Where History Converge
The Land, The People, The Legacy
The Land, The People, The Legacy
Harris Place Morning Star North Cemetery stands as a testament to the interconnected histories of Native Americans, enslaved Africans, early settlers, enslavers, and their descendants.
From approximately 1650 to 1860, enslaved Africans were forcibly transported to the United States through major ports such as Virginia, South Carolina, and
Harris Place Morning Star North Cemetery stands as a testament to the interconnected histories of Native Americans, enslaved Africans, early settlers, enslavers, and their descendants.
From approximately 1650 to 1860, enslaved Africans were forcibly transported to the United States through major ports such as Virginia, South Carolina, and New Orleans. Upon arrival, enslavers often recorded the date and location of the property as an enslaved person’s birthdate and birthplace. Although these individuals were born as free human beings in Africa, U.S. laws classified them as property, denying their humanity and erasing their true identities.
Enslavers assigned names, birthdates, and places of origin to the people they owned, resulting in incomplete or inaccurate historical records. Not until the 1870 U.S. Census—conducted after the Civil War and following the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862—were formerly enslaved individuals documented as human beings. Because of this, many African Americans today descend from ancestors whose histories were lost, destroyed, or never formally recorded.
The land on which the cemetery sits was originally inhabited by the Choctaw Nation. After the Creek Nation was defeated in 1813 by forces led by Andrew Jackson, the United States negotiated the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830, which transferred large portions of Choctaw land—including present‑day Sumter County, Alabama—to federal control. The Choctaw people lived, farmed, and buried their dead on this land until they were forcibly removed to Oklahoma in 1831 during the Trail of Tears. Their leader, Chief Pushmataha, died in 1824 while advocating in Washington, D.C. for the land rights promised to his people.
Following the 1830 land transfer, enslavers purchased large tracts of land in Alabama at low cost and brought enslaved laborers to cultivate it. Among these enslavers were Richard Harris, R.A. Clay, and Green W. Grant. One of the enslaved families brought to work these lands was that of Mose and Betsy Wallace and Mose’s brothers, whose descendants remained in the area for generations.
R.A. Clay owned the town of Cuba, Alabama, and his enslaved laborers built the Cuba Rail Station. Green W. Grant held the first deed to the cemetery property, served as a commissioner, fought for the Confederacy, and later sought a presidential pardon. Richard Harris married Elizabeth Grant, sister of Green Grant. Their daughter, Laura Harris, married Dr. Thomas Bourdeaux, and their daughter—also named Laura—became the first recorded burial in the cemetery in 1840. Dr. Bourdeaux, like many landowners of the period, also enslaved people.
Richard Harris established Harris Cemetery in 1840, now known as Harris Place Morning Star North Cemetery. It became the final resting place for Richard and Elizabeth Harris, Green W. Grant, members of the Bourdeaux family, Confederate and U.S. soldiers, Native Americans, enslaved individuals, early settlers, World War I and II veterans, and generations of families who remain connected to this historic ground.
The Land, The People, The Legacy
The Land, The People, The Legacy
The Land, The People, The Legacy
Mose and Betsy Wallace were born in Virginia in 1810 and brought to the United States as enslaved people. Their records reflect the year and location of their forced arrival, not their true birthplaces. As was common, their enslaver assigned them first and last names—typically short names paired with the enslaver’s surname—to identify the
Mose and Betsy Wallace were born in Virginia in 1810 and brought to the United States as enslaved people. Their records reflect the year and location of their forced arrival, not their true birthplaces. As was common, their enslaver assigned them first and last names—typically short names paired with the enslaver’s surname—to identify them as property. Like many enslaved people, they had no documents to verify their identities because they were taken from their homeland by force. Mose had several brothers who were also treated as property despite having been born free in Africa.
Mose, Betsy, and their family were later taken to Sumter County, Alabama, to work on their enslaver’s land. The exact year of their arrival, their marriage date, and the identities of their parents remain unknown. Together, Mose and Betsy had eight children: Mose Jr., Wash, Edward, Martha, Henry Clay, Thornton, George, and Caroline. Their children and grandchildren remained enslaved until emancipation in 1865. The 1870 U.S. Census lists Mose and Betsy living in Sumter County with several of their younger children. Many historical records were later lost due to major fires: the 1890 U.S. Census was destroyed in a fire at the Department of the Interior, and the 1901 fire at the Sumter County courthouse destroyed local birth, death, marriage, and land records.
Henry Clay Wallace, one of Mose and Betsy’s youngest children, was born enslaved in 1861. His first name was given by one enslaver, while his middle and last names came from two different enslavers. He and all his siblings were born into slavery. Henry Clay married Lou Gibbs in 1882, and they had several children: Mariah, John, Henry Jr., Emma, Matthew, Joseph, Chaney, Annie, Mary, and Robert (“Uncle Bob”). Three of their sons—Robert, Joseph, and Matthew—served in World War I; Matthew died while in service.
Henry Clay played a central role in building the Morning Star community. He co‑founded McGowen Elementary School and Morning Star Baptist Church, serving as a deacon and trustee alongside Professor Henry James Walker and Charles Gibbs. He also helped rename the community to Morning Star. Most residents were related through the Wallace, Gibbs, Walker, and Nixon families.
