family cemetery

Cemeteries, no. 33: Williams-Lucas-Eatmon family cemetery.

Seven-tenths of a mile down a curving dirt path off the intersection of Hornes Church Road and Old Bailey Highway lies a small family cemetery, black with ash from an unfortunate controlled burn. (I get it. The cemetery is choked with wisteria, but fire damages fragile headstones and other grave markers.) I don’t know the cemetery’s name, and it’s a mile into Nash County, but many of its dead had close ties to Wilson County.

  • Austin and Cornelia Locus Williams

Austin Williams Dec. 10, 1838 Oct. 27, 1907

Nelia Williams Sept. 24, 1842 Oct. 23, 1906 She now sweetly rests.

Austin Williams, son of Ben and Merica Williams, married Cornelia Taylor, daughter of Isaac Taylor and Lena Locus, on 10 May 1868 in Wilson County.

In the 1870 census of Taylors township, Wilson County: Austen Williams, 34, farm laborer; wife Cornelius, 24; and daughter Cora Lee, 1.

In the 1880 census of Taylors township, Wilson County: Austin Williams, 41, farmer; wife Nobly, 30; and children Cora L., 11, Charley A., 8, Benjamin and Isaac, 4, and Minnie, 8 months.

Per Tinner Howard Ellis, “Hillard [Ellis] married Cora Williams. Cora’s parents were Nellie Locust and Austin Williams. Austin was a slave on the McWilliams farm and Nellie was issue-free.”

  • Ichabod Powell

Ecabud Powell Died Feb. 27 19[11?] Age 61 Years.

In the 1880 census of Jackson township, Nash County, N.C.: farmer Ichabud Powell, 32; wife Mary A., 32; and children Beedy A., 9, Pheny, 7, John, 5, James W., 4, Henry G., 3, and Mary A.E., 11 months.

In the 1900 census of Jackson township, Nash County: Ichabod Powell, 50, farmer; wife Mary A., 50; children Mary A., 20, Martha, 18, Joseph, 16, Margarett, 14, Geneva, 12, Billie P., 11, Dempsey H., 9, and Paul J., 6; and nephew Henry Lassiter, 28.

Henry Powell, left, and father Ichabod Powell, perhaps circa 1910.

Mary Ann Powell died 5 April 1921 in Jackson township, Nash County. Per her death certificate, she was 74 years old; was born in Wilson County to Silas Lassiter and Orpie Lassiter of Wilson County; was the widow of Ickibuck Powell; and was buried in Powell graveyard, Nash County.

Henry Powell died 29 September 1928 in Jackson township, Nash County. Per his death certificate, he was born November 1877 in Wilson County to Ichabod Powell of Nash County and Mary Lassiter of Wilson County; lived on Route 1, Wilson; was married to Sarah Powell; and worked in farming.

William “Bill” Pharaoh Powell died 23 July 1963 at his home at 404 North Reid Street, Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 15 February 1891 in Wilson County to Echabud Powell and Mary Ann Lassiter; was married to Margaret H[agans] Powell; and worked as a laborer.

  • Neverson Locus

Neverson Lucas Mar. 2, 1853 May 9, 1927.

In the 1860 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: Martin Locas, 45, farmer; wife Eliza, 30; and children Isham, 16, Edith, 10, Ervin, 8, Neverson, 6, Cedney, 5, and Susan Locus, 2, all mulatto. Martin claimed $250 in personal property.

In the 1870 census of Chesterfield township, Nash County, N.C.: farmer Martin Lucus, 52; wife Eliza, 42; and children Irvin, 19, Neverson, 16, Sidney, 13, Eliza, 7, Westray, 6, Anne, 4, and Mary, 2.

On 8 February 1877, Neverson Locust, 23, of Wilson County, married Margaret Taylor, 30, of Wilson County, in Wilson County.

In the 1880 census of Jackson township, Nash County: farmer Neverson Locus, 25; wife Margaret, 35; and son Boston, 1.

On 16 December 1885, Neverson Locust, 32, of Wilson County, married Sarah Locust, 37, of Wilson County, at A.M. Thompson’s in Wilson County.

In the 1910 census of Jackson township, Nash County: farm laborer Mary Jane Ellis, 44, and children Henry, 16, Louise, 13, and Charles, 6; and brother Neverson Lucas, 56.

In the 1920 census of Jackson township, Nash County: widower Neverson Locus, 65, farmer, and Liddie Joyner, 57, servant.

The last will and testament of Neverson Locus, alias Lucas.

Newson Lucas died 12 May 1927 in Jackson township, Nash County. Per his death certificate, he was born 29 April 1853 in Wilson County to Martin Lucas and Liza Martin; was a farmer; was a widower; and was buried in a family cemetery. Ed. Williams was informant.

  • Robert and Edith Eatman

Robert Eatman Died Nov. 24, 1916 Age 52 Years

Edith Eatman Died Mar. 15, 1911 Age 63 Years

In the 1860 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: Martin Locas, 45, farmer; wife Eliza, 30; and children Isham, 16, Edith, 10, Ervin, 8, Neverson, 6, Cedney, 5, and Susan Locus, 2, all mulatto. Martin claimed $250 in personal property.

On 28 April 1883, Robert Eatman, 25, of Wilson County, married Edith Howard, 30, of Wilson County, ate Wilson County Courthouse.

