In 1895, county commissioners took up “a matter of importance,” the issue of “providing a suitable burying ground for the colored people” (which suggests that the old burial ground was critically unsuitable.) The location of the “new” cemetery is memorialized in the name of Cemetery Street. It was variously called the colored cemetery, Oaklawn, Oakland and, most commonly, Oakdale cemetery.
Most of the burials below were gleaned from the records of undertakers Wootten & Stevens. Oakdale accepted burials until the 1920s, but is rarely designated on death certificates. Prior to World War II, those records most often referred to “colored cemetery,” which could have been Oakdale, Rountree, Odd Fellows, Masonic or Vick cemeteries.
- Barham, Hattie. Wilson. Died 30 April 1898, aged 22 years, of consumption. Wife of Alex Barham. Church funeral and burial at Oak Dale cemetery.
- Barron, Alex. Wilson. Died 22 March 1899, aged 30 years, of consumption. Funeral at house. Burial in Oak Dale cemetery.
- Battle, Turner. Wilson. Died 16 January 1899, aged 46, shot to death. Burial in Oakdale cemetery.
- Beckham, Junius. Wilson. Died 24 September 1898, aged 9 months, of pneumonia. Burial in Colored Cemetery.
- Best, Edward. Wilson. Died 29 May 1898. Funeral at Church. Burial in Oak Dale cemetery.
- Best, Sylvia. Wilson. Died 17 May 1897, aged 65 years, of consumption. Mother of Ben Best. Funeral at home. Burial in Oak Dale cemetery.
- Boykin, [no first name]. Wilson County. Died 18 November 1896, aged 8 months. Child of John Boykin. Burial in Oak Dale cemetery.
- Bullock, Gladiss. Wilson. Died 10 October 1897, of brain fever. Funeral at home. Burial at Oak Dale cemetery.
- Bynum, Lucy. Wilson. Died 12 November 1898, aged 75 years, of old age. Mother of Wright George Cooper and Amos Bynum. Burial in Oakdale cemetery.
- Campbell, Fanny. Near Wilson. Colored. Died 25 August 1897, of worms, aged 4 years, 8 months. Buried in Oak Wood cemetery.
- Cherry, Flora. Died 11 September 1898. Funeral at church. Burial in Oakdale cemetery. “Flora Cherry was a member of the Burial Association and [was] buried by said Association.”
- Clayton, Lucy. Died 23 September 1897, aged 1 month, 14 days. Burial in Oakdale cemetery.
- Darden, Olive Oleta. Wilson. Died 6 April 1898, age 5 months 11 days, of bronchitis. Daughter of Charlie and Diana Darden. Funeral and burial at Oak Dale cemetery.
- Farmer, _____. Wilson. Died 14 January 1899, of croup. Billed to John Wash Farmer. Buried in Oakdale cemetery.
- Freeman, James. Wilson. Died 21 May 1899, age 29 years 2 months 10 days, of consumption. Buried in colored cemetery.
- Gaffney, Andrew. Wilson. Died 6 January 1898. Billed to brother William Gotny [Gaffney]. Buried in colored cemetery.
- Hill, Edgar. Wilson. Died 20 October 1897, age 16 years, of consumption. Son of Henrietta Hill and brother of Richard Norwood‘s wife. Funeral at home. Burial at Oak Dale cemetery.
- Jackson, Rosa. Wilson. Died 5 July 1898, age 10 months, of cholera infantum. Child of Jos. S. Jackson. Funeral at home. Buried colored Oakdale cemetery.
- Jenkins, Annie Monite. Wilson. Died 20 May 1899, aged 24 years, of consumption. Daughter of Monite Jenkins. Buried Oak Dale cemetery.
- Jones, Estelle. Wilson. Died 20 December 1896, age 9 months of fever. Buried at colored cemetery.
- Jones, Gillie. Wilson. Died 31 October 1897, age 51 years, of bowel consumption. Wife of Alex Jones. Funeral at home. Buried at Oakdale cemetery.
- Jordan, Ned. Wilson. Died 2 February 1898, age 65 years. Father of Charlotte Aycock. Buried in colored cemetery.
- Lindsey, Frank. Wilson. Died 31 December 1898, age 27, of dropsy. Funeral at home. Buried at Oakdale cemetery. Billed to William Lindsey.
- Mabry, James. Wilson. Died 15 June 1897, of consumption. Buried in colored cemetery. Bill to L.A. Moore.
