Mattie Rice was 91 when she died this past September in High Point, North Carolina, and will be buried this Saturday in Monroe's Hillcrest Cemetery. She spent much time confirming her father's Confederate service.
Tony Way, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) lead the push for a marker honoring the Civil War service of nine slaves and one free black. It was unveiled in 2012. Before that, Mattie Rice dismissed Black Confederates as a myth.
A 1930 obituary for her father, Weary Clyburn said he was buried in his Confederate uniform, but referred to him as "Uncle Weary Clyburn" and described him as "a white man's darkey." His grave remained unmarked until the SCV lobbied the Veterans Administration for a headstone which was placed in 2008.
--Old Secesh
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