Henry B. Ridings Family: Murdered 129 years ago in Monroe County?

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

This week I posted the following query on the Monroe County Mississippi GenForum, the Mississippi (State) GenForum, and the Ridings Family GenForum.

HENRY B. RIDINGS family murdered 1880 in Monroe County MS?

Does anyone know the story behind these grave markers at Pine Grove or Rogers Cemetery, Monroe County, Mississippi? There are three, same death dates, same family, same notation "murdered" on the transcription (Evans, Monroe County Cemetery Records, page 34):

RIDINGS, A.F.
Wife of H.B. Ridings
(Murdered)
18 Feb 1864
17 Dec 1880

RIDINGS, Creola
Daughter of H.B. and A.F. Ridings
(Murdered)
3 Aug 1878
17 Dec 1880

RIDINGS, Henry B.
Same parents as above [? or is this the husband of A.F.? and father of Creola?]
(Murdered)
16 Dec 1855
17 Dec 1880

The 1880 Monroe County Mississippi Federal Census, Boyds Store, lists this family:
RIDINGS, H.B., Farmer, 25, b MS
RIDINGS, Florence, wife, 18, b MS
RIDINGS, Olia, daughter, 2, b MS
and maybe two servants (the census image is difficult to read):
THOMAS, Lucinda, age 20
ESTES, Tom, age 25

Does anyone know the circumstances of the deaths of Florence, Creola, and Henry Ridings on December 17, 1880?

Thanks for any information.

Terry Thornton
Fulton, Mississippi

I do not know if the word "murdered" is on the three grave markers at Pine Grove/Rogers Cemetery or if the transcriber in 1938 knew of the murders and placed the word on the inventory. If you have information about the death of these three members of the Henry B. Ridings family of 129 years ago, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Sources:

Ridings Family Burial Markers, "Pine Grove or Rogers Cemetery" transcribed by Horace Baker, May 1938. In Monroe County Mississippi Cemetery Records by W.A. Evans as reprinted by Columbus, Mississippi: Lowndes County Department of Archives and History. 1980, pages 32 - 34.

Ridings Family Census Information, 1880 Federal Census of Monroe County Mississippi. Transcribed from the census images available online through Heritage Quest by Terry Thornton, September 22, 2009.