JOHN MORDECAI (1813-1897) was the eldest of three sons born to Jewish parents, Isaac D. and Zipporah "Russell" Mordecai. His parents brought their sons via Hardeman Co., TN and settled in the Springhill community of central AL in the early 1830's. John married Jane "Steward" York, daughter of John and Nancy Steward, on 2 Jun 1836. They lived in the Bethlehem community near Mud Creek. They were the parents of 13 children of their own and raised one grandson, child of their daughter, Emily Jane Jackson. John and Jane are buried in Lamar Co., near Millport, AL, in Old Poplar Springs Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, which is located in a pasture on private property.
From a 1975 local newspaper article: "Chances are, the Old Popular Springs Primitive Baptist Church is one of the early burial grounds in Lamar County. The old church building is gone, and there has not been a burial in this cemetery for many years. It is off the beaten path.
Mrs. Calvin Coolidge [Iva Lois] Mordecai sent some colored pictures of markers in this cemetery to this newspaper and listed the inscriptions on them. She said, "Some of the monuments are still in good condition, and some are not, as you can see by the photographs made July 1, 1975. Below are a few of the early settlers buried here: Green M. Richards 1798-1878; William H. West (1799-1875), John Mordecai (1813-1897), William Stillman 1835-1885, Dr. Jas A. Gibson 1842-1872, Emerly C., wife of Dr. Silas Nalls 1830-1903, Thomas Gualt, born in Ireland, 1832, died 1873, Sacred to the Memory of Nancy A. Lee, departed this life December 22, 1859, 27 years, 6 months and 2 days."
---- Below are the Mordecais who are buried in the Old Poplar Springs Cemetery:
Mordecai, Andrew Jackson born April 16, 1853
Mordecai, Jane (Wife of John Mordecai) born Jan. 10, 1819 died Sep. 21, 1892
Mordecai, John born Mar. 25, 1813 died Apr. 27, 1897
Mordecai, John died Dec. 7, 1859 (5 yrs. 1 mo. 7 days
In 1840, John was living in Itawamba Co., MS, with his wife and 4 children, but by 1850, they were in Fayette Co., AL (now Lamar). John was 44, and a farmer with land valued at $400.
Some of John's neighbors were associated with the Confederate States Army. According to his great granddaughter, John was a Republican. She traced the threads of Republican voters from him through his entire family, which sent two sons to die in the Confederate Service. Why could he be so staunchly Republican, even during the Civil War era? Other family members speculate there were three reasons: (1) the family's close ties with the North, (2) the bipartisan nature of the family as a whole, and (3) the fact that Confederate conscription forced persons to serve who did not want to leave family and home.
At any rate, John and Jane sent their two oldest sons to fight and die in the Confederate army.
In Sep 2002, two Mordecai descendants visited Old Poplar Springs Cemetery. It is off Mud Creek Road in southern Lamar County. The property is now privately owned, but they obtained permission to visit. They found the graves of John and Jane Mordecai. The stones are broken, but still at the grave.
From a 1975 local newspaper article: "Chances are, the Old Popular Springs Primitive Baptist Church is one of the early burial grounds in Lamar County. The old church building is gone, and there has not been a burial in this cemetery for many years. It is off the beaten path.
Mrs. Calvin Coolidge [Iva Lois] Mordecai sent some colored pictures of markers in this cemetery to this newspaper and listed the inscriptions on them. She said, "Some of the monuments are still in good condition, and some are not, as you can see by the photographs made July 1, 1975. Below are a few of the early settlers buried here: Green M. Richards 1798-1878; William H. West (1799-1875), John Mordecai (1813-1897), William Stillman 1835-1885, Dr. Jas A. Gibson 1842-1872, Emerly C., wife of Dr. Silas Nalls 1830-1903, Thomas Gualt, born in Ireland, 1832, died 1873, Sacred to the Memory of Nancy A. Lee, departed this life December 22, 1859, 27 years, 6 months and 2 days."
---- Below are the Mordecais who are buried in the Old Poplar Springs Cemetery:
Mordecai, Andrew Jackson born April 16, 1853
Mordecai, Jane (Wife of John Mordecai) born Jan. 10, 1819 died Sep. 21, 1892
Mordecai, John born Mar. 25, 1813 died Apr. 27, 1897
Mordecai, John died Dec. 7, 1859 (5 yrs. 1 mo. 7 days
In 1840, John was living in Itawamba Co., MS, with his wife and 4 children, but by 1850, they were in Fayette Co., AL (now Lamar). John was 44, and a farmer with land valued at $400.
Some of John's neighbors were associated with the Confederate States Army. According to his great granddaughter, John was a Republican. She traced the threads of Republican voters from him through his entire family, which sent two sons to die in the Confederate Service. Why could he be so staunchly Republican, even during the Civil War era? Other family members speculate there were three reasons: (1) the family's close ties with the North, (2) the bipartisan nature of the family as a whole, and (3) the fact that Confederate conscription forced persons to serve who did not want to leave family and home.
At any rate, John and Jane sent their two oldest sons to fight and die in the Confederate army.
In Sep 2002, two Mordecai descendants visited Old Poplar Springs Cemetery. It is off Mud Creek Road in southern Lamar County. The property is now privately owned, but they obtained permission to visit. They found the graves of John and Jane Mordecai. The stones are broken, but still at the grave.