In the 1900 census of Taylors township, Wilson County: farmer Robert Eatmon, 43; wife Edith, 50; and servant Mary Eatmon, 9.

In the 1910 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: Willis Ellis, 22; wife Mary, 20; and aunt Edie Eatman, 52. Nearby, living alone: Robert Eatman, 52, farmer.

On 9 March 1911, Edith Eatmon made out a will in which she bequeathed $200 to Mary Jane Ellis; $100 each to Neverson Locus and James Ross; $50 to Eliza Howard, wife of George Howard; and the remainder to be divided among them all. She also paid for headstones for herself and her late husband.

The first provision of Edith Eatmon’s last will and testament.

  • Mariah Perry

Mariah Wife of Jesse Perry Born Dec. 27, 1893 Died Sep. 14, 1920 She was ready to every good work.

On 26 December 1915, Jesse Perry, 21, son of Charlie and Assie Perry, married Maria Eatmon, 18, daughter of Dallas and Flora Eatmon, in Jackson township, Nash County.

In the 1920 census of Jackson township, Nash County: Jessie Perry, 22; wife Mariah, 19; and daughter Doretha, 1.

  • Lucy Jane  Morgan

Lucy Jane wife of Johnny Morgan 

On 10 March 1922, John Morgan, 21, of Nash County, son of Jim and Senora Morgan, married Lucy Eatmon, 19, of Nash County, daughter of Dollis and Flora Eatmon, in Wilson.

Lucy Morgan died 23 October 1925 in Jackson township, Nash County. Per her death certificate, she was born 16 December 1903 in Nash County to D. Eatmon and Flora Lucas; was married to John Morgan; and was buried in [Bunn?] cemetery.

  • Henry Lucas

Henry Lucas Born A.D. 1845 Died Dec. 30, 1915 Gone but not forgotten.

In the 1850 census of Nash County: Delany Locust, 28, and Lucy, 25, Nathan, 12, Henry, 8, Goodson, 6, Nelly, 4, and Mary J., 5.

On 29 March 1868, Henry Locust, son of Isaac and Laney Taylor, married Nancy Williams, daughter of Ben and America Williams at John Thompson’s in Wilson County.

In the 1870 census of Chesterfield township, Nash County: Henry Lucas, 35, farmer; wife Nancy, 32; and children Margaret, 11, Turner, 7, Susan, 2, and Horace, 5 months.

In the 1880 census of Jackson township, Nash County: Henry Locus, 38; wife Nancy, 37; and children Margaret, 23, Turner, 16, Harriet, 11, Franklin, 10, Adlonia, 8, Henry K., 5, Emma L., 4, Mollie, 2, and Palmer, 10 months.

In the 1900 census of Jackson township, Nash County: Henry Locus, 60; wife Nancy, 55; children Eliza H., 27, Adlone, 25, Henry C., 23, Mollie M., 20, Halma, 19, Ben, 15; and grandson Willie J., 11.

In the 1910 census of Jackson township, Nash County: Henry Lucas, 69; wife Nancy, 68; and sons Palmer, 28, and H. Katie, 30.

  • Mary Pearson

Mary Pearson 1838-1925 Her life was hid with God’s.

In the 1880 census of Taylors township, Wilson County: Mary Pearson, 40, and children Jerry, 17, “hired out,” Mourning, 13, “hired about,” Dora, 8, and Flora, 6.

On 16 January 1895, Jerry Battle, 26, of Nash County, son of Armstead and Patsey Battle, married Mourning Pearson, 24, of Nash County, daughter of Nathan Locus and Mary Pearson, in Taylor township, Wilson County. John Locus applied for the license, and he, Joseph Eatmon, and Branch Flowers were witnesses.

In the 1900 census of Jackson township, Nash County: Dallas Eatmon, 32; wife Flora, 26; children Simean, 4, Mary C., 3, and Mariah, 1; and stepmother Mary Pearson, 63.

In the 1910 census of Jackson township, Nash County: farmer Dallas Eatmon, 49; wife Flora, 35; children Duncan, 14, Dolly, 12, Mariah, 11, Mira, 9, Lucy Jane, 7, Nola, 5, Myrtle, 3, Lessie, 2, and Cleora, 2 months; and mother-in-law Mary Pearson, 70.

Mary Pearson died 28 October 1925 in Jackson township, Nash County. Per her death certificate, she was 88 years old; was born in Nash County to James Flowers and Charity Flowers; was a widow; and worked in farming for Haywood Brantley. Flora Eatmon was informant.

Mourning Battle died 16 March 1934 in Taylors township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was 63 years old; was born in Wilson County to Nathaniel Lucas and Mary Flowers; was the widow of Jerry Battle; and was buried in Sandy Fork cemetery. Flora Eatmon was informant.

Flora Eatman died 6 December 1949 in Bailey, Jackson township, Nash County. Per her death certificate, she was born 23 January 1876 in Wilson County to Nathan Lucas and Mary Pierson; was widowed; and was buried in Sandy Fork cemetery. Carse Eatmon was informant.

  • Lottie High

Lottie High Jan. 6, 1868 May 9, 1918 She hath done what she could

On 7 July 1887, Arch High, 22, of Nash County, son of Peter and Mary High, married Lottie Dew, 19, of Wilson County, daughter of Vol Dew, at George Barnes’ in Wilson County.

