The following article is a research paper completed by Madison Boyette during the summer of 2013. Madi is a student at the University of Vermont. Our thanks to Madi for sharing her information.
Old Vaughn Cemetery of Molino, Florida
Located on two and one-half acres of land at the end of Fillingim Lane in Molino, Florida. From FL Hwy 29, turn right onto Molino Road and follow until you reach Jahaza Road; turn right until the road dead-ends into Fairground Road; turn right. Turn left onto the first street on Fairground Road; this is Fillingim Lane. Follow until the road ends; pull up to the metal gate with a lock on it and walk 50 yards through a path in the woods until you come upon the cemetery.
Old Vaughn Cemetery, as it is known by the locals, was established between 1834 and 1848 when the first interment occurred and was established by Thomas Cooper. Thomas Cooper, a Virginia born man, came to Pensacola with Andrew Jackson and in 1834 established what was known as Durant's Bluff which is known as Molino, FL. When Cooper arrived, he established a saw mill on Escambia River which is less than a mile from the cemetery and a grist mill on a stream that is less that 50 yards from the cemetery. When first established the Old Vaughn Cemetery was then known as the Cooper Cemetery, most likely because Thomas Cooper founded the cemetery but may also have been started as a family cemetery as the first interments were two of Thomas Cooper's children. After a few years, there were interments that were not only the Cooper family and it became a community cemetery for the community of Durant's Bluff. Unfortunately, today very few people know about the cemetery and if they do know about it, they are unsure of the location. It's secluded area is not exactly an open invitation to come visit the cemetery and learn about those resting there.
The cemetery is the final resting place of people of Caucasian decent as well as African-American decent and Native American Indians. Many of the deceased in the cemetery that are of African-American decent are along the edge of the property in a heavily wooded area. This reflects the ideologies of the time period when the cemetery was most popular. There is even a grave of a German or Polish individual. This cemetery has many graves that are marked only with bricks and some that appear to be unmarked, assumed by the sunken-in spots in the ground.
In the cemetery you will find symbols of lambs, books, drapes, flowers and crosses on the headstones of those interred here. Along the open area of the cemetery on the western side you will fin a grave of a young child with a lamb on the headstone representing the innocence of children. Faith and religion are common themes of symbols and epitaphs throughout the cemetery as this was and is a religious area.
The main part of the cemetery is within a concrete-block wall that encases the Cooper family, the Vaughn family, the Fillingim family, and the Harris family. The rest of the cemetery is mostly spread out along the property.
Along the west side of the cemetery there are the graves of two Confederate soldiers: 1st Sergeant William Trimmer, CO B 1, Fla Inf CSA, born in 1835, died 1919; and Francis Terry, CO F 28 GA Arty CSA. In the northwest corner of the cemetery are the graves of several children and a few adults. On the eastern side of the cemetery there are two fenced in family lots which are of the Sunday family and the Mims family. In the Sunday family lot, there is a marker for J. H. Moore who was a Woodsman of the World. J. H. Moore married Harrison and Danise Sunday's daughter, Mercy.
If you follow a path by these plots through the woods, you will find the grave of Dr. Allen Stevens as well as a few other graves. In order to reach the plots along the eastern edge of the property, you must go back to the entrance of the cemetery and follow a cut-out path through the woods and turn left when you reach a fence post. If you continue along the fence you will first reach the grave of Reverend H. H. Henderson, born July 18, 1852, died August 15, 1913. Reverend H. H. Henderson presumably lived in Molino, FL, but he did many marriages in the city of Pensacola as well as marriages in Molino. He mostly did colored weddings and due to the ideologies at the time, this would indicate that he was most likely an African-American man. Reverend H. H. Henderson was actually married by Joseph B. Vaughn who is interred in the cemetery as well.
If you continue down the path along the fence you will see on your left what used to be a standing fence with one marked grave and one what appears to be unmarked grave. The grave with a headstone is of J. E. Long, son of Paulina Beard. While there is no information on J. E. Long, Paulina Beard was a servant to William Trimmer, one of the Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery. According to the U.S. Census at the time, Paulina Beard was listed as a servant, not as a slave, but it was known that William Trimmer did have a few slaves and Paulina was most likely one of his slaves.
Once you reach another fence post, you will turn left down another small path through the woods. If you look to your left as you are walking you will come to two headstones. One is hand-carved in italics. Unfortunately this headstone is illegible die to weathering; the only information on the headstone is 1875 and Molino, FLA. Most likely this was a person of color due to their location within the cemetery and they probably could not afford a well-made headstone that would document their existence.
