Monrovia Liberia March 12, 2019

Special feature: As Liberians across the country go out to decorate their loved ones graves, we will look at one of the country oldest Cemetery, the Palm Grove Cemetery in Monrovia.

The Palm Grove Cemetery is was located down Central and Gurley streets in Monrovia. It was enacted into law as a Corporation called “The Palm Grove Cemetery Company of Monrovia”.

It enactment was done by the Senate and House of Representative of the Republic of Liberia in Legislature assembled and this is how it was enacted:

Section 1. That from and after the passage of this Act Henry Wesley Dennis, Charles Benjamin Dunbar and William McGail Davis, of the city of Monrovia, County of Montserrado and Republic of Liberia, together with such other persons as are now, or shall hereafter become members of the “Palm Grove Cemetery Company of Monrovia” be and they are hereby declared to be a body politic and corporate under the name and style of “The Palm Grove Cemetery Company of Monrovia”.
And shall have the right to open, plot and lay out a burial ground or cemetery, in that piece or parcel of land situated in said City of Monrovia, opposite to the present public burial ground, and bearing in the records of said city the number forty (40) and consisting of two acres of land:

and shall have the right, from time to time, to purchase, receive and hold any real estate, not ex­ceeding ten acres of land, that may be contiguous to the said Ceme­tery, for the purpose of enlarging the said Cemetery, as considered desirable by them :
and shall have perpetual succession of members and officers, and may have and use a common seal, and under the name and style aforesaid may sue and be sued in any of the courts of this Republic having requisite jurisdiction.

Section 2. All persons purchasing burial lots in the said Cemetery shall become members of said corporation, and shall hold said lots for fee simple: nor shall said lots be seized, attached or sold in law or equity, either for the debts of the company or of the individual owners, but the owners may at any time dispose of their rights in said lots provided that at the time of such disposal they shall have settled all claims due by them to the said company.

Sec. 3. The officers of this company shall be a President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary, and they together with five other members shall constitute a Board of Managers who shall have authority to manage the affairs of the company. All the officers shall be elected annually and at all elections each member shall be entitled to one vote.
The Secretary shall keep and exhibit to purchasers a plot or Map of said cemetery, with each burial lot num­bered, and shall write on each lot of said plot the name of the pur­chaser, and whenever a lot is sold the Secretary shall enter in a book, kept for that purpose, the price, and name of the buyer, sad shall give to the purchaser a receipt for the same which entry and receipt shall entitle the purchaser to hold such lot in fee simple, without the necessity of a deed or other evidence of title.

Sec. 4. The Board of Managers of the said company shall be in­dividually responsible for the debts of said company, and all the members shall be responsible individually to the Board of Managers for any debts they shall or may have to contract or pay on account of said company.

Sec. 5. In actions against said company either in law or equity, the service of process upon either President, Vice President, Treasu­rer or Secretary shall be deemed a service upon said company and shall be a sufficient notice to said company of the existence of such action.

Sec. 6. The said company shall have the right to purchase and add land to the said cemetery at any time. And the profits that may be derived from the sale of lots or otherwise shall be applied to the purpose of improving and beautifying the said Cemetery and in defraying the general expenses and purposes of the company un­der its rules, by-laws and regulations.

Sec. 7. And be it further enacted: That the “Palm Grove Cemetery Company of Monrovia ” aforesaid is hereby vested with full power and authority to make and establish such’ by-laws, rules and regulations from time to time for their own government as they may deem expedient and necessary provided that such by-laws, rules and regulations be not repugnant to this “Act” nor to the Laws and Constitution of this Republic; and provided also that un­til said company shall comprise ten male members of full age the said C. B. Dunbar, H. W. Dennis and W. M. Davis shall com­prise their Board of Managers, and shall have all the powers and rights that are herein granted to said corporation.

It was approved January 29, 1870 in Monrovia.

Courtesy of Sylomun Weah