JOHN MORDECAI (1813-1897) was the eldest of three sons born to Jewish parents, Isaac D. and Zipporah "Russell" Mordecai. His parents brought their sons via Hardeman Co., TN and settled in the Springhill community of central AL in the early 1830's. John married Jane "Steward" York, daughter of John and Nancy Steward, on 2 Jun 1836. They lived in the Bethlehem community near Mud Creek. They were the parents of 13 children of their own and raised one grandson, child of their daughter, Emily Jane Jackson. John and Jane are buried in Lamar Co., near Millport, AL, in Old Poplar Springs Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, which is located in a pasture on private property.
From a 1975 local newspaper article: "Chances are, the Old Popular Springs Primitive Baptist Church is one of the early burial grounds in Lamar County. The old church building is gone, and there has not been a burial in this cemetery for many years. It is off the beaten path.
Mrs. Calvin Coolidge [Iva Lois] Mordecai sent some colored pictures of markers in this cemetery to this newspaper and listed the inscriptions on them. She said, "Some of the monuments are still in good condition, and some are not, as you can see by the photographs made July 1, 1975. Below are a few of the early settlers buried here: Green M. Richards 1798-1878; William H. West (1799-1875), John Mordecai (1813-1897), William Stillman 1835-1885, Dr. Jas A. Gibson 1842-1872, Emerly C., wife of Dr. Silas Nalls 1830-1903, Thomas Gualt, born in Ireland, 1832, died 1873, Sacred to the Memory of Nancy A. Lee, departed this life December 22, 1859, 27 years, 6 months and 2 days."
---- Below are the Mordecais who are buried in the Old Poplar Springs Cemetery:
Mordecai, Andrew Jackson born April 16, 1853
Mordecai, Jane (Wife of John Mordecai) born Jan. 10, 1819 died Sep. 21, 1892
Mordecai, John born Mar. 25, 1813 died Apr. 27, 1897
Mordecai, John died Dec. 7, 1859 (5 yrs. 1 mo. 7 days
In 1840, John was living in Itawamba Co., MS, with his wife and 4 children, but by 1850, they were in Fayette Co., AL (now Lamar). John was 44, and a farmer with land valued at $400.
Some of John's neighbors were associated with the Confederate States Army. According to his great granddaughter, John was a Republican. She traced the threads of Republican voters from him through his entire family, which sent two sons to die in the Confederate Service. Why could he be so staunchly Republican, even during the Civil War era? Other family members speculate there were three reasons: (1) the family's close ties with the North, (2) the bipartisan nature of the family as a whole, and (3) the fact that Confederate conscription forced persons to serve who did not want to leave family and home.
At any rate, John and Jane sent their two oldest sons to fight and die in the Confederate army.
In Sep 2002, two Mordecai descendants visited Old Poplar Springs Cemetery. It is off Mud Creek Road in southern Lamar County. The property is now privately owned, but they obtained permission to visit. They found the graves of John and Jane Mordecai. The stones are broken, but still at the grave.
From a 1975 local newspaper article: "Chances are, the Old Popular Springs Primitive Baptist Church is one of the early burial grounds in Lamar County. The old church building is gone, and there has not been a burial in this cemetery for many years. It is off the beaten path.
Mrs. Calvin Coolidge [Iva Lois] Mordecai sent some colored pictures of markers in this cemetery to this newspaper and listed the inscriptions on them. She said, "Some of the monuments are still in good condition, and some are not, as you can see by the photographs made July 1, 1975. Below are a few of the early settlers buried here: Green M. Richards 1798-1878; William H. West (1799-1875), John Mordecai (1813-1897), William Stillman 1835-1885, Dr. Jas A. Gibson 1842-1872, Emerly C., wife of Dr. Silas Nalls 1830-1903, Thomas Gualt, born in Ireland, 1832, died 1873, Sacred to the Memory of Nancy A. Lee, departed this life December 22, 1859, 27 years, 6 months and 2 days."
---- Below are the Mordecais who are buried in the Old Poplar Springs Cemetery:
Mordecai, Andrew Jackson born April 16, 1853
Mordecai, Jane (Wife of John Mordecai) born Jan. 10, 1819 died Sep. 21, 1892
Mordecai, John born Mar. 25, 1813 died Apr. 27, 1897
Mordecai, John died Dec. 7, 1859 (5 yrs. 1 mo. 7 days
In 1840, John was living in Itawamba Co., MS, with his wife and 4 children, but by 1850, they were in Fayette Co., AL (now Lamar). John was 44, and a farmer with land valued at $400.
Some of John's neighbors were associated with the Confederate States Army. According to his great granddaughter, John was a Republican. She traced the threads of Republican voters from him through his entire family, which sent two sons to die in the Confederate Service. Why could he be so staunchly Republican, even during the Civil War era? Other family members speculate there were three reasons: (1) the family's close ties with the North, (2) the bipartisan nature of the family as a whole, and (3) the fact that Confederate conscription forced persons to serve who did not want to leave family and home.
At any rate, John and Jane sent their two oldest sons to fight and die in the Confederate army.
In Sep 2002, two Mordecai descendants visited Old Poplar Springs Cemetery. It is off Mud Creek Road in southern Lamar County. The property is now privately owned, but they obtained permission to visit. They found the graves of John and Jane Mordecai. The stones are broken, but still at the grave.
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