Osyka Jewish Cemetery
Kirksville, LA
April 22, 2012
Photo by Lynn Franklin
Osyka Jewish Cemetery
Kirksville, LA
April 22, 2012
Photo by Lynn Franklin
Not far from the bustling traffic of Interstate 55 between Hammond Louisiana and the Mississippi border lies the remote and, until recently, abandoned Jewish Cemetery of Osyka. Actually located in Kirksville, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, a few hundred yards below the Mississippi border, the cemetery can be reached by car. Take I-55 to Mississippi Exit 1, just north of the Louisiana state line. Exit going east on Route 584, towards Osyka, 1.8 miles to the stop sign. Turn right (south) on Route 51, also called Second Street. Travel .9 mile on Route 51, crossing the Mississippi/Louisiana border (no sign). Turn left at German Cemetery Road. Then, bear left at the fork, which comes up almost immediately. The German Cemetery is behind an iron fence and gate on the left. The Jewish Cemetery lies within German Cemetery at the back (northeast corner), with a brick wall (partially standing) around it. You can drive about one hundred yards past the gate to the German Cemetery, and enter the Jewish Cemetery through the broken wall on the south side. The gate of the Jewish Cemetery was weighted closed at the time of this transcription.
Many of the tombstones bear the mark of the firm that manufactured them--Kursheedt & Bienvenu, Camp Street, New Orleans. This firm specialized in marble works, and was later absorbed by Albert Weiblen Marble and Granite Company. Weiblen had been the foreman at Kursheedt & Bienvenue before buying it out in 1887 to start his own business. We did not attempt to raise two heavy stones which were lying face down, for fear of breaking them or injuring ourselves. However, we would be happy to return to record these markers if someone living in the area can raise them safely or assist us in doing so. We may, however, have a good idea who these markers stand for. Starting at the southwest corner, there is a plot for two people that contains a granite tombstone facedown. There is a small footstone at the bottom of one of these graves marked ‘Tena’. This is quite possibly the burial site of Ernestine Grunau Young, whom we know is buried here. Also, it is possible, perhaps likely, that her husband, David Young, is buried there next to her. There is another tombstone that is facedown, and therefore we were unable to read it. That stone may be for Isaiah Cerf, also known to be buried here. There appeared to be one or two other places that looked like grave sites, but had no tombstone at the time we did our research. Information entered in purple represents data not found on the tombstones themselves.
Osyka defies by the current appearance its role in the nineteenth century as a commercial, transportation and lumber crossroads. You can learn more about the town and its history on the Internet, and specifically at the entry for Osyka, Mississippi in the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. Its history goes back to 1812, when Jesse Redmond, who is considered its founder, arrived from the East Coast. Jesse settled on the east side of Osyka, near the Tangipahoa River. He fought with Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans, and later married Elizabeth Calter and reared his children in Osyka. "Osyka" was the name of a Choctaw Indian princess, according to local legend.
Here also is a revealing excerpt from The Ancestors of Geroge & Hazel Mullins, by Philip Mullins (University of Texas, 1994-2005):
Once the railroad reached the site of Osyka, construction slowed and for two years Osyka was the northern terminus of the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad. In 1877 the Illinois Central bought out the N. J. and G. N. that by this time was a through route from New Orleans to Chicago. As the terminus of the railroad, Osyka was briefly the center of a large trade area. The railroad made the long overnight trips by ox wagon to Madisonville or Covington unnecessary. Hundreds of wealthy people from New Orleans made the 88-mile trip to Osyka as tourists simply to see the country, ride the railroad and enjoy a picnic lunch in Osyka. Many people came to Osyka to live. Included were about 50 families of German Jews from Prussia and Bavaria in Germany and Alsace in France. They came to America to escape the troubles following the revolutions of 1848 or as refugees from European anti-Semitism. They were industrious people. They built the first school in Osyka, the first bakery, the first butcher shop and the first barber shop. They set up dozens of places of business and their own synagogue. The synagogue was the first religious organization in Osyka. The first churches, one Episcopal and the other Presbyterian, were not constituted until 1859, some two years later.
Finally,in 2011, according to an article in Southern Jewish Life (December 2011), Sandy Lassen, head of the Chevra Kadisha (burial society) in New Orleans, initiated a serious effort to clear and maintain this cemetery. Perhaps in time, the fallen stones will be restored and the Jews of Osyka returned from oblivion.
