Category: Churches

The following is from The Goodspeed History of Tennessee, Crockett County, published by the Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1887. 

Up to 1825, the territory within the limits of what is now Crockett County, contained not a single religious organization or church building. At about that time, however, the circuit rider of the Jackson Methodist Circuit was induced to make appointments, and hold services once every four weeks at the house of Henry A. Powell, a member of the Methodist Church, who lived near where now stands Maury City. These were, probably, the first religious meetings held in the county. After the crops had been gathered in the fall of 1830, eight or ten farmers living in the neighborhood of what is now Johnsonís Grove, went to work and erected the first regular meeting house in the county. The building stood half a mile east from Johnsonís Grove, and was a small pole cabin, the logs scalped down inside and out, and the cracks lined on the inside with oak boards. The floor was of puncheons, and the seats were made by splitting open poplar logs, hewing the face smooth with a broad-ax, and were supported by stout oaken legs. The pulpit was an oblong frame arrangement, weather-boarded to the proper height, with drawn oak boards, on top of which, supported by four posts, was a broad board for a book rest. The church was given the name of Old Liberty, and was used by all denominations. A singular fact in connection with this first church was, that it was built by men none of whom were members of any church. In the latter part of the same year, the farmers in the neighborhood of what is now Maury City, built a similar log meeting-house on the site of that village, and gave it the name of Palmyra. In the summer of 1831, Capt. Porter, one of the early settlers of the Lanefield neighborhood, and an enthusiastic Methodist, conceived the idea of holding a camp-meeting , and the following fall Palmyra Campground was established at the church of that name, and a camp-meeting held. The meeting continued for a week, the people camping in tents and improvised shanties, and upward of 100 conversions were made. The result of the meeting worked quite a religious revolution over the entire Forked Deer River country, and from that time on, churches were established in all sections of the county. The Methodists, within the next few years, erected in different locations, the following churches, all of which were built on the same plan as Old Liberty: Pond Creek, Poplar Grove, Mount Zion, Elizabeth, Holly Grove and Cross Roads.

Churches of other denominations were erected during the succeeding four or five years as follows: Between 1835 and 1840, the Missionary Baptists organized and erected Shady Grove, Dyer, Mill Creek and Quincy, while the Cumberland Presbyterians erected Bethesda in about 1838, and Salem in about 1850. In about 1847 the Christians, or Campbellites, effected an organization and held regular services at Old Liberty, and in 1850 built a church at Chestnut Bluff. At about the same time the Christians built Miller Chapel, and later on built churches at Alamo and Bellís Depot. In 1882 the Gadsden Christian Church was erected, and in 1883 Crockett Mills Church, of the same denomination, was built, the expenses of which was borne entirely by Mr. J. F. Robertson, of Crockett Mills. In 1867-68 the Northern Methodists began organizing in the county, and soon afterward erected a church at Cairo, Siloam Church, in the Thirteenth District, and Dunlapís Chapel in the Third District.

The churches of the present, outside of the towns, are as follows: First District, Walnut Hill, Missionary Baptist; Second District, Bethel Missionary Baptist and Masonís Grove, Methodist Episcopal South; Third District, Dunlapís Chapel, Northern Methodist; Fourth District, Salem, Cumberland Presbyterian, Coxís Chapel, Christian and Center, Methodist Episcopal South; Sixth District, Mill Creek, Primitive Baptists; Seventh District, Quincy, Methodist Episcopal South and Quincy, Missionary Baptist; Eight District, Pond Creek, Methodist Episcopal South; Ninth District, Bethesda, Cumberland Presbyterian, Providence, Missionary Baptist and Crockett Mills, Christian; Eleventh District, Floydís Chapel, Methodist Episcopal South, and Dyer, Primitive Baptist; Twelfth District, Elizabeth, Methodist Episcopal South, Mount Moriah, Missionary Baptist and Mount Zion, Methodist Episcopal South; Thirteenth District, Lebanon, Methodist Episcopal South, and South Fork, Union Baptist. Fourteenth District, Lanefield, Methodist Episcopal South, Johnsonís Grove, Missionary Baptists and Johnsonís Grove, Christian.

