A Tribute to Gypsy Royalty Wood Print

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The gypsy king and queen, Emil and Kelly Mitchell, are buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Meridian, Mississippi.

In 1915, the queen of the Romany gypsy clan, Kelly Mitchell, died at 47 while giving birth to her 15th child. King Emil, needing time to gather the gypsies together for the funeral, chose Meridian (40 miles away) since it was the closest “gypsy friendly” town with an ice house.

Twelve days later, more than 20,000 gypsies were in town for the visitation, with 5,000 of them attending her funeral. King Emil later remarried and lived another 27 years but chose to be buried next to his queen.

According to legend, if you leave a tribute on Queen Kelly’s grave, she will come to you in a dream and solve your troubles. Many still visit the graves, leaving offerings of trinkets, food, and other items.

Copyright 2019 Susan Rissi Tregoning

I'm a travel photographer that enjoys photographing United States architecture, nature, and transportation. As the 8th photographer in 4 generations of my family, I don't remember a time when photography was not part of my life. By the time I was five years old, I was standing on a stool in the darkroom, helping my dad develop pictures. It was my job to transfer the photos from the hypo to the water bath. I went to college for interior design. After I graduated, I had a long successful career as an art buyer and designer for a large home furnishings company. In 2006, I had a significant life change. My husband became a medical traveler, and I decided to put my career on hold to tag along. In the process, I found my roots again. What...