Osyka Jewish Cemetery
Kirksville, LA
April 22, 2012
Photo by Lynn Franklin
Osyka Jewish Cemetery German Cemetery Road Kirksville, Louisiana 70444 Copyright © 2012 Lynn Franklin All rights reserved. Surname Birth Name Birth Date Death Date Inscription Comment Hebrew? Note Cahn Adolph Sept. 10, 1819 Oct. 6, 1878 Born in Gersheim, Rhein Pfalz, Bavaria . . . Cahn Emile . Oct. 29, 1880 A native of Bavaria Died at Osaka, Miss. Aged 36 years I O B B Hebrew Menachem bar Arieh Ha-Cohen Cahn Lena Mar. 26, 1854 Nov. 17, 1898 Our mother, our sunbeam She always made home happy . . Cerf Emanuel Apr. 10, 1854 Oct. 15, 1878 Born in Amite County, Miss Died at Osyka, Miss. Hebrew Menachem Bar Isaiah Cerf Isaiah May 15, 1828 Oct. 7, 1878 Born in Haguenau, Alsace Died in Osyka, MS Cerf Estelle May 18, 1828 June 8, 1902 . . Hebrew . Cohn Polina Jan. 1, 1839 Oct. 22, 1888 Born in Fordon, Prussia Wife of Simon Cohn . . Dryfuss Lehman 1855 Oct. 23, 1878 A native of R_ass. Duppigheim I O B B Hebrew . Hart Mary Dec. 20, 1828 Sept. 30, 1878 Born at Pwidz, Prussia Died at Osyka, Miss Relict of Hyman Hart Hebrew Mariam wife of Haim Hart Hart Susan Jacobowski . Nov. 17, 1878 A native of Witkowo, Prussia Age 65 Relict of Joseph Hart Died at Osyka, Miss. Hebrew Susan wife of Joseph Hart Heuman Isaac July 11, 1861 Sept. 29, 1878 Beloved son of Moses & Sarah Heuman Born at Osyka, Miss. Hebrew Itzhak bar Moshe Heuman Moses 1827 1900 . . . . Heuman Sara 1822 1899 . . . . Heuman Sarah Apr. 10, 1800 May 8, 1883 Died Osyka, Miss The hoary head is a crown of glory. H . Keiffer Blanche Apr. 22, 1883 Sept. 7, 1883 Daughter of Leopold & Carrie Keiffer . H . Levine Jacob . Sept. 26, 1881 A native of Prussia Died in New Orleans Aged 47 Years . . Levy Hannah 1851 1899 . . . . Moyse Jules May 31, 1852 Dec. 1, 1878 Born at Les Etangs, France Died at Osyka, Miss. H Ya'acov bar Shmuel Mundt Bunna 1808 Dec . 12, 1881 Born in Witkowo, Prussia . Hebrew Bunna bat Yehuda Mundt Mundt Moritz . Oct. 23, 1886 A native of Posen, Prussia Aged 44 years H . Myers Mary . Aug. 26, 1881 5641 Wife of Lewis Myers Born Powiz, Prussia Aged 47 years Hebrew . Wolf Harriet Mock June 29, 1829 Mar. 23, 1906 Born at Mertzweiler, Alsace Died in New Orleans, LA. H . Wolf Henry Sept. 19, 1873 Oct. 10, 1878 Beloved son of Samuel and Henriette Wolf Born in Osyka, Miss. Hebrew Naftali bar Shmuel Wolf Lazar Feb. 11, 1826 Aug. 4, 1900 Native of Bushweiler Alsace . H . Wolf Mina . Aug. 31, 1890 Born at Lambsheim, Bavaria, Germany Wife of L Wolf Died Osyka, Miss. Aged 60 years H . Wolf Myer Jan. 24, 1857 Oct. 24, 1878 Beloved son of Samuel and Henriette Wolf Born in Amite Co. Miss Hebrew Meir bar Smuel Wolf Samuel May 10, 1824 June 26, 1899 Born at Buchsweiler, Alsace Died at Osyka, Miss. H . Young Ernestine Grunau May 8, 1861 Oct. 5, 1900 Born in Germany June 1870 'Tena' Wife of David Young, Married circa 1897 . .
Osyka Jewish Cemetery
Kirksville, LA
April 22, 2012
Photo by Lynn Franklin