  

Walnut Hill Baptist Church was organized about 1849, with services being held in a log schoolhouse. The seats were made of logs with no backs. One corner of the church was occupied by the old negro slaves who worshiped here also and who belonged to the church. The first building was erected of logs in 1852 on a one-acre lot which was donated by Newton Williams. The town of Bells had not been formed at this time and Walnut Hill was the only Baptist church in the area. Charter members included Tommie Williams and wife, Meekins Williams, Berry Williams, Newton Williams, Nat Williams and wife, Neddy Williams, Betsey Williams, Mary Ann Davis, C. H. Medlin and wife, Lusette Ellington and father, ____ Lacy, ____ Pipkins and ____ Winburn.

The ground on which the church is presently located was given by Newton Williams in 1860 (deed still in existence) and under the terms of the deed, the original grant of one acre went back to the grantor. The first church building was torn down and the logs were moved to the home place of Elisha Jackson near Fruitvale where he used them to construct a barn. The present building was probably begun in 1861, having been erected during the Civil War. There have been alterations and remodeling during the years, including the addition of Sunday School rooms and an annex; also, a pastorium was built in 1948 and a full time ministry was begun a few years later. Up to 1925, Walnut Hill was a member of the Madison Co. Association when the Crockett Co. Association was formed.

Some of the earlier pastors were Thomas, Williams, Allen, Haste and in later years Bozeman, Lennon, Guthrie, Edwards, Joyner, West, Camp, Perry, Holland, Utley, Farris, Patterson, Gossett, Ross, Goode, Atchley, Smothers, Davidson and the present pastor, Rev. Wayne Webb. Two young men from Walnut Hill Baptist Church who entered the ministry and are successful pastors are Rev. T. T. Crabtree and Rev. Oscar Patterson.

At present, the church is a modern, growing facility and is increasing its size now through a building program in order to accommodate the increasing attendance as it continues to bless and enrich the spiritual life of the community.

There is a large cemetery located here on a portion of land set aside from additional land which had been purchased by the church in 1944. East of the Walnut Hill church property is the old Williams graveyard which was given by Thomas Williams as a family burying plot and graves of many of his descendants can be found there. Just west of the Caliah Medlin land was the farm of Wiley Brigance and the Brigance cemetery is located there. 

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The preceding article was contributed, with permission of the Crockett County Historical Society, by Natalie Huntley.

This information was taken from an article on the community of Walnut Hill, which was compiled and written by Judy G. Alpha, and published in the book Crockett County Courthouse Centennial, 1874 – 1974, prepared by the Crockett County Historical Society.

The first church building at Salem was a small, one-room frame one with a dirt floor. It faced east and west and had steps leading down to the road. Later a second building was built. It also faced east and west, and was a white frame one. This building was destroyed by a storm on June 22, 1928. The present building was then erected facing south and north. It had been added to and remodeled and is now very attractive.

From the minutes of the Salem Church, Salem Congregation Session June 7, 1884, recorded as a transcript “from the old session book” the following: “Salem Congregation of Cumberland Presbyterian Church, being a part of the Center congregation, was organized into a separate congregation by petitioning the Madison Presbytery of the Cumberland Church A.D. One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four (1854) to be received under her care…which was granted.

Petitioners were: Lucinda Evans, Elizabeth Davis, Jonathan H. Davis, James Tarpley, Jame B. Smith, Narcissus A. Smith, Sarah A. McRee, James Drinkard, Helen M. Davis, A. M. Reid, S. S. Hopper, Elizabeth C. Hopper, Sarah Harpole, Louisa E. Lemonds,

Inda (?) A. McLeary, Nathan Arnold, Nancy Arnold, William Tinsley, Sarah Tinsley, J. Seth H. Lemonds, William M. Lemond, Nichols H. McRee, Rachel E. Smith, A. P. Davis, John Kenedy, Mary Kenedy, Louisa Clark, Margaret Boyd, Rebecca Boyd, P. W. Hopper, G. L. Kincaid, Nancy A. Kincaid, Francis A. Smith, John A. Kenedy, John E. Smith, Susan E. Musgraves, Gracy J. Musgraves.

