Oakdale Cemetery Removals to Rest Haven Cemetery in Wilson, NC, Highlighted by Gravestone Discoveries
The historical relocation of graves from Oakdale Cemetery, Wilson, North Carolina's first black public cemetery, to Rest Haven Cemetery in 1941, is being re-examined through the discovery of pre-1933 gravestones in Rest Haven. The city moved the graves due to the establishment of Rest Haven, but no official records detailing who was disinterred, reinterred, or their new locations have survived. However, a cluster of seven gravestones in Row E, Section 1 of Rest Haven Cemetery bears dates predating Rest Haven's establishment in 1933. While some of these burials might have originated from other cemeteries like Rountree or Odd Fellows, it is highly probable that most were originally from Oakdale. Notable individuals identified among these gravestones include Osborn Dunstan (died 1905), Mariah Dunstan (died 1896), Tommie Johnson (died 1902), Dewey L. Barnes (died 1912), Milby Hadley (died 1905), and Maggie Towe (died 1899). Census records from 1900 for Wilson, Wilson County, provide additional context for some... 
