Protecting Our Historic Flags 

Friar Alister Anderson died in April 2018, (see our tribute to him on our latest news 2018 webpage). He served as one of our board members for several years. May God have mercy on his Soul and All Souls. Amen.

In 1994 the Cumberland Mayor & City Council removed not only the Confederate flag from city hall, but all historical American flags that once flew over the city. The Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization condemned this action against our nation, and still does to this day. We must protect and preserve all of our nation’s great history and heritage.

During April, Confederate History Month, The Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization is promoting the Third National Confederate flag. The CHCO offers this great historic Christian American symbol of purchase year round. (See Flag page) During April, members are flying this flag at their homes and placing them on Confederate graves. Pictured at the grave of Confederate soldier James Pollock are CHCO Secretary Linda Burgess, Renice Pollock, a descendant of James, and CHCO Maintenance Chairman Chester Dale Burgess.

In 2001 the CHCO restored and adopted the rich Confederate Pollock Family Cemetery, located in Mexico Farms, just south of Cumberland. (See Adopted Cemeteries Page.)

For Confederate History Sally Stern places a Navel Jack on the grave of soldier Uriah Lease located at Euesbia Church and Cemetery in the Patterson Creek area of Mineral County, W.Va.

Ed & Kelly Taylor place the Navel Jack and Third National Confederate Flags at the grave of Captain George Sheetz at Eusabia Cemetery, Patterson Creek, W.Va.

Members Sally Stern and CHCO Vice President Mel Collins display Confederate Battle Flag and First National at a grave which is located in located in SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery, Cumberland, Md.

Members Ed Taylor, Kelly Taylor and Sally Stern place First National Confederate Flag on the grave of Adam Schaefer, located at St. Lukes Cemetery, Cumberland.

Each year the CHCO attends the Confederate Jackson-Lee Day at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md. This is an event which marks the birthdays of the two great generals just days apart. Many members of the Sons of Confederate Soldiers attend.

Photo, the event, CHCO places their official wreath during ceremony durin January 13, 2000 event. For Jackson-Lee information, call 410-296-9235.

June 2000, CHCO members and sons of Confederate Veterans pose for a photo at the Confederate monument at Indian Mound Cemetery, Romney, WVa. This photo was taken after a ceremony by the Hampshire County, WVa. Historical Society’s Confederate Ceremony

Monument of Confederate Soldier James Pollock, Pollock Family Cemetery. Mexico Farms, South of Cumb. Erected 2001.

Confederate Soldier John Van Horn. Located St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Cumb. Erected 2003.

Sumner Cemetery

Adopted January 1990. Sumner Cemetery is located on Yale St. in Cumberland. President Ed Taylor Jr. commented when adopted this site it was by far in one of the worst conditions of any cemeteries he had ever seen. The cemetery was covered with trash and in most areas grass and weeds were over teen feet tall.

This is Allegany County�s first all Black Cemetery. The land was given to a small black organization in 1884 called the Sons of Sumner by a Cumberland Confederate family, the McKaigs. More than half the graves are unmarked. No map or records exist to locate graves. Many stones are small marble stones in bad condition. During cemetery restoration in 1990 members found the graves of six black Union Civil War Soldiers of the U.S.C.T. In less than a year the CHCO raised enough funds to build a monument dedicated to the soldiers. It was unveiled by CHCO member, the late Cumberland Major Harry Stern during Memorial Day 1991. Since then the organization holds a Memorial Day service at this site each year. At various times of the year school groups tour the cemetery. Certain areas of the cemetery have been left to grow over, however monuments are checked from time to time. There are very little funds to care for this cemetery.

 Photo: Rev. Daniel Wright speaks a Memorial Day Ceremony at the CHCO Civil War Union Souls Monument.

The monument erected in 1991, was featured in the Maryland Civil War Monuments Book “Lest We Forget” by Susan Soderburg.

Pollock Cemetery

September 6 , 2001 – CHCO unveils marker at Pollock grave
* rewritten from Cumberland Times-News

Mexico Farms – The Cumberland Historic Cemetery organization recently unveiled its monument at the gravesite of Confederate soldier James D. Pollock. The grave is located in the Pollock Cemetery near the C&O Canal in Mexico Farms.