In the 1900 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: farmer Archy High, 40; wife Lotter, 24; and children Peggie, 19, Nora, 11, Ardiclear, 11, Henry, 6, and Izell, 1.

On 25 July 1908, Manning Wiggins, 36, of Nash County, son of J. and E. Wiggins, married Lottie High, 36, of Nash County, daughter of Silvia Barnes, in Taylor township, Wilson County. Missionary Baptist minister William Rodgers performed the ceremony at his home.

In the 1910 census of Jackson township, Nash County: odd jobs laborer Lottie High, 38; son Henry, 16; and grandson Isaiah, 12.

Lottie Wiggins died 10 May 1918 in Jackson township, Nash County. Per her death certificate, she was born 6 January 1868 to Vara Dew; was divorced; and worked in farming.

Henry High died 29 December 1951 in Bailey, Jackson township, Nash County. Per his death certificate, he was born 15 February 1894 in Nash County to Arch High and Lottie Dew; was a World War I veteran; worked as a tenant farmer; and was buried in West [Rest] Haven cemetery, Wilson.

——

Others buried in this cemetery include Tom Lucas (1872-1920), Cornelia Williams (1900-1918), Isadora Lucas (18[illegible]-1917), Anis Lucas (1860-1927), and Nannie Williams Lucas (1879-1908).

Photo of the Powells courtesy of Ancestry.com user bpatterson80; cemetery photos by Lisa Y. Henderson, March 2023.

Cemeteries, no. 32: Granite Point is found!

I’ve been looking for Granite Point since 2019, and last month I finally posted a query here. Two weeks later, Lisa Winstead-Stokes responded that she absolutely knew where Granite Point is — it’s her family’s cemetery!

Yesterday I met up with Lisa and her husband Cornell Stokes on Thompson Chapel Church Road, just north of Silver Lake. We crossed into a patch of woods, and I immediately saw numerous depressions in the ground indicating sunken graves. After a few minutes, Lisa spotted an old metal funeral home marker, whose paper placard had long rotted away. She wasn’t sure there were any headstones in the cemetery, but then I spied this:

Earnest Windstead d. Apr. 17, 1953 Age 85 Yrs

The woods are bisected by an open stretch that also shows evidence of grave depressions. We realized immediately that the second section, on a slope leading down to a mill pond, was the primary location of burials in the cemetery. Several small  beautifully preserved concrete headstones stand in neat rows alongside two vaults and a large granite headstone. Sadly, most mark the deaths of children within a two-year span from 1921 to 1923, when influenza and other disease struck the extended Joyner family hard.

The cemetery was established on property belonging to John S. Thompson as burial place for African-American sharecroppers and tenant farmers working his land. According to Lisa’s father, Roosevelt Winstead, who recalled attending funerals there in the 1950s, the site was open not only to family, but to anyone in the community who could not afford to be buried elsewhere. A deed search shows the land belongs to absentee Thompson heirs, but neither recent plat maps nor J.S. Thompson’s 1943 plat map mark the cemetery’s location. (Thompson owned 909 acres along both sides of Thompson Chapel Church Road stretching from Highway 58 across the Nash County border.) The cemetery lies astride the boundary of two of the five parcels making up the present day property, and the metes and bounds description of one parcel likely provides a clue as to the actual name of the cemetery. Obituaries and death certificates list is as Granite Point or Grantie Point. The Winstead family’s pronunciation of its name is something closer to Granny Pines. The parcel description notes a Moccasin Branch and Granny Branch (tributaries of Toisnot Swamp) as boundaries. The cemetery lies partially in a triangular wedge jutting out from the parcel’s eastern edge. Was the cemetery’s original name Granny Point?

Maggie Wife of Sessoms Eatmon Died Feb. 10, 1923 Age 26 Yrs. As A Wife, Devoted. As A Mother, Affectionate. As A Friend, Eternal.

Maggie Eatmon died 10 February 1923 in Jackson township, Nash County. Per her death certificate, she was 26 years old; was born in Wilson County to Henry Joyner and Margaret Winstead; was married to Sessoms Eatmon; worked in farming; and was buried in Wilson County.

Theodore Son of Henry & Margarette Joyner Born Dec. 29, 1909 Died Jan. 21, 1923. Gone But Not Forgotten.

Theordo Joyner died 2 February 1923 in Jackson township, Nash County. Per his death certificate, he was born in December 1909 in Wilson, N.C., to Wm. henry Joyner and Margret Winstead; was a school boy; and was buried in the “country.”

Martha A. Lucas Born Aug 9 1910 Died Aug 10 1921 Gone to be an angel.

Martha Lucas died 10 August 1921 in Wilson, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was born 8 August 1909 in Nash County to Willey Lucas of Nash County and Elizabeth Lucas of Wilson County; was a school girl; and was buried in the “country.”

Herman Son of Lem & Susie Tabron Born Dec. 29, 1920 Died May 18, 1921. Asleep in Jesus.

Infants of Sessoms & Maggie Eatmon, Born Jan. 31, 1923 Died Feb. 2, 1923. At Rest.

Infant Abert Eatmon died 2 February 1923 in Jackson township, Nash County. Per his death certificate, he was born 31 January 1923 in Nash County to Sessoms Eatmon and Maggie Joyner, both of Wilson County; and was buried in the “country.”

Infant Son of Jarmon & Lula Eatmon. Born & Died June 25, 1921. Asleep in Jesus.

