Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Gravesite Marked With Engraved Monument After 93 Years in Providence Cemetery

For 93 years the final resting place of Cleopatra Hargett Benson went unmarked with an engraved monument in the beautiful historic Providence Cemetery north of Tremont. Sometime during the 1950's Cleopatra's son, Perry Lee Benson, constructed a handmade cross for the gravesite. Last year society member Kay Henry of Starkville, along with her brothers and sisters, purchased and installed an engraved monument for their grandmother’s final resting place in Providence Cemetery to compliment the handmade cross lovingly made by her son.

Cleopatra Hargett was born during November of 1882, the daughter of John Hargett (born 1853 in Georgia, died 1918 in Itawamba County) and Annie Elvira Davis (born 1860 in Alabama, died 1904 in Itawamba County). She married Lane Milton Benson (1883-1956) who was the son of James Franklin Benson (born 1844 in Franklin County, Alabama, died at Fulton in Itawamba County during 1932). Most all the family members are buried in Providence Cemetery, except Lane Milton Benson, who is buried in Watsonville, California.

The Itawamba Historical Society salutes Kay Henry and her siblings for marking the gravesite of their grandmother with an engraved monument at Providence in the beautiful hills of eastern Itawamba County. In honoring the memory of their grandmother, they also helped preserve a part of Itawamba County’s rich history and heritage by putting a name and dates at the gravesite of one of Itawamba County's pioneer citizens.

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