James Dickson Pollock was born Aug. 27, 1841, in Cumberland, the son of Joseph W.H. Pollock and Hannah Katherine (Vanmeter) Pollock. At the age of 20, he traveled to Romney, W.Va, to enlist in the Confederate Army. He served in Company F, 7th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry, also known as Ashby’s Cavalry. Post war records show he was briefly captured in Moorefield, W.Va, on Dec. 3, 1862.

On July 3, 1863, during the three-day battle of Gettysburg, Pa., He is exchanged at Cox’s Landing at the James River on Feb. 15, 1865.

After the war, Pollock returned to his farm in Cumberland. In 1896, at the age of 55, he marries Nellie Morris and the couple have two sons and four daughters, Winnie Davis, June Bertha, Edith James and Edward. In 1915 he moved to Barton.

Pollock received the Confederate Cross of Honour from the Daughters of the Confederacy.

Pollock died on Jan. 27, 1916, and was returned to his family’s farm to be buried.

Master of ceremonies was CHCO President Edward Taylor Jr. Speakers were Michael Williams of the Col. Harry W. Gilmor Camp Sons of Confederate Veterans.; Kristen Kraske, president of the Coalition to Protect Burial Sites; Jerry Baxley, chairman of the Southern Party and Southern National Committee; and Earl H. Kepler, chairman of the Southern Party of Maryland.

The history of James Pollock was read by Kelly Taylor. The wreath-laying was conducted by CHCO Secretary Linda Burgess. The monument was unveiled by CHCO Vice President Melvin Collins and James Pollock, grandson of the honoree. CHCO board member Philip Carder was soloist and prayers were lead by CHCO Chaplin James Klipstein Sr.

Harold Scott author of “The Civil War Era in Cumberland and nearby Keyser, W.Va.” attended the ceremony and a combined color guard was present.

For many years, only a worn handmade stone marked the grave. The Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization installed a four-foot upright granite head-stone and a grave-sized ledger crypt. Engraved on the crypt is the history of Pollock at the foot of the grave is a black iron Confererate cross. The cross was donated by the Col. Gilmor Camp. A flag pole was installed by Philip Carder and holds the third National Confederate Flag.

Each year the Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization erects several monuments. Since 1983, the organization has erected hundreds of monuments from Micanopy, Fla. to Cumberland. For more information on the organization visit the Web site at www.chco-online.org.

Photos of Pollock Monument Ceremony
– Sunday, August 12, 2001

Sallie Pollock

In April 2007 (Confederate History Month), the CHCO engraved a large plaque on Confederate spy John Brady’s monument located at the Seymour-Brady Cemetery in Seymour’s Bottom, West Virginia. Photo was taken of those in attendance after the plaque was unveiled. The plaque reads:

Born April 29th, 1943 in Hampshire County, Virginia, John C. Brady was the son of Samuel D. Brady and Susan Parsons. John married Carrie S. Seymour in 1865, the DO of Felix R Seymour and Elizabeth Ann Welton. He was taught farming and cattle breeding business by both father and father in law. Although he did not serve in the Confederate Army like his brother Isaac T. Brady in the VA Cavalry, he did his part for the war for southern independence on the night of Feb. 20th, 1865. John C. Brady traveled to Cumberland staying late studying the number and locations of the union troops. Stationed his reconnaissance assisted Lt. Jesse McNeil and his capture of Maj Gen George Crook and Brig Gen F Kelley. Lt. Jesse McNeil’s Capture of Crook and Kelley would later be described as one of the most daring raids of the US Civil War 1861-1865.
Mark D. Jones CHCO Historian 2007.

In early November 2007, the Cumberland Historic Cemetary Organization cleaned up the Seymour Family Cemetary. From left: Mark Jones, Simon Taylor, James Klipstein, Sr., Fidelis Miltenberger, and Leland Taylor.

Pictured below are photos of Hutson cemetery located along 220 south, Rawlings, Maryland adopted by CHCO on November 1989.

Bried here Civil War Union Major Alexander Shaw of the Potomac Home Brigade in 1992, CHCO erected a bronze plaque in his honor.

Monument of Confederate Soldier John Van Horn. Erected by CHCO April 27, 2003. Located in St. Patrick Roman Catholic Cemetery, Fairview and Furnace Street Cumberland. Pictured are the front and back panels of the monument.