Vault cover of Tempie Scott’s grave, stamped Cofield Services.

Tempie Tabron Scott died 2 December 1968 in Halifax, Halifax County, North Carolina. Per her death certificate, she was born 30 June 1886 to Larse Tabron and Elizabeth [maiden name unknown]; was widowed; and was buried in Tabron family cemetery, Nash County, by Cofield Funeral Home, Weldon, N.C.

Annie B. Tabron Dobie May 6, 1927 Dec. 6, 1952

One of perhaps a dozen funeral home metal markers found in the cemetery.

Two Lisas on a chilly, almost-spring day.

Lisa Winstead-Stokes is exploring the logistics of clearing Granny Pines/Granite Point cemetery of years of overgrowth. If you have relatives buried or simply are interested in helping, please comment here with contact information!

The mystery of Julia Boyette Bailey’s grave.

Julia wife of Moses Bailey Born July 25, 1832 Died May 23, 1869 A tender mother and faithful friend

Brian Grawburg shared this astonishing photograph recently — the headstone of Julia Bailey, who was born enslaved in 1832 and died in 1869, just four years after the Civil War ended. Her grave marker, beautifully and professionally engraved, may mark the earliest African-American burial I have seen in Wilson County, and its discovery was serendipitous. While kayaking on Buckhorn Reservoir, Al Letchworth spotted a broken headstone in the water. Getting out to explore further, he found Julia Bailey’s marker. Letchworth mentioned his discovery to his friend Guy Pittman, who knew of Grawburg’s project documenting obscure and forgotten Wilson County cemeteries. Julia Bailey was almost certainly buried in a family cemetery, and it seems tragically likely that at least part of that cemetery was lost in 1974, when Contentnea Creek was dammed to create the reservoir, or in 1999, when a new dam was constructed downstream.

What do we know about Julia Bailey and her family?

A 1921 Wilson Daily Times piece about the death of her son Nathan Boyette offers another fortuitous glimpse of her life:

Nathan Boyette “was born on September 18th, 1850 and was a slave belonging to Jimmy Boyette living about twelve miles from Wilson in the Old Field Township. At the close of the Civil War Uncle Nathan was a husky boy just fifteen years of age. He had seven brothers and three sisters, one sister being older, Nathan being the next oldest child. His mother was name[d] Julie, and evidently had a very strong character. She could read and write, and she taught Nathan and the other children to read and write. …”

The 1860 slave schedule of Oldfields township, Wilson County, lists James Boyett as the owner of eight enslaved people: a 28 year-old woman, who was likely Julia; six boys aged 19, 12, 9, 7, 4 and 2; and a girl aged 8. The nine year-old boy was probably Nathan. (Or perhaps the 7 year-old, with the 8 year-old girl his older sister.) [Like most people enslaved in small units, Julia’s husband Moses Bailey had a different owner and lived apart from his family.]

On 15 August 1866, Moses Bailey and Julia Boyett registered their 15-year cohabitation with a Wilson County justice of the peace.

Per her headstone (which was probably placed long after her death, see Lula Wooten’s similar marker), Julia Bailey died in 1869.

In the 1870 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: farm laborer Moses Baily, 51, and children Allen, 15, John, 13, Patrick, 10, Yamah, 5, and William, 8. [Next door: white farmer Neeham Bailey, 67, and wife Peninah, 38. The 1860 slave schedule lists Needham Bailey with four slaves, but none of an age to be Moses. However, in 1860 Levi Bailey, Needham’s close neighbor, owned a 40 year-old man among his eleven slaves.]

In the 1870 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: Alfred Rice, 40; wife Amy, 30; and son Thomas, 13, with Gray Baily, 24, all farm laborers. Next door: Violet Baily, 45, and Isabel Baily, 12. [“Emma” Bailey and Alfred Rice also registered a cohabitation in 1866. Gray Bailey was born to Moses Bailey’s earlier relationship with Isabel Bailey, and it is likely that Amy was his sister. Mary Bailey, daughter of Moses Bailey and Hannah Bailey, who married Hilliard Bailey in 1868, may have been their half-sister.]

On 21 April 1870, John Boykin, son of Rose Boykin, married Dicy Baily, daughter of Moses and Julia Baily, in Wilson County.

On 5 January 1871, Moses Bailly, son of Benja Bryant and Juda Jones, married Isabella Renfrow, daughter of Mingo Hinnant and Patsy Deans, at Moses Bailey’s in Wilson County.

On 24 December 1875, Allen Baily, 20, married Harriet Taylor, 16, in Oldfields township. Minister Elisha Horton [early pastor of Rocky Branch Church of Christ] preformed the ceremony in the presence of H. Powell, R. Jones, and Gray Bailey.

On 5 March 1879, Patrick Baily, 21, married Atsey Sanders, 19, of Nash County, in Wilson County.

In the 1880 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: farmer Moses Bailey, about 60; wife Isabel, about 45; and son William, 15.

Also, in the 1880 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: Allen Baily, 22; wife Harriett, 21; and children Cora A., 4, Lucy A., 4, and Dortch, 1, sharing a household with Randall Hinnant, 33; wife Angeline, 26; and children J. Thomas, 10, James H., 8, Lilly Ann, 6, Roscoe F., 4, and Hugh N., 7 months.

Also, in the 1880 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: laborer Patrick Bailey, 19; wife Atsy, 20; and son Arthur M., 6 months.