- Matthews, Tom. Wilson. Died 28 May 1899, age 37 years. Buried in colored cemetery. Billed to Town of Wilson. “Killed by Policeman George Mumford in the discharge of his duty. Coroner’s Inquest gave the above verdict.”
- Mobley, Isaac. Wilson. Died 4 March 1899, age 21 years, of consumption. Buried in Oakdale cemetery.
- Moore, ____. Wilson. Died 23 July 1898. Wife of Andrew Moore. Buried in colored cemetery.
- Moore, ____. Wilson. Died 25 August 1898. Child of Henry Moore. Funeral in Methodist church. Buried in colored cemetery.
- Moore, Lelia. Wilson. Died 6 February 1897, age 3 months, of a severe cold. Buried in Oak Dale cemetery. Billed to Bryant Moore.
- Newkirk, Fenner. Wilson. Died 18 July 1897, age 28 years, of brain fever. Billed to Bettie Newkirk. Buried at Oak Dale Cemetery.
- Parker, Harriet Jones. Wilson. Died 26 May 1898. Billed to Doane Herring. Burial at Oak Dale cemetery.
- Parker, Stanley. Wilson. Died 2 August 1898, age 65, of old age. Funeral at home. Buried at Oak Dale cemetery.
- Ransom, _____. Wilson. Died 19 February 1897 of “locked bowels.” “Was barber for long time.” Funeral at church. Buried in colored cemetery. Billed to Colored Odd Fellows. [Probably Hugh T. Ransom.]
- Rogers, Marion L. Wilson. Died 26 April 1898, aged 5 months. Son of Wesley Rogers “who works with the American Tobacco Co.” Buried in colored cemetery.
- Rowe, Annie Bill. Wilson. Died 16 August 1898, aged 3 months 16 days. “Child was left by her mother with Ben Parks and never came back.” Buried in old colored cemetery.
- Sharp, _____. Rocky Mount. Died 14 January 1899. Daughter of Sampson Sharp. “Died at Rocky Mt. & was brought to Wilson for interment.” Burial in Oakdale cemetery.
- Sharp, Nellie. Wilson township. Colored. Died 20 December 1897, aged 58 years. Buried in Oak Dale cemetery. Billed to Wilson Sharp.
- Simms, _____. Wilson. Died 9 May 1898, of pneumonia. “Simms was a young man who had the misfortune to get both feet cut off by a R.R. train.” Buried in Oak Dale Cemetery. Billed to Lee Moore.
- Stallings, Mary. Wilson. Died 15 June 1898, deranged, aged 20 years, 19 days. Funeral at home. Buried in “old section” of Oakdale cemetery. Billed to Gilbert Stallings.
- Strickland, _____. Wilson. Died 8 June 1899. Wife of Marcellus Strickland. Buried in colored cemetery.
- Sugg, _____. Wilson. Died 4 April 1898, age 22, of fever. Billed to Haywood Best. Buried in Oakdale cemetery.
- Sutton, William R. Wilson. Colored. Died 4 August 1897, aged 6 months. Child of Aider Sutton. Funeral at church. Burial in old cemetery.
- Thompson, Arthur. Wilson. Colored. Died 12 May 1897, of cold and measles, aged 1 year 3 months. Son of Isaac Thompson. Buried in Oak Dale cemetery.
- Thorp, _____. Colored. Died 27 February 1897. Length 2’6″. Buried in colored cemetery. Billed to Edith Thorp.
- Towe, _____. Wilson. Colored. Died 23 April 1899. Child of George W. Towe. Buried in colored cemetery.
- Towe, Maggie I. Wilson. Colored. Died 15 April 1899, aged 39 years 4 months 18 days, in childbirth. Wife of Prof. G.W. Towe, a “teacher in the Col. Graded School.” Funeral in Methodist Church. Burial in colored cemetery. [Maggie Towe’s grave was moved to Rest Haven, where her headstone now stands.]
- Vick, Viola Leroy. Wilson. Colored. Died 7 September 1897, of malarial fever, aged 2 years 10 months. Daughter of S.H. Vick. Buried in colored cemetery. [Viola Vick’s headstone was recently discovered in Odd Fellows cemetery in the Vick family plot. She was likely disinterred and reburied to that location.]
- Wilkins, Mary. Wilson. Colored. Died 27 March 1899, age 43, of “internal tumor.” “Mary was wife of Redmond Wilkins, was in bad health for a long time, was a good woman.” Billed to Col. Mason. Buried in colored cemetery.
