Old Pine Hill Slave Cemetery
Claiborne Parish Louisiana
The Old Pinehill Cemetery located a few miles south of Haynesville, Louisiana in rural Claiborne Parish stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of slavery and freedom. The cemetery sits on approximately one acre of land overcome by pine trees and the passing of time. The history of the cemetery is but a microcosm of the history of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. During the 1850s, many settlers, to include slave holders, left parts of the southeast to migrate west to Texas for available land and economic opportunities. For members of the Adkins family, migration westward was an opportunity for something new.
The Origin of Pine Hill
The Old Pinehill Cemetery located a few miles south of Haynesville, Louisiana in rural Claiborne Parish stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of slavery and freedom. The cemetery sits on approximately one acre of land overcome by pine trees and the passing of time. The history of the cemetery is but a microcosm of the history of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. During the 1850s, many settlers, to include slave holders, left parts of the southeast to migrate west to Texas for available land and economic opportunities. For members of the Adkins family, migration westward was an opportunity for something new.
The matriarch of the family was a widow named Piety P. Sansing-Adkins. With the death of her husband Zacheus Adkins in 1827 Henry County, Georgia, she found herself alone raising her young children. Around 1852, Piety along with her family traveled with a group of enslaved people, that included a woman named Mariah and her children: Elbert (born circa 1830), Joe (born circa 1832), Sam (born circa 1834), Irene (born circa 1836), Andrew (born circa 1838), and Winny (born circa 1841). Notably, Winny may have later appeared in postbellum records as Sarah W. Davis, married to Alfred Davis. Four of Mariah’s younger children—Elijah (born 1843), Mary Adkins-Biddle (born 1850), Dock Ellis (born 1852), and Dorcas (born circa 1854)—were fathered by Lemiah Christopher Columbus Adkins, Piety’s son.
They made the journey by horses and ox driven wagons west to Texas. Mariah’s son Elijah conveyed stories of the journey to his children and grandchildren. The oral tradition holds that the wagon broke down in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana and the family decided to remain in the area. Between 1855 and 1859, Piety and her son LCC Adkins purchased government land. This land is currently owned by Adkins descendants.
Old Pine Hill Slave Cemetery
Approximately one acre was designated as a burial ground for the enslaved and after emancipation the burial ground served as a community cemetery. Some markers remain, commemorating individuals such as Amanda Reed (wife of Elijah Adkins Reed), Laura Todd-Pealer (wife of George Pealer), Henry Maddox, Lizzy Sykes, Fronie McDonald, Abner McDonald, and Ollie Glass.
During the 1920s – 1930s, burials ceased in the Pinehill cemetery for reasons unknown. By 1940 the New Pine Hill Cemetery was established on land donated by Frank Reed, son of Elijah Adkins Reed. The oldest documented burial in the New Pine Hill Cemetery is that of Elijah Adkins Reed in April of 1940.
Memorializing this Location
The Memorial Reads:
Old Pinehill Cemetery – Formerly Adkins Slave Cemetery
Claiborne Parish Louisiana 1850s – 1920s
The land originally purchased by Piety P. Sansing – Adkins was used as a burial ground for the enslaved.
Historian, Fulbright Scholar, genealogist and documentary filmmaker has worked in higher education for more than 25 years, and has been involved in genealogy for over 33 years.
The Old Pine Hill Slave/African American Cemetery holds immense historical significance, serving as a testament to the lives and struggles of those who were enslaved and those interred during the Reconstruction, Post-Bellum and early twentieth century. Its preservation not only honors the memory of those buried but also fosters a deeper understanding of the area’s past, allowing the community to acknowledge and learn from this vital part of its history while promoting respect and awareness for future generations.
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