African American Cemeteries in Portsmouth, Virginia

The book Inscriptions in Triumph: Tombstone Inscriptions from the African American Cemeteries of Mt. Calvary, Mt. Olive, Fisher’s Hill, and Potter’s Field, Portsmouth, Virginia by Mae Breckenridge-Haywood and Dinah Walters (Author House, 2001) lists hundreds of interments and transcriptions from Portsmouth’s early African American burial grounds. It includes a selected number of photographs. Many burials were published on USGenWeb Archives Virginia.

Mrs. Breckenridge-Haywood is the former librarian of I.C. Norcom High School in the City and President of the African American Historical Society of Portsmouth, Virginia, Her advocacy for the preservation and promotion of African American history includes coordinating volunteer efforts to protect these cemeteries.

Thank you, Mae, for your dedication and hard work!

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Early African American Cemeteries in Portsmouth, Virginia

Mount Calvary, Mount Olive and Fisher’s Hill are early African American cemeteries in Portsmouth, Virginia. They’re adjacent to each other on a 13-acre plot.

A list of burials is available at the US Genweb Archives Portsmouth, Virginia but a more complete list of burials and photographs of tombstones can be found in Inscriptions of Triumph: Tombstone Inscriptions from the African American Cemeteries of Mt. Calvary, Mt. Olive, Fisher’s Hill, Portsmouth, Virginia by Mae Breckenridge-Haywood and Dinah Walters (Author House, 2001).

#africanamericancemeteries
#blackcemeteries

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