Lou Gibbs died in 1918 during a deadly flu outbreak, followed shortly by their children Mary and Joseph. Lou’s grandmother, Chammi, was a full‑blooded Choctaw Indian from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in Choctaw County, Alabama. Lou was the daughter of Wesly Gibbs and sister of Charles Gibbs. Naming children after parents, aunts, and uncles was a common tradition in the community.
The Morning Star community included a school, church, cemetery, and store that served as gathering places. Henry Clay and Henry Walker were considered among the more prosperous residents due to their land ownership and farming operations, which provided employment to others in the community. Henry Clay continued farming with the help of his children and grandchildren until his death in 1937 from a fall from his truck.
A significant part of Henry Clay’s legacy was the protection of the community cemetery. When the Wallace family purchased land from the Bourdeaux family in the 1800s, five acres of the forty‑acre tract were designated as cemetery grounds to safeguard the graves of families already buried there.
In his will, Henry Clay left his land and financial assets to his children and grandchildren. Though born enslaved, he dedicated his life to serving his family, his community, and his country. Mose, Betsy, Henry Clay, Lou Gibbs Wallace, Chammi, Joseph, Mary, and many others now rest in this cemetery alongside generations of their descendants.
Background of the Cemetery
The Land, The People, The Legacy
Background of the Cemetery
After the Civil War ended in 1865, many enslavers faced significant economic disruption due to the loss of free labor. Beginning in the 1880s, the Bourdeaux family began selling portions of their land to formerly enslaved individuals. The Wallace family pooled their resources and purchased substantial acreage from the Bourdeaux family, in
After the Civil War ended in 1865, many enslavers faced significant economic disruption due to the loss of free labor. Beginning in the 1880s, the Bourdeaux family began selling portions of their land to formerly enslaved individuals. The Wallace family pooled their resources and purchased substantial acreage from the Bourdeaux family, including the cemetery located on the property.
Between 1887 and 1927, Henry Clay Wallace acquired several hundred acres of land that included what was then known as Harris Cemetery. He purchased the property in part because many of his relatives were already buried there.
Before the 1880s, enslaved and formerly enslaved people were typically buried on the land of their enslavers, as they did not own property. These burials were often unmarked and located in wooded areas, commonly referred to as slave cemeteries. Henry Clay’s parents, his wife Lou’s mother (who died in the late 1860s), and numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, and community members were buried there prior to the Bourdeaux land sale. Many additional family members continued to be buried there to remain close to their loved ones.
Henry Clay later renamed the cemetery “Morning Star Cemetery,” though many in the community referred to it as “The Wallace Cemetery.” Prominent community members—including Professor Henry James Walker, Thornton Wallace, Wash Wallace, Private Joseph Wallace, James Nixon, and many of their relatives—were also laid to rest there.
Despite the name changes over the years, official death records continued to list the burial site as Harris Cemetery. For this reason, families researching their loved ones should search using the cemetery name recorded at the time of death (Harris, Wallace, or Morning Star).
Henry Clay, along with Henry James Walker, Charles Gibbs, James Nixon, Wash Wallace, and Thornton Wallace, served as trustees of Morning Star Baptist Church. They were instrumental in renaming the community from “Old Dove Town” to “Morning Star,” securing land, and helping establish the McGowen Grammar School, which served many local children.
World War I brought significant hardship to the community. Many young men were drafted, the local economy declined, school enrollment dropped, and state funding was reduced. Some soldiers never returned, leaving widows and children behind. Others who returned in uniform were killed due to racial violence fueled by foreign newspaper portrayals of Black soldiers as equals. Henry Clay’s son, Matthew Wallace, was killed in Poland in 1918, only six months after enlisting. During World War II, many of Henry’s grandsons and nephews also served, and several did not return home.
Henry Clay Wallace died in 1937 and bequeathed part of his property—including the cemetery—to his grandson, Ras Miller, with the intention that it remain in the Morning Star community, never be sold, and stay within the family for generations.
In 1984, Ras Miller lost half of his land, including the southern portion of the cemetery. Although he fought the matter in court until his death, he never regained ownership. The Morning Star Baptist Church later purchased the southern portion, while the northern portion was passed through Ras Miller’s will to his grandchildren, who still own it. Over time, the cemetery became overgrown due to lack of maintenance. The northern section was later damaged during unauthorized timber harvesting, resulting in the loss of headstones, markers, trees, and other features that once helped families locate graves. As a result, many burial locations and identities were lost.
Today, efforts to restore and document the cemetery rely on family memories, personal records, U.S. Census data, and historical documents from formerly enslaved individuals to help reconstruct burial information.
If you have additional information about this cemetery—formerly known as Harris Cemetery, Morning Star Cemetery, or Wallace Cemetery, and now known as Harris Place Morning Star North Cemetery—please contact us at morningstarcemetery2@gmail.com.
Help Our Cause
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and improve conditions. Your generous donation will fund our mission. We are accepting donations to help restore the cemetery and install a headstone for each gravesite that was loss or destroyed. All donations are tax deductible and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax exempt organization.