Also, in the 1880 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: farmer John Boykin, 26; wife Dicey, 25; and children Julian, 8, Rear Ann, 7; John C., 5; W. Brogan, 3; and Sallie A., 9 months.

On 23 February 1882, Nathan Boyett, 31, of Wayne County, son of Moses Bayley and Julia Bayley of Wilson County, married Charity Crow, 27, of Wayne County, daughter of Jorden and Jane Crow of Wayne County, in Mount Olive, Brogden township, Wayne County, North Carolina.

Gray Bailey died 7 July 1914 in Oldfields township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 10 March 1845 to Moses Bailey and Vilet Bailey; and was buried at New Vester.

Dicy Boykin died 6 October 1929 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was 66 years old; was born in Wilson County to William Bailey and Julia [last name unknown]; was married to John Boykin; and worked as a housewife. Daughter Sudie Woodard, Smithfield, was informant.

Nathan Boyett died 2 June 1937 in Wilson, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 15 February 1850 in Wilson County to Moses Bailey and Julia Boyett; was married to Emma Boyett; lived at 115 West Walnut Street, Wilson; and worked as a laborer.

——

While researching the lives of Julia Boyette Bailey, her husband, and children, I came across this Notice of Intention to Disinter, Remove and Reinter Graves published several times in the spring of 1998 by R. Ward Sutton, a Rocky Mount, N.C., funeral director:

Wilson Daily Times, 15 April 1998.

This notice raises more questions than it answers.

What it tells us:

  • the cemetery was located on property then owned by Sudie Bailey Sullivan, who inherited said property from Levi T. Bailey. (Note, per the referenced deed, in 1974 this property was subject to a condemnation action and is shown on the Buckhorn Reservoir Land Acquisition Map filed in Plat Book 13 at pages 73-76);
  • Levi T. Bailey (1873-1931) was the grandson of the Levi Bailey whom I identified above as the likely owner of Moses Bailey;
  • of approximately 18-20 graves in the cemetery, only two were marked — those of Julia Bailey and Andrew W. Tarell;
  • Andrew W. Terrell was a son of Alonzo and Jane Cooke Terrell, who were both born in Wake County, N.C., and settled in what is now the Buckhorn area before 1880;
  • all of the graves in this cemetery were to be removed and reinterred in Bailey Cemetery, Bailey, Nash County, N.C. (about 5 miles north);
  • a record of the reburials was to be filed in the Wilson County Register of Deeds Office.

What it doesn’t:

  • did this cemetery start as a burial ground for enslaved people that was turned over to the Bailey family as a family cemetery?
  • why was Andrew Terrell buried there in 1905, rather than in New Vester Missionary Baptist Church’s cemetery, where his father Alonzo was buried in 1918 and several other Terrells later? (Though New Vester’s roots date to the slavery era, perhaps it did not establish its cemetery until much later. The earliest markers bear 1911 as a death date.)
  • is Andrew Terrell’s marker the broken stone that first drew Al Letchworth’s attention?
  • digital records for Bailey Cemetery show graves for neither Bailey nor Terrell/Tarell, and why was Bailey cemetery chosen at all (rather than, say, New Vester)? Bailey Cemetery was white-only for nearly all of its existence and is in Nash County.
  • the cemetery is on land condemned in 1974 for the first Buckhorn Dam, and disinterment was necessitated by the expansion of Buckhorn Reservoir in 1999, but if Julia Boyette and Andrew Terrell’s graves were removed, why are their headstones still in the woods?

Armstrong cemetery, Scott, Arkansas.

Wilson County native Haywood Armstrong, son of Abraham and Cherry Armstrong, lead his family to Lonoke County, Arkansas, in the 1890s. Armstrong and his wife, Agnes Bullock Armstrong, reared 14 children and are buried in Hickory Grove cemetery near Scott, Arkansas. In the fall of 2020, their descendants came together for a cemetery clean-up. Lydia Bledsoe Hunter shared these images of the family’s work, as well as a commemorative family calendar developed to raise funds for ongoing upkeep. 

 

Follow-up: the roots of Rest Haven cemetery.

Here we explored an early family graveyard on the land now covered by Rest Haven cemetery, and here viewed a charcoal portrait of Jesse and Sarah Barnes, who established it.

Below, a closer look at Barnes cemetery. The large headstone visible is that of the Dixon family.

IMG_4469

Photograph by Lisa Y. Henderson, June 2020.

Cemeteries, no. 30: Brantley cemetery.

I finally got a chance to visit Brantley cemetery. I stood ten feet away from it for ten minutes before I figured out where it was.

Charlie Brantley died 8 January 1948 in Taylor township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 1 August 1874 in Nash County to Hince Brantley and Mollie Boone; was a farmer; was single; and was buried in Brantley cemetery. Mollie Howard was informant.

  • Finner Brantley

Fenner Brantley was the son of Charlie Brantley.

  • Annie Howard

Annie Howard was Charlie Brantley’s niece, daughter of Kenyon and Mollie Brantley Howard.

  • Kenyon Howard

Kenyon Howard was Charlie Brantley’s brother-in-law, husband of Brantley’s sister Mollie Brantley Howard Brown.

Photographs by Lisa Y. Henderson, June 2020.

The roots of Rest Haven cemetery.

