The grave of Mary C Stokes. Photo taken 13 May 2013 at the Stokes Cemetery, Daphne, Baldwin County, Alabama.

The gravemarker of Mary C Stokes. Photo taken 13 May 2013 at the Stokes Cemetery, Daphne, Baldwin County, Alabama.

on the Geocaching (www.geocaching.com - cache GC14QJZ) website I found this:

Stokes Graveyard

A cache by ParrotHead Crew Hidden: 6/14/2007

A short stroll west (through the woods along the north fence of the Daphne Baptist Cemetery) will reveal a small fenced graveyard, a silent reminder of the custom of burying family members and beloved workers on the large plantations that once occupied this land.

When Samuel Stokes returned from the Civil War, nothing was left of his fine home or his family. His wife, Sarah, and three of his children had died; his home was stripped of furnishings. In despair, he made plans to move away, but his friends gave him strength to stay and rebuild his life. He hired "Mammy" Rose Jenkins to keep house for him. Soon, he remarried and was blessed with six daughters; his home was again filled with joy.

The oldest headstone in this family plot features a weeping willow and the following inscription: "In memory of Sarah M, wife of Samuel E. Stokes and daughter of Lewis and Louisa Starke, born April 15, 1832, and died February 21, 1863, Age 30 years 10 months and 6 days." Other headstones include those of his small children and "Mammy".



-- my note

Murphy's Cavalry Battalion mustered 24 Sep 1863enlisted 8 Jun 1863IS THIS OUR SAM?

I found the Mammy headstone, but the rest of the facts I've found don't exactly match with this account. I found a Civil War record for who I think is this Samuel - But if he mustered in June 1863 then he was still in Daphne when his first wife died - probably in childbirth since I found a baby who was born and died in 1863 also. I found a black Rose Jenkins, age 15, but living in Mobile in 1970 - so probably not the girl who helped him "restart" his life in 1865