandparents.  William and Mattie (Hawkins) Butler were the parents of 13 children that lived to adulthood. One of those was my father-in-law’s mother, Annie Willie Butler. Today I am sharing the grave stones. Soon I will be posting what I have learned in the records about the Butlers and their family.

Photo by Samuel Williams. October, 2013
W.M. Butler       Photo by Samuel Williams. October, 2013.  What does the sign at the top stand for? And the words at the bottom?
"At Peace - Mattie Butler" Photo by Samuel Williams. October, 2013
“At Peace – Mattie Butler” Photo by Samuel Williams. October, 2013.  I only wish I could see the dates at the bottom because I don’t have them!
Homecoming Sunday at Harmony taken about 1993.
Homecoming Sunday at Harmony taken about 1989.