Grave Scouting November 2025

On November 15, 2025, we hit the road and traveled to Simpson County to visit several cemeteries where generations of our Brock family are buried. Our scouting party consisted of Brian Brock, Wanda Brock, Sebastian Brock, Becca Brock, Dana Brock, Chris Brock, Brandon Brock, and Skylar. I had done a bit of research beforehand and printed out several documents to help guide us on the adventure.

The first stop on our itinerary was Palestine Cemetery in Harrisville, MS, where some of the oldest Brock family graves are located. The cemetery is part of Palestine Baptist Church, the oldest church in Simpson County, established in 1786.

A quick summary of the Brock family’s migration into Mississippi… it began when William Brock, son of Johan Valentine Brock, left Chesterfield County, South Carolina around 1817 and settled in Hinds County, Mississippi. His son James Brock later continued the migration, moving farther south into Simpson County. There, James’s son William L. Brock purchased land near Hopewell, just below Harrisville. William L.’s son, James William “Jim” Brock, also acquired property in the same area, and his grave is the earliest we have been able to locate so far.

The first thing we did was carefully wash a couple of the headstones so their inscriptions could be read more easily.

We cleaned the headstones of our great-great-grandparents, James William “Jim” Brock and Martha Ann Miller Brock, using a non-corrosive cleaner and water we had brought with us. Although we weren’t able to remove every trace of mold and years of grime, the stones looked much better and were far easier to read.

These are the graves of Benjamin Franklin Brock and Winnie A. Mathews Brock. Benjamin was the younger brother of our great-grandfather, James Monroe Brock. I believe I met him at least once when I was very young. My aunts and uncles always referred to him as Uncle Ben.

We had a great time exploring this cemetery. I’m sure we missed something along the way, but hopefully with continued research, those details will reveal themselves in time. There’s a certain satisfaction that comes from uncovering pieces of our family’s past and feeling that connection to them…

Well, while I was reflecting on our experience so far, Dana discovers something…

What a great time, but now it’s time to move on to the next stop…

This cemetery sits just off the main road that runs through Harrisville. Many members of the Brock family lived in this area throughout the late 1800s and well into the 1900s. It is also the place where our father, Lonnie Brock, grew up.

As we walked through the cemetery, we came across several familiar names, including W.D. and G.W. Brock. They were brothers of our grandfather, Gussie Brock. Nearby was the grave of our great-great-grandfather, James Monroe Brock, whom we never had the chance to meet. His wife, our great-great-grandmother, was always referred to as Granny Fannie. I can’t recall for certain whether I ever met her; I was only four years old when she passed away.

We also came across several graves with names that weren’t familiar to us. We took photos of each of them so we could research their connections to the family later. A gallery is available on this website with all the pictures we took during our trip.

Leaving Harrisville, we slid into Braxton, an area where several of our family eventually settled. This area includes Braxton, D’Lo, and Mendenhall. Braxton is where we—Brian, Dana, and Chris—first lived. I still remember a time when there were no Brock family members buried in the Braxton Cemetery.

Here are the headstones of our father, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Lonnie Brock was our dad, though everyone in the family simply called him Son, and all the nieces and nephews knew him as Uncle Son. James L. Brock, our uncle, was always Uncle Bud to us. Beside him is the grave of his wife, Mary, marked only with the letter M. She was Aunt Mary to us. Aunt Mary and Uncle Bud were some of the sweetest and nicest people you’d ever meet.

Our grandparents, James Gussie Brock and Bessie Brock, were Granny and Paw to all of us. Lorraine Brock Trent, our aunt, was known as Aunt Sis. Next is Aunt Bertil, along with her daughter and son, our cousins Betty and Jim.

So many Sundays were spent at Granny and Paws with all of these folks and many more family members. I hope to write about some of those memories soon.

While searching Find a Grave, I discovered that John Vole Brock and his wife were buried in the D’Lo Cemetery, so we decided to visit. John was a first cousin to our great-great-grandfather, Jim Brock. He died tragically in 1922 after being crushed between a switch engine and a wagon at the gin in D’Lo. He was only 39 years old. John’s father was Moses Valentine Brock.

All the exploring got us a little hungry, so we took a small detour in search of some vittles. We ended up at a little spot in Magee called Cattle Drive Grill & Waterin’ Hole. The place was definitely well-themed and had a comfortable vibe. The food wasn’t quite what we expected, but it filled up the holler spots and we trudged on.

Before heading to the last cemetery, we made a stop at One Up TCG in Mendenhall. We never pass up a game store when it’s on our route! We picked up a few games and some supplies, then headed back out on the road.

And now, we’ll leave you with a short video that Becca put together, journaling our adventure and capturing those moments in time we shared together.

Till next time…