Rufus was one of 15 persons killed by a tornado which swept thru the town of La Plata on the 9th if Nov. 1926. The very first service of the day was for him and it was at Sacred Heart. He was a janitor at the school. Rufus was an honored and respected man at the school and in the community.
The 1920 Census said his folks were William & Eliza Watts.
He was buried in the Sacred Heart church cemetery after the service. It is unknown where in the cemetery his grave may be.
This may be attributed to the established custom then of burying those not 'white' separately from those that were. And what was done in some cases is not for discussion here. On the plus side at some churches in the region where it was seen and fussed about by others, many cemeteries have begun to clean those areas up. Some of the photos appear on Find A Grave. Not every church did that and treated everyone equal or close to it. The section within Sacred Heart where Rufus is likely to have been buried (and confirmed by spokesmen for the church) is in a good part of the cemetery. The cemetery itself is in very good shape.
It should also be noted that back then there was still racial separation (segregation) especially in 'S. Md.' However, the Washington Post on the Nov. 12, 1926, noted that racial and religious differences were ignored and set aside as they went about burying the dead.
The 1920 Census said his folks were William & Eliza Watts.
He was buried in the Sacred Heart church cemetery after the service. It is unknown where in the cemetery his grave may be.
This may be attributed to the established custom then of burying those not 'white' separately from those that were. And what was done in some cases is not for discussion here. On the plus side at some churches in the region where it was seen and fussed about by others, many cemeteries have begun to clean those areas up. Some of the photos appear on Find A Grave. Not every church did that and treated everyone equal or close to it. The section within Sacred Heart where Rufus is likely to have been buried (and confirmed by spokesmen for the church) is in a good part of the cemetery. The cemetery itself is in very good shape.
It should also be noted that back then there was still racial separation (segregation) especially in 'S. Md.' However, the Washington Post on the Nov. 12, 1926, noted that racial and religious differences were ignored and set aside as they went about burying the dead.
Rufus was one of 15 persons killed by a tornado which swept thru the town of La Plata on the 9th if Nov. 1926. The very first service of the day was for him and it was at Sacred Heart. He was a janitor at the school. Rufus was an honored and respected man at the school and in the community.
The 1920 Census said his folks were William & Eliza Watts.
He was buried in the Sacred Heart church cemetery after the service. It is unknown where in the cemetery his grave may be.
This may be attributed to the established custom then of burying those not 'white' separately from those that were. And what was done in some cases is not for discussion here. On the plus side at some churches in the region where it was seen and fussed about by others, many cemeteries have begun to clean those areas up. Some of the photos appear on Find A Grave. Not every church did that and treated everyone equal or close to it. The section within Sacred Heart where Rufus is likely to have been buried (and confirmed by spokesmen for the church) is in a good part of the cemetery. The cemetery itself is in very good shape.
It should also be noted that back then there was still racial separation (segregation) especially in 'S. Md.' However, the Washington Post on the Nov. 12, 1926, noted that racial and religious differences were ignored and set aside as they went about burying the dead.
The 1920 Census said his folks were William & Eliza Watts.
He was buried in the Sacred Heart church cemetery after the service. It is unknown where in the cemetery his grave may be.
This may be attributed to the established custom then of burying those not 'white' separately from those that were. And what was done in some cases is not for discussion here. On the plus side at some churches in the region where it was seen and fussed about by others, many cemeteries have begun to clean those areas up. Some of the photos appear on Find A Grave. Not every church did that and treated everyone equal or close to it. The section within Sacred Heart where Rufus is likely to have been buried (and confirmed by spokesmen for the church) is in a good part of the cemetery. The cemetery itself is in very good shape.
It should also be noted that back then there was still racial separation (segregation) especially in 'S. Md.' However, the Washington Post on the Nov. 12, 1926, noted that racial and religious differences were ignored and set aside as they went about burying the dead.
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