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Natchez National Cemetery burial schedule and eligibility

Natchez, Mississippi · VA national cemetery

Address, hours, directions and contact details: Natchez National Cemetery.

VeteranFunerals Editorial·4 min read·May 1, 2026·Facts checked

You can look up burials at Natchez National Cemetery on VA's daily burial schedule, which lists the committal services families have agreed to publish. Veterans who were not dishonorably discharged can be buried here, and so can their spouses and some dependent children. To schedule a burial, you or the funeral director call VA's National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117.

History of Natchez National Cemetery

Although there were two military engagements in the Natchez area in 1863 and 1864, the town surrendered early to Union troops and was spared extensive damage. Natchez National Cemetery was established during this period, north of town near the river bluff. The original 11-acre site was purchased in 1866 from local residents.

Original interments were brought from locations in Louisiana and Mississippi within a 50-mile radius of Natchez in Adams County. One of the old Natchez homes, "The Gardens," served as a military hospital for federal troops, and some of the earliest interments are the men who died there.

In a report dated June 30, 1866, Quartermaster Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs informed the secretary of war that many bodies had been buried in the levees near the west shore of the Mississippi. Subsequently, the removal of these remains and their reinterment at Natchez National Cemetery began the following fall.

Natchez National Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Notable veterans buried at Natchez National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note at Natchez National Cemetery, with section and site where it has them.

  • Medal of Honor
  • The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 434 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.
  • Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:
  • Landsman Wilson Brown (Civil War). Wilson Brown was born into slavery in 1841 at Natchez, MS. During the Civil War, Brown escaped to the Navy gunboat USS Hartford and enlisted in 1863. Landsman Brown served until 1865, including on board the Hartford, and returned to Natchez at war's end. During the Battle of Mobile Bay (Alabama) on August 5, 1864, Brown was knocked unconscious in the ship's hold by a shell burst. He regained consciousness and returned to supplying cannon ammunition. Brown was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery. He died in January 1900 and is buried in Section G, Site 3152.
  • Other Burials There are two Buffalo Soldiers of the 24th Infantry interred in the Natchez National Cemetery, they are:
  • Sam Hall was born in February 1895 and he enlisted in the Army in April 1914. Private First Class Hall served in Company K, 24th U.S. Infantry. This regiment was long known as Buffalo Soldiers from its origin on the western frontier during the 19th century. Hall and the 24th Infantry spent World War I years patrolling the U.S. border with Mexico. He was discharged in August 1923 and died December 12, 1924. He is buried in Natchez National Cemetery (Section B, Site 3538). Felix Mathews (ca. 1846–1905) was born in Alabama and worked as a laborer before enlisting in the U.S. Army at age 24. Mathews served in Company G, 24th Infantry, from 1870 to 1875. He joined one of the regiments that became known as Buffalo Soldiers, all-black cavalries and infantries established in 1866 then consolidated in 1869. The 24th Infantry absorbed two of the original regiments and was based in Texas during these years. Private Mathews was discharged at Fort Brown. After military service, he married and raised a family near Natchez, MS. Mathews was buried in Natchez National Cemetery in 1905. His widow remained in Natchez and on her death in 1930 she was buried in the national cemetery with him (Section G, Site 3222).
  • Rogger J. Puckett, former Superintendent of Natchez National Cemetery, is buried in Section D, Site 3747.
  • 58th U.S. Colored Troops, re-interred from below the bluffs and the forks of the roads and other sites in Adams County.

Visiting hours at Natchez National Cemetery

Visitation Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk. Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day and Veterans Day. VA will continue its practice of honoring special requests for weekend burials for religious purposes, in cases of service members killed in action and on at least one day of any three-day Federal holiday weekend at all open VA national cemeteries.

Who can be buried at Natchez National Cemetery?

VA national cemeteries accept a veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, a service member who died on active duty or in training, the veteran's spouse or surviving spouse (even if they remarried), and minor or, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. National Guard and Reserve members qualify under narrower rules. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision in advance; it does not reserve a gravesite.

What does burial here include at no cost?

  • A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
  • Opening and closing of the grave
  • A government-provided burial liner
  • A government-provided headstone or marker
  • Perpetual care of the gravesite

Veterans also receive a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate (presented to the next of kin at the burial) and military funeral honors, which include the playing of Taps and two uniformed service members who present the flag. The committal service is held at a committal shelter, not at the grave, and lasts about 20 minutes. National cemeteries have no viewing facilities, so the funeral itself is held elsewhere.

How do you schedule a burial at Natchez National Cemetery?

  1. Gather the veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers, and the deceased's details (Social Security number, dates of birth and death, relationship to the veteran).
  2. Fax the discharge papers to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 866-900-6417, or email them to [email protected] with the deceased's name in the subject line.
  3. You or the funeral director call 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) to request Natchez National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

Where is the Natchez National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Natchez National Cemetery to see the committal services planned there. It only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them. To change or cancel a burial that's already scheduled, contact Natchez National Cemetery directly at 601-445-4981.

Headstone, flag and burial allowance

  • Government headstone or marker: tell the scheduling office which headstone, marker, niche cover or medallion you want when you schedule the burial.
  • Burial flag: VA Form 27-2008.
  • Burial allowance: For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2026, VA pays up to $1,032 toward burial and funeral costs and $1,032 for a plot; for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the burial allowance is up to $2,000. Claim it with VA Form 21P-530EZ. All benefits

After the funeral: survivor benefits and the estate

A surviving spouse, child or parent may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a tax-free monthly VA benefit, for example when the death was service connected (VA Form 21P-534EZ). The veteran's estate is settled under Mississippi law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Mississippi and lists each county's probate court. For the rest of the paperwork, from Social Security to bank accounts, DeathUS has a step-by-step checklist of what to do when someone dies.

Funeral homes near Natchez National Cemetery

A funeral director usually arranges the burial with the cemetery. These are the closest funeral homes by straight-line distance. Each one links to its full listing on FuneralUS, our funeral home directory.

  1. 1.1 mi from the cemetery
  2. Laird Funeral Home, Inc.
    Natchez, MSMilitary honors services
    1.4 mi from the cemetery
  3. 1.5 mi from the cemetery
  4. 1.9 mi from the cemetery
  5. 2.1 mi from the cemetery
  6. 4.1 mi from the cemetery

Search all funeral homes by ZIP on FuneralUS

FAQ

Questions about burial at Natchez National Cemetery

  • Is burial at Natchez National Cemetery free?

    Yes, for eligible veterans, spouses and dependent children. VA provides the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a burial liner, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care at no cost. The funeral home's services, such as transport and any service before the burial, are arranged and paid for separately.

  • Can I reserve a gravesite at Natchez National Cemetery in advance?

    No. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision before a death, but VA says the decision letter doesn't name a cemetery or gravesite, because neither can be reserved in advance.

  • How do I schedule a burial at Natchez National Cemetery?

    Fax the veteran's discharge papers to 866-900-6417 or email them to [email protected]. Then you or the funeral director call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET). National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

  • Where can I see the burial schedule for Natchez National Cemetery?

    On VA's daily burial schedule at https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/dailyburialschedule/. It covers every national cemetery, but it only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them.

  • Are military funeral honors provided at Natchez National Cemetery?

    Yes, if you ask for them. Your funeral director, a Veterans Service Organization or the cemetery staff can arrange them. At minimum, two uniformed service members fold and present the burial flag at the committal shelter, and Taps is played.

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