Several months ago the Dardanelle Rock Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution was contacted by Jim Putman of the Mountain Meadows Monument Foundation. Jim was seeking the grave site of Nancy Saphrona Huff Cates and he thought it to be located somewhere in the Yell or Perry county areas in central Arkansas . After considerable research, I was able to locate the grave site at the Antioch Cemetery near Perryville with the help of a local Cates family. Tim Cates, great grandson of Saphrona, as she was called, not only knew the location of the grave but he and his wife, Connie, were quite familiar with the story of the Mountain Meadows massacre through stories handed down from father to son.
The MMMF was contacted and the foundation ordered a plaque and brought it to the cemetery. The Dardanelle Rock Chapter then had a small rock cairn, similar to the national monument in Utah, constructed for the plaque to rest upon. Seventeen rocks, representing the seventeen surviving children, were shipped from Utah and incorporated into this monument. These rocks were provided by Mrs. Jane Comp, Regent of the Bald Eagle Chapter NSDAR and her husband, Joe, who live near Cedar City , Utah . Jane also provided numerous photographs of the national monument.
On December 2, 2006 our chapter hosted a ceremony at the Antioch Cemetery in honor or Nancy Saphrona Huff Cates and we dedicated the monument to her, to all the surviving children and to all those who died at Mt. Meadows. Shirley Pyron of the Bois D'Arc chapter DAR presented our keynote address and Dardanelle Rock
Chapter Regent, Julia Taylor, read the 1875 newspaper statement made by Saphrona. An inspirational song was provided by The Hubbard family and a fiddle solo was provided by Brandon Robertson.
Our chapter appreciates the opportunity to assist the various Mt. Meadows organizations and thank them for their support.
Patty Windle
Dardanelle Rock Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
