For my project on Mt. Ararat Cemetery, I’ve now added two more people in addition to Nelson G. Merry. I found his wife’s death certificate, Mary Jones Merry and though I saw no headstone for her, it does indicate that she is buried in the cemetery as well.
I have also just added Albert Neely 1867-1919. I located his death certificate listed in the TN Death Index for that year, so will likely pull his death certificate during my next trip to the State Archives.
I notice that his tombstone has “K of P” on it – I wonder if this stands for Knights of Pythias?
Albert Neely – 1867-1919
K of P Stands for Knights of Pythias. Two of my maternal ancestors belonged to an auxiliary arm called Daughters of Calanthe.. There is a article in a 1939 Afro American Newspaper written by two black members about the work of the Daughters. In fact, they complain that they do all of the work of this benevolent organizatio. Also, a white Colonel of the CSA belonged to the K of P. A history and research of this organization, founded in 1861, Wash. DC and the African- American connection, if any, would be interesting .
Hi Carol – thanks for the history you’ve shared about the Knights of Pythias! Since doing this post I have learned more about them and also seen the initials on many other headstones.