03/25/2004 - Concordia Sentinel Story   The Concordia Sentinel recently wrote a story about The Natchez City Cemetery and gave us permission to post it. By Stanley Nelson Sentinel Writer Concordians and other Louisiana residents have long chosen the Natchez City Cemetery, one of the most beautiful graveyards in the South, as their final resting place. And today, according to cemetery directory Don Estes, even more Louisiana folks are purchasing lots for themselves and their loved ones as a final resting place on earth. "We now have an area of the cemetery, McPherson Plot, that has been developed for new burial sites and we are getting a lot of interest from Louisiana," he said. "A number of people from Concordia Parish have purchase lots recently." On a recent cold, gray day, Estes gave The Sentinel a tour of the 100-acre cemetery. Estes has a formidable job, keeping up with the most pressing tasks of making arrangements for burials and providing perpetual care to much of the property as well as meeting and greeting one visitor after another. During the course of an hour, he was called upon more than a dozen times. One woman wanted to buy a lot. A man wanted to find the grave of his grandmother. Two people had general questions about the cemetery. A funeral home employee got instructions on where to place chairs for an afternoon funeral. An out-of-town visitor wanted to learn about the history of the cemetery. Earlier in the week, Estes was filmed by a Mississippi public television news crew doing a feature on the cemetery. And daily, he deals with the crews, which work at the cemetery and with the cemetery board members and others who need Estes' assistance. "It's not always this way, but it's this way a lot," says Estes, who handles each inquiry with enthusiasm and warmth. First established in 1822 on 15 acres, Estes estimates that there are from 50,000 to 100,000 individuals buried in the cemetery. About one-third are Louisianians. There are 12,000 to 13,000 headstones. On average, there are 150 burials a year. As the cemetery brochure notes, ordinary and extraordinary citizens are buried there -- "military heroes, politicians, physicians, builders, bishops, philanthropists, and artisans." Don Jose Vidal One of the most famous Concordians buried in Natchez City Cemetery is Don Jose Vidal, for whom Vidalia is named. Vidal became the commandant of the new Post of Concord after its establishment in 1798. The town's name was change to Vidalia in 1811. Vidal, whose headstone is made of Vermont marble which gives it a green hue, was born March 12, 1765. He died July 22, 1828, at the age of 63. The prominent monument proclaims: "Commandant of the Post of Concordia." Rufus E. Case One Louisianian, Rufus E. Case, owned a plantation in Madison Parish. He asked to be buried in a rocking chair facing Louisiana. He died Nov. 29, 1858, at the age of 34, and per his wishes, he was buried in a rocking chair facing Louisiana. Gen. Zebulon York Several famous generals are buried in the cemetery, including Gen. Zebulon York, commander of Louisiana troops during the War Between the States. York was born in Avon, ME, on Oct. 10, 1819, and before the Civil War became a lawyer and cotton planter. In 1861, York organized the 14th Louisiana Company. He saw action in Second Manassas, Sharpsburg. Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Wilderness and Spotsylvania. He lost an arm in battle. Ruined financially after the war, York owned a hotel in Natchez until his death on Aug. 5, 1900. John Lee Sr. A famous merchant from Ferriday -- John Lee Sr. -- known as the Chinese gambler is buried in the Natchez City Cemetery. Lee died July 18, 1962, at the age of 70. He owned the Pick and Pay Restaurant in Ferriday after first opening shop in town in 1925. He was born Aug. 15, 1892. The inscription, in Chinese on either side of his monument means, "Good Fortune," according to Estes, who notes that the dice on the monument have a seven on one side and an eleven on the other, while the cards are a spade royal flush. "He died on the 11th day of July, which is the 7th month," noted Estes. But such stories abound through the cemetery, where some of the headstones and monuments are works of art, where some of the fences and ironwork are masterpieces and where the beauty of rolling hilltops and hollers are unsurpassed. There is line after line of poetry inscribed on many of the headstones and there are some individuals stories that will stay with you forever. The cemetery depends on private donations for support. For information on lots or to donate, contact Estes at 601-445-5051.