Heather Goff, Wilson Cemetery Commission Leader, has gone above and beyond to educate herself about the city’s historic black cemeteries and to search for documents concerning these little-known properties. She recently unearthed these Cemetery Commission records shedding light on Rest Haven Cemetery’s early days.

A document labeled Agreement: Town of Wilson vs. Colored Cemetery Commission:

The text of the document does not make reference to a lawsuit or the Colored Cemetery Commission. The passive voice construction in the first independent clause conceals a critical fact: who conveyed 38 acres known as the Jesse Barnes land to the Cemetery Trustees of the Town of Wilson on 24 October 1933? The Town of Wilson actually put up the money for the property and held it in trust until the Trustees paid the Town $3500, plus interest. This amount was to be realized, after deducting operating expenses, from sums raised from the sales of burial lots. The document is signed by the white Cemetery Trustees of Wilson, and I have not been able to identify any “colored” ones. The notes on the reverse show six payments totaling $2000 made between 1939 and 1945.

And thus we get an establishment date for Rest Haven cemetery — 1933 — and the provenance of its earliest section.

IMG_6277.JPG

So, who was Jesse Barnes?

This 12 June 1975 letter proclaims that “the lots adjacent to the Rest Haven Cemetery are have been, and in the future will be set aside for the heirs of the said, Jessie R. and Sarah L. Barnes. These lots are located at the back of Section No. 2 on row beside the ditch in the cluster of trees.” Frank Barnes signed the letter.

Jesse Reese Barnes (1873-1949) and Sarah Eliza Barnes Barnes (1872-1936) were married in 1893. Frank Washington Barnes was their son. Without access to deeds, I cannot determine at this time when the Barneses purchased their 38 acres. However, presumably, Jesse and Sarah sold it to the Cemetery Commission.

And “the back of Section No. 2 on row beside the ditch in the cluster of trees”? It’s here:

Less than a month after the note above, Frank W. Barnes sold four grave plots to John E. Dixon. This note is on file with the Cemetery Commission: “This is to certify that I, Frank W. Barnes of 308 Ward Boulevard, Wilson, North Carolina acting on behalf of myself and with the full consent of other concerned members of the Barnes family do hereby  for the sum of Ten Dollars ($10.00) and other value received do convey to said John E. Dixon and family of 411 N. Vick Street of Wilson, North Carolina space for four (4) grave plots in the Barnes Family Cemetery which is a part of REST HAVEN CEMETERY of Wilson, North Carolina. These grave plots are located near the south-east corner of the Barnes Cemetery between two (2) big Cedar trees. These plots are theirs to have and hold from this day hence-forth.” Joan Howell’s Cemeteries, Volume V, lists the burials of Jesse Barnes, Jesse J. Barnes, John E. Dixon, Mabel B. Dixon and Levi C. Dixon in the Barnes section of Rest Haven.

——

In the 1880 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: Lemon Barnes, 32, farmer; wife Nancey, 26; and children Morrison, 8, Jessee R., 7, Ida, 6, Eddie, 3, Lemon Jr., 2, and General, 3 months.

In the 1880 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: Ned Barnes, 34; wife Margaret, 35; and children Luvenia, 9, Franklin, 8, Walter, 10, and Sarah Eliza, 7.

Jesse Barnes, 19, married Sarah Barnes, 21, daughter of Ned Barnes and Margarett Artis, on 2 December 1893 at the bride’s home in Wilson County. Per their marriage license, Presbyterian minister L.J. Melton performed the ceremony in the presence of L.A. Moore, John Hardy and Davis Barnes.

In the 1900 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farmer Jesse R. Barnes, 27; wife Sarah, 28; and children Lucretia, 5, Ned, 4, Nancy, 2, and Lemon, 11 months.

In the 1910 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: on Saratoga Road, Jesse Barnes, 37, farmer; wife Sarah, 31, public school teacher; and children Lucresia, 16, Ned, 14, Nancy, 12, Lemon, 11, Jessie Bell, 10, Maggie May, 7, and Ardenia, 5.

Lucrettia Barnes died 11 March 1915 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 14 October 1894 to Jesse Barnes and Sarah Barnes.

In 1919, Margaret Edmundson Barnes Artis, signed her mark to a will leaving her real property to daughter Sarah Barnes Barnes. The land was described as a tract “adjoining the lands of Martin Barnes, Harry Clark, Daniel Vick‘s heirs, Dollison Powell and the Singletary Place, containing forty-four acres more or less.” (Margaret had jointly owned or inherited this property from her second husband Cain Artis.]

In the 1920 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: on Saratoga Road, farmer Jesse Barnes, 46; wife Sarah, 47; and children Ned, 23, Nancy, 22, Lemon, 20, Jessie Belle, 18, Maggie, 15, Ardenia, 13, Frank, 11, James, 6, and Mildred, 3.

In the 1930 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: on Powell Street, farmer Jessie R. Barnes, 55; wife Sarah, 56; and children Mildred, 16, James, 13, and Frank, 18; granddaughter Alma, 10; daughter Nancey Farmer, 30, and son-in-law Andrew Farmer, 29, truck driver for Wilson Sales Grocery.

Sarah Eliza Barnes died 29 August 1936 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was 52 years old; was born in Wilson County to Ned Barnes and Margarette Edmundson; lived on East Nash Road; and was married to Jesse R. Barnes.

