Star Cemetery, the grave of Mattie Reed Bradford.Star Cemetery in Shreveport, is visible from I-20 and nestled along the Catholic cemetery, St. Joseph's at 2100 Texas Street. It was the first African American cemetery when it was established in 1883, in Shreveport. The Star Cemetery Association was formed with 14 men who purchased the 10 acres formerly home to Shreveport University, a Baptist college. Many of the people buried here were former slaves, also many in benevolent fraternities like Odd Fellows and Masons. There are few family plots, the cemetery is now owned by the city of Shreveport and maintained by SPAR. Star is a challenge to transcribe since most of the markers are homemade or concrete and have eroded or deteriorated. Fortunately, there is a new Star Cemetery association being formed by descendants. I was photographing monuments and ran across one of the most interesting graves I've ever seen. I've encountered many root covered markers, but this one is fantastic! This is the headstone of Mattie Reed Bradford (born January 29, 1879 and passed away at the age of 32 on February 3, 1911). Doing a little digging, I found that Mattie was the daughter of George and Patsy Reed. On the 1880 US Federal Census, the Reeds lived in an integrated section of Shreveport near prominent attorney, Alfred Land and Broadway playwright, Guido Marburg. Both George and Patsy are listed as black, however, Mattie and her sister are enumerated as mulatto. On April 26, 1899 in Caddo Parish, Mattie and Calvin Bradford married. The next census, 1900, Mattie is married to Calvin Bradford. They had two sons: Clyde (who became a medical doctor), born in 1899 and Lisbon, born in 1902. The 1910 census lists the Bradfords living at 1200 Howard Street in Shreveport. That is the scant info on Mattie Reed Bradford, however Nature seemed to have taken a gentle liking to her memory and that may be the tenderest testimony to her.
