This Siloam Cemetery is located in Sumter County, Alabama, adjacent to the Siloam Baptist Church, south of York in the Siloam community. Taking AL Hwy 17 South from York, go approx. 5 miles, crossing under US Hwy 80. Take Sumter County Road 9 on the right. Then turn right onto the first PAVED road -- Siloam Road. This leads directly to the church and cemetery.
The first grave in the Siloam Cemetery was opened in 1832, the very year Siloam Baptist Church came into existence. The cemetery is located on land donated to and owned by Siloam Baptist Church for use as a cemetery. In early 2009, another plot of land was donated and deeded to the Church for cemetery expansion when it is needed in the future.
In 1972, the Siloam Cemetery Association was formed and incorporated. This allowed the Cemetery Association to operate separately in order to manage its donations, and for cemetery upkeep.
The Siloam Cemetery Association meets every May, on the Saturday AFTER Mother's Day. Folks usually arrive early to visit and place flowers on graves. The Cemetery Association meets inside the Siloam Baptist Church, beginning with a simple worship service at 11:00 am. This is followed by the annual business meeting, and then a potluck lunch enjoyed by everyone.
This year's (2009) meeting of the Siloam Cemetery Association was on May 16. The next meeting will be Saturday, May 15, 2010, at 11:00.
DONATIONS may be made at any time by making your check payable to the Siloam Cemetery Association, and mailing it either to Skip Holder (Sec./Treas.), 71 WL Ezell Road, York, AL 36925, or to Mattie Lee Stallings, 7903 Sumter 9, York, AL 36925.
BYLAWS OF THE SILOAM CEMETERY ASSOCIATION, INC.
I. NAME - Siloam Cemetery Association, Inc.
II. PURPOSE - Maintenance and upkeep of cemetery.
III. MEMBERSHIP - The association shall be composed of all the living who have kin buried in Siloam Cemetery.
IV. OFFICERS - This association shall have five directors which shall be elected each year by the association members present at the annual meeting. This association shall have a chairman, vice-chairman, and a secretary-treasurer. a. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall appoint a nominating committee to nominate the above officers and the maintenance committee consisting of three members. b. The Chairman shall preside at all of the meetings of the association and be responsible for the program of the annual meeting of the association. c. The Vice-Chairman shall perform all the duties of the Chairman in the absence of the Chairman. d. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep a record of the annual meeting and all funds of the association, disbursing funds as directed by the association and reporting to the association at its annual meeting. e. The Maintenance Committee shall consist of three members. The duties of this committee shall be to see that the cemetery is kept in good condition.
V. AUTHORITY - While independent and sovereign in its own share, the association will not exercise any authority over the land that now contains the cemetery. The Chairman of the Board of Directors will assist in the selection of lots.
VI. AMENDMENTS - Amendments to the By-Laws may be made at the annual meeting of the association when two-thirds of the members present vote in favor of the amendment. The following amendments to the By-Laws have been adopted: a. No lots shall be sold in the above-named cemetery. (Am. 5-15-1988). b. Identifying markers are required for all burials after May 18, 1996, and such markers must be placed to mark the grave within six months of burial. (Am. 5-18-1996). c. Only descendants and the spouses of those buried in the Siloam Cemetery shall be allowed to be buried. An exception shall be made for those persons who are not descendants of anyone buried in the cemetery, but who have already had permission to be buried there prior to this amendment. (Am. 5-14-2005).
The following amendment was adopted May 16, 2009:
Because Siloam Baptist Church owns the Siloam Cemetery as has the right to bury church members in the cemetery, the Siloam Cemetery Association will continue its operations as in the past, with reference to maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery and its funds, until whatever time in the future the Church no longer needs the Cemetery Association. This cancels out Amendment C, adopted in 2005.
I have plans to add here a list of those buried in the cemetery. I will begin this soon, and names will be added alphabetically.