Jessie Reese Barnes died 20 April 1949 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 3 April 1873 in Wilson County to Lemuel Barnes and Nancy Woodard; was a widower; was a farmer. Frank Barnes, 513 East Nash, was informant.

Many thanks to Heather Goff for her diligent search for these records.

Cemeteries, no. 28: the Bynum-Williamson cemetery.

I searched unsuccessfully for this cemetery a couple of years ago — it was the wrong time of year. In summer it’s hidden from the street by tobacco or corn or whatever tall crop is growing, but it’s readily visible in December. (The thick growth just behind the graves shelters Cedar Creek, a tributary of Black Creek.)

The oldest marked grave is that of

  • Moses Bynum

Moses Bynum 1825-1885 Gone but not forgotten

  • James Grice

James Grice Born 1850 Died Sep 23 1925 Gone but not forgotten

In the 1870 census of Cross Roads township, Wilson County: James Grice, 17, farm apprentice in the household of Thomas Woodard, 38.

In the 1880 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: James Grice, 30; wife Leatha J., 34; and children Mary, 11, Loney W., 8, and Joseph, 4.

In the 1900 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: James Grice, 50, farm laborer; wife Jane L., 49; and children Mary, 35, Lonney, 28, Sarah A., 17, and James L., 12.

In the 1910 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: on West Railroad Street, James Grice, 59, farmer; wife Eliza, 52; daughter Mary,; and granddaughter Hattie,

In the 1920 census of lack Creek township, Wilson County: Eroy A. Grice, 40; wife Clyde, 33; James, 69; Hattie Wood, 40, and Walter Wood, 12.

James Grice died 23 September 1925 in Black Creek township. Per his death certificate, he was born in 1850 in Wilson County to James Grice and Thanney Keen; was a tenant farmer for Johnson Daniel; and was the widower of Litha Grice. Eroy Grice of Black Creek was informant.

  • Turner Williamson

Father Tunner Williamson Born Jan. 18. 1860 Died Oct. 22, 1937 Gone but not forgotten.

See here.

  • Turner Williamson, Jr.

Turner Jr., husband of Bessie Mae Williamson May 13, 1902 June 14, 1945 A light from our household is gone

Turner Williamson died 14 June 1945 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Per his death certificate, he was born 13 May 1902 in Wilson to Turner Williamson and Margaret Barnes; was married to Bessie Williamson, age 37; worked as an auto mechanic; lived at 601 North 53rd Street, Philadelphia; and was buried in Wilson.

  • James White

James White  Feb 8, 1877 Apr 4, 1950 At rest

Jim White died 4 April 1950 at Mercy Hospital, Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was 73 years old; was born in Craven County, N.C., to Rennie White; was married; worked as a carpenter; and was buried in Bynum cemetery. Effie White was informant.

  • Chaney Brooks

Chaney Brooks died Nov, 12, 1941 Age 66 Yrs. Gone But Not Forgotten

Chanie Brooks died 12 December 1940 in Black Creek township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was 78 years old; was born in Wilson County to Bryant Barden and Annis Barden; was married to Walter Brooks; and was buried in Bynum’s cemetery near Lucama. Informant was Tom Dawson.

  • Olive Bynum Braswell

Mother Ollie Braswell Dec. 2, 1870 Mar. 7, 1950 Gone But Not Forgotten

In the 1880 census of Cross Roads township, Wilson County: farmer Calvin Bynum, 31; wife Pherabe, 28; and children Olive, 9, Fannie, 7, Martha Ann, 5, Joseph, 2, and Benjamin, 3 months.

Luther Braswell, 20, of Wilson County, son of George and Adline Braswell, married Olive Bynum, 21, of Wilson County, daughter of Calvin and Ferebe Bynum, on 10 April 1894 at Calvin Bynum’s in Cross Road township. Witnesses were Gray Newsome, Henry Dudley and [illegible] Newsome.

In the 1900 census of Nahunta township, Wayne County: Luther Braswell, 27, farmer; wife Oliff, 28; Lewis, 5, Frank, 3, and Luther, 10 months.

In the 1910 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: farmer Luther Braswell, 37; wife Olif, 38; and children Lewis, 15, Frank, 12, Luther, 10, Oscar, 8, Gertrude, 6, Victoria, 2, and Calvin, 11 months.

In the 1920 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: Luther Braswell, 47; wife Ollie, 48; and children Oscar, 18, Gertrude, 15, and Victoria, 12. Next door: Luther Braswell Jr., 20, and wife Estella, 20. Also, Lewis Braswell, 24, wife Chany, 28, and children James, 2, and Carry, 8 months. Also, Frank Braswell, 22, and wife Etta, 19.

In the 1930 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farmer Luther Braswell, 30; wife Estell, 26; mother Olif, 57; and sister Victoria, 22.

Olie Braswell died 7 March 1950 at 604 Spring Street, Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 2 December 1870 in Wilson County to Calvin Bynum; was widowed; and was buried in Newsome cemetery, WIlson County. Victoria Messick of Wilson was informant.

  • Willie Newsome

Father Willie Newsome May 17, 1959 Gone But Not Forgotten

On [illegible] October 1926, Willie Newsom, of Cross Roads, son of Amos and Martha Newsom, married Mittie Taylor, 20, daughter of Frank Taylor and Hattie Joyner. Elder Robert Edwards performed the ceremony in the presence of Jethro Dickerson, Benjamin Bynum and Geo. Sutton.

