Inscriptions in Triumph
Tombstone Inscriptions from the African American Cemeteries of Mount Calvary, Mount Olive, Fisher's Hill and Potter's Field
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Cemetery Records Cemetery records and tombstone inscriptions can offer a wealth of valuable information for researchers and family historians. A visit to the cemetery can provide original information and it can provide a cross-reference or verify information already found in other sources. In addition, a trip to the cemetery may provide the researcher with additional information about other family members who may be buried in a family plot. In lieu of not being able to find a stone or if the stone is unreadable, or in some cases...stones have been destroyed, turned over, etc., a published account of cemetery inscriptions can help fill the void. The purpose of this cemetery book is to provide a resource for valuable data of African Americans who once lived in the city of Portsmouth, and who are currently buried in the Mount Calvary, Mount Olive, Fisher’s Hill, and Potter’s Field Cemeteries. Some of the data that will be found in this book will include the place of birth (in some few instances), birth, and death dates, age, spouse’s name, marital status, parent’s name, and sometimes the occupation of an individual is included. As Ida Kay Jordan stated in the Virginian-Pilot on February 16, 1986, "All cemeteries are important to a community. They are reminders of all the great people and deeds that came before us. They challenge the living to do as much for the future as those before us did to make today better-- "Graveyards give a certain continuity to life." Dr. Hugo Owens a Portsmouth dentist and former vice mayor of Chesapeake said in The Currents on February 27/28, 1990, "Children need to know that they do have in their background people who were achievers-- This gives them a sense of pride and encouragement."
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About the Book
Two researchers, Mae Breckenridge-Haywood, the librarian of I. C. Norcom High School, and Dinah Walters, a graduate of I. C. Norcom and a family history researcher, have teamed up to put together the first and quite possibly the one and only listing of the people who are buried in the cemeteries of Mount Calvary, Mount Olive, Fisher’s Hill and Potter’s Field. This quiet but tranquil cemetery is located just off the Des Moines Exit at the intersection of Deep Creek and Pulaski Streets in the city of Portsmouth, Virginia. The title proper for their cemetery book is: Inscriptions in Triumph: Tombstone Inscriptions from the African American Cemeteries of Mount Calvary, Mount Olive, Fisher’s Hill and Potter’s Field. Actually, there may be as many as four cemeteries in this area, which city records estimate could hold as many as 13,000 gravesites. Some early signage identified the Mount Calvary Cemetery with the date of 1944. Also during the fifties, there was a black arch shaped sign near the back of the cemeteries, which identified another portion of the cemetery as "Mount Olive Cemetery." That sign has been long removed. There are over twenty pictures in the book which reads like a "Who’s Who" list of the African Americans of the city who are buried in the cemetery. The book is divided into five major sections. The key sections are: the listing, tombstone inscriptions, and the section of photographs. Bertha Winborne-Edwards, retired librarian from the Portsmouth City Public Library said, "This book contains listings that will make interesting and informational reading for those interested in the history of Blacks in Portsmouth. It also serves as an authoritative reference tool for future generations. It consists of family names and events especially useful for locating relatives and dates. The book is truly a "labor of love" for the authors who have made the "Table of Contents" easy to use."
About the Author
Mae Breckenridge-Haywood
Dinah Walters
was born on Tachikawa AFB, Tokyo, Japan. She grew up overseas and in several areas of the states due to her father’s military moves.Her father, a Portsmouth, VA. native, came home after his retirement from the military and Dinah has been here since that time. Dinah graduated from IC Norcom High School, George Mason University, and GoldenState University.
After serving four years in the United States Air Force, she started to work on her family tree. Currently, she works as a computer specialist for the federal government and has been working on her family tree for a several years. She is a member of AAHGS Hampton Roads Chapter.