Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Tombstone Tuesday - Wilson Cemetery



I first visited this old cemetery in the Bells Mines area of Crittenden County in 1989 and re-visited it several times through the early 1990s. Recently I got a longing to go back to the cemetery and take photos of all the tombstones, something I neglected to do in previous visits. Did I remember how to get there? I knew it was not far down the road from Greens Chapel Cemetery, but how far?  My good friend, Brenda Travis Underdown, who writes Forgotten Passages Blog, and I decided we would try to find it.  We put our memories together and came up with this: We knew we had to cross a little creek and climb a hill and surely the daffodils planted around the tombstones could be seen from a distance. So, we planned a spring visit, using the daffodils as a focal point.  The first attempt was not successful, but yesterday it worked and the daffodils could be seen from a distance.

This cemetery is on land formerly owned by Jeremiah Wilson whose Burial was likely the first in the cemetery. Buried beside him is his wife, Dolly.

 
Dolly H.
Wilson
Born
Sept. 11, 1808
Died
Jan. 21, 1892
 
Nearby are the tombstones of Jeremiah and Dolly's son and daughter-in-law, George P. and Margaret (Crabtree) Wilson.

 
George P.
Wilson
June 28, 1830
Nov. 15, 1917
Gone by not forgotten
 
 
Margaret A.
Wife of
G.P. Wilson
Born
Mar. 14, 1836
Died
Apr. 11, 1906
 
 
The graves of the following children of George P. and Margaret are nearby:  Joseph Robert, June 14, 1860 - July 12, 1874 and William P., February 1, 1856 - May 23, 1858.
 
Other children of Jeremiah and Dolly are buried here, too.  W.J. Wilson, February 16, 1839 - October 6, 1875 and Joseph Wilson, May 28, 1837 -  September 16, 1871. A daughter of Jeremiah and Dolly rests nearby.
 
 
Elizabeth A.
Wife of
J.L. Lamb
Died
Jan. 17, 1865
Aged 22 years
 
There are many more tombstones in this cemetery and we were fortunate to locate all of those recorded in the 1990s. For a complete list, refer to The Crittenden County Kentucky Cemeteries North Western Section, Volume III, published 2005 and available from the Crittenden County Genealogical Society.
 
Nearby is the tombstone of James E. Taylor. It was face down on the ground and perhaps had been toppled by a downed tree during a recent ice storm.
 
 
James E. Taylor
Born
Oct. 11, 1829
Died
Nov. 13, 1863
 
 
The following tombstone is interesting in that it is handcarved and is shaped somewhat like the sandstone tombstones of the 1830s and 1840s in the area.
 
 

 
Sarah
E. Black
Departed
This Life
March 18th
A.D. 1848
Aged 16 mo
5 days
 
A footstone with her full name sits at the foot of the grave.

 
One of the most interesting tombstones is that of M.D. We do not know who is buried here.
 
 
M.D.
1827
1908
 
Published 2 April 2013, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog,  http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/
 
 
  


1 comment:

Forgotten Passages said...

A great post on the Wilson Cemetery. Thanks for sharing. Great pictures too.