In the 1940 census of Cross Roads township, Wilson County: Willie Newsome, 48; wife Mittie, 32; and children Lessie, 11, Hattie, 9, Mattie, 7, and Yvone, 2.

Willie Newsome died 17 May 1959 at 1312 Washington Street, Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 18 April 1895 in Wilson County to Amos Newsome; was married to Mittie Newsome; was a farmer; and was buried in a family cemetery in Lucama.

  • William L. Barnes

William L. Barnes June 16, 1889 Feb. 17, 1941

Cemeteries, no. 27: the Sutton-Newsome cemetery.

I was making a U-turn to leave another graveyard near Lucama when I spotted this one at the woodline across a field. The gate is marked by these hand-decorated blocks of concrete.

There are only a handful of gravestones, but the space enclosed within the chain-link fence suggests many more burials.

  • James Walter Sutton and Ida Reid Sutton

Ida and Walter Sutton’s double gravestone. It’s a machine-cut marker not available in the 1950s, and I suspect the shell-decorated cement markers above headed the graves until this monument was placed decades later.

——

In the 1900 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: Calvin Sutton, 45; wife Silvania, 49; and children George, 18, Walter, 16, Mary, 13, and Roscoe, 10.

In the 1900 census of Pikeville township, Wayne County: Isiah Reid, 47; wife Eidie, 44; and children John W., 17, Ida L., 15, Oscar, 8, Bessie J., 5, Wade J., 4, and Parthenia, 2.

On 20 January 1904, Ida Reid, 18, daughter of Isaiah Reid, married James W. Sutton, 21, son of Calvin and Marenda Sutton, in Wayne County. [Sidenote: Isaiah Reid, son of John and Mozana Hall Reid, was first cousin to veterinarian Elijah Reid and school principal J.D. Reid.]

In the 1910 census of Cross Roads township, Wilson County: on Goldsboro Road, James W. Sutton, 28; wife Ida, 25; and daughter Irene, 4.

In the 1920 census of Cross Roads township, Wilson County: farmer Walter Sutton, 36; wife Ida, 34; and children Irene, 15, Camillus, 9, Ethel, 6, and James, 1.

Annanias Sutton died 6 September 1925 in Lucama, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 7 September 1918 in Wilson County to Walter Sutton and Ida Reid; was a schoolboy; died of “edema of larynx — post tonsil abscess”; and was buried in Wayne County.

In the 1930 census of Cross Roads township, Wilson County: farmer James W. Sutton, 48; wife Ida, 44; and children Irene, 23, Comillus, 18, Ethel, 16, Pocahontas, 9, Johnie, 6, and Elijah, 3.

In the 1940 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: farmer Walter Sutton, 58; wife Ida, 54; and children Irene, 34, Pocahontas, 19, Johnie, 16, and Elijah, 13.

Ida Sutton died 5 June 1957 in Cross Roads township. Per her death certificate, she was born 22 November 1889 in Wayne County to Isaiah Reid and Elizabeth Evans; was married to James Walter Sutton; was a farmer; and was buried in Sutton & Newsome cemetery. Informant was Commillus Sutton.

James Walter Sutton died 4 November 1957 in Black Creek township. Per his death certificate, he was born 9 April 1885 in Wayne County to Calvin and Marinda Sutton.

Irene Sutton died 9 July 1971 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 22 November 1907 in Wilson County to Walter Sutton and Ida Reid; lived at 501 Spaulding Street; was never married; and was buried in Sutton cemetery. Informant was Ethel Newsome, 1024 Faison Street, Wilson.

Photos by Lisa Y. Henderson, December 2019.

The Brantley cemetery.

Armed with a 1937 Leica IIIa 35mm camera, Brian Grawburg has begun a project to document “lost” Wilson County graveyards. Using early 20th topographical maps, WPA cemetery surveys, Google Maps, and tips from the public, Grawburg has battled heat, humidity and nearly impenetrable thickets to create and preserve a record of these forgotten spaces.

This is the second in a series of posts exploring African-American cemeteries that have been rediscovered by Grawburg.

The Brantley cemetery, off Crepe Myrtle Road in Taylors township, Wilson County, contains nine headstones. For more about the Brantleys, see here and here and here.

  • Bettie Brantley — 1878-8 Dec 1919, daughter of Henderson Brantley and Mollie Boone Brantley.
  • Charlie Brantley — 1 Aug 1873- 8 Jan 1948, son of Henderson Brantley and Mollie Boone Brantley.
  • Finner Brantley — 1 Dec 1887-5 Jan 1924, son of Charlie Brantley and Margaret Locus Brantley.
  • Floyd Brantley — 17 Feb 1901-20 May 1905, son of Richard Brantley and Missouri Eatmon Brantley.
  • Henderson Brantley — ca. 1836-2 Dec 1916, son of Bettie Brantley.
  • Richard Brantley — ca. 1877-28 Dec 1905, son of Henderson Brantley and Mollie Boone Brantley.
  • Solomon Finch  — 9 Mar 1896-11 Mar 1955, son of Jane Finch and Joseph Jones.
  • Annie Thomas Howard — 15 May 1907-1 Aug 1930, adopted daughter of Kenyon Howard and Mollie Brantley Howard.
  • Kenyon Howard — 28 Oct 1874-9 Dec 1938, son of Zealous Howard and Rhoda Eatmon Howard, first husband of Mollie Brantley Howard Brown.