The most notables in the cemetery would be the Cooper and Vaughn family, which are located within the concrete wall. If you walk into the concrete area, about midway you will see a large monument; this is the family monument for the Cooper family. Thomas Cooper was born in Virginia in 1778 and died in 1863. In 1829 he marred Harriet Josephine Parsons, born in 1805 in Washington, D.C. When she died is unknown because she does not have a marker at the cemetery. Together they had ten children: Mary Louise, born 1830, died August 4, 1836; Caroline Augusta, born 1832, died 1910; Harriet Josephine, born 1834, died 1918; Sarah Ann, born 1835, died 1913; Thomas Lewis, born 1837, died 1848; Charles E., born 1838, died 1862; Jesse Byrd, born 1839, died 1911; Mary Louise 2nd, born 1842, died 1925; Rosella, born 1844, died 1848; and Henry S., born 1847, died 1931. The Cooper family lost three young children in the 1830's and 40's most likely due to illness because of the lack of modern medicine in the 19th century. Not all of the Cooper family is buried in the cemetery as some of the family moved and some many be buried there but marked with the family monument. Many of the Cooper children married others and are not buried in the cemetery, presumably because they are buried with their spouses.
The markers for the family that is buried in do not have symbols on them. The markers and monument use raised lettering which was common for the time period. On the family monument, it has Thomas Cooper on the front, Thomas Lewis Cooper on the right-hand side and Jesse Byrd Cooper on the lef-hand side. None of the females have a marker in the cemetery except for Rosella Copper. It is possible that they are buried there and simply do not have a marker. The markers for the Cooper family were made out of marble. This was common for the time period, but marble was more susceptible to lichen and algae. Marble did seem to resist weathering more than other materials used at the time.
The Cooper family had a large impact on Molino, Florida, as well as Escambia County, Florida. As stated before, Thomas Cooper established what is now known as Molino, but he also established the saw and grist mill. Though these no longer exist today, they were very significant at the time and brought a lot of business and people north of Pensacola. The legacy of Thomas Cooper is a very important part of the history of Molino that most do not know about due to the secluded nature of the cemetery.
The Cooper family became related to the Vaughn family when Caroline Augusta Cooper married Joseph B. Vaughn and Reverend H. H. Henderson performed the wedding. Caroline and Joseph or J.B., had seven children: William Thomas, born 1853, died 1924; Mattie Vaughn, born 1854, died 1883; RW, no dates; Charley, born about 1862, death unknown; Fannie, dates unknown; Alice, born about 1870, death unknown; and Annie, born about 1872, death unknown. J.B. Vaughn was a Captain in the Civil War in the B Co. FL 3rd Battn Cavalry. He fought in many battles in Florida and across the South. He did transfer into the D Co. CS 15th Cavalry, but on April 15, 1865, he surrendered.
The headstone for Caroline and J.B. are common of the time period. Often the wife was on the left and husband on the right. On their headstone, there is an urn which in the Victorian Era symbolized the soul compared to modern meanings of the death of the flesh. The markers for Caroline and J.B. were made out of marble, which was common for the time period, but with the other Vaughn family members, most are made out of granite. Granite became widely used in the late 19th century, as it was very resistant to weathering and plant life growing on the marker as well as being very easy to clean. It is surprising that there are more markers of the Vaughn family in the cemetery than the Cooper family, as the Cooper family was much larger than the Vaughn family. This might be due to the fact that many of the Cooper family moved away from Escambia County, Florida, whereas the Vaughn family members seemed to stay in Escambia County.
There you have it, the Old Vaughn Cemetery. It is a rather old cemetery dating back to the mid-1800's and is one of the oldest cemeteries in Escambia County, Florida. Old Vaughn is home to some very important people such as Thomas Cooper, founder of Molino and J.B. Vaughn, Captain in the Civil War, Justice of the Peace, and active community member, William Trimmer, and Francis Terry, Civil War soldiers, and many others who made a lasting impact on Molino, Florida. Molino would not be the same town that it is without the contribution of those interred in the cemetery. Not many know or visit this cemetery due to its secluded location, but do not let this stop you from uncovering the history in this cemetery.
To Learn More:
Molino Mid-Country Historical Society, http://oldmolino.org/
Rootsweb: Finding Our Roots Together, http://rootsweb.ancestory.com/
West Florida Genealogical Society, Inc. (WFGS), http://rootsweb.ancestory.com/flwfgs
By: Madi Boyett
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