From the same source was this record of some of the early ministers:…”Rev. Young A. McLemore, serving 1854-1877; Rev. Thomas H. Crofford, serving 1877-1879; Rev. Albine P. Davis, serving 1882-1883; Rev. H. J. Ray, serving 1883-1884…” Becoming preachers from the Salem residents were: Carl Davis, Russell Tatum, Paris Davis, Ira Davis, all Presbyterian Ministers. Also from the natives of Salem came Rev. Herman A. Butts, Methodist.

The last three pastors of the church have been, Rev. Cecil Burnett, Rev. Donald Carter, and at present, Rev. Carl Davis.

The first deed to church land found in the deed books of Crockett County was one made on Sept. 26, 1951, and filed March 25, 1952. This deed was from R. C. Drinkard and his wife, Viola, for four-fifths acres deeded to the Trustees of the Salem Cumberland Presbyterian Church: J. B. Kincaid, A. L. Kincaid, Oscar Tinsley, Jimmy Davis, Joe Hopper, R. S. Boals, and Eugene Reasons. The next deed recorded in Crockett deed books was one of April 5, 1963, from Lloyd S. Adams Jr., Frances Jarrell Adams Tipton, and Ann Blair Adams Parke. They deeded land to Richard Ellis, A. L. Kincaid, Jimmie Davis, Joe Hopper, Paul Reasons, Eugene Reasons, Jeff Davis, Oscar Tinsley, and Bobby Joe Davis, elders of Salem Cumberland Presbyterian Church and to their successors in office…”

This is a thriving church and many descendants of the original members still attend, as well as other long time residents. Among those coming after 1900 were the Jim and Austin Ellis families. Tannie Macon married Mattie Ellis, and they live in sight of the church. Nearby is their daughter Betty (Mrs. Franklin Selph, and their son, Bennie Macon, and their families, and Richard Ellis’s family. 

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The preceding article was contributed, with permission of the Crockett County Historical Society, by Natalie Huntley.

This information was taken from an article on the communities of Coxville, Center and Salem, which was compiled and written by Mrs. C. C. James, and published in the book Crockett County Courthouse Centennial, 1874 – 1974, prepared by the Crockett County Historical Society.

The first meetings in the Quincy community were in 1916 or 1917 when a Bro. Spain held a few nights’ services in the home of Charlie Speer. Then in 1920, a man named Sam Graves came up the 41 Highway which, at the time was the main road, selling apples and pears. He traveled by the then modern convenience of a two-horse wagon and team. The children of that day always relayed the news of who was coming long before they arrived. In the process of stopping at each house to sell his wears he came to a house where a man named Mr. Madden was seriously ill. Bro. Sam was asked to pray for him. After prayer was offered Eliza Owens “Babe” Speer, who was a neighbor, invited Bro. Sam to conduct services in his home. In this way the door was again opened to the Gospel in this community.

In 1921 Jessie Byrd (J. B.) Richardson as a young child was at the point of death. It seemed there was no hope. The doctor said he would die before morning. His mother and neighbors had heard of some people across the river close to Trenton that prayed for the sick. So Bros. Sam Graves, Pitt Graves and Earnest Graves were asked to come to the Robert L. and Lela Mae Byrd Richardson home and pray for their sick child. As they laid hands on Jessie Byrd (J. B.) and prayed, he was healed and his fever left. The doctors were amazed! In fact, the doctor made the comment to William Joseph “Bill” Richardson, who was Robert L. Richardson’s brother, that the Lord would get the credit and left the impression he would not be paid. William Joseph (Bill) Richardson offered to pay but he made the statement that Robert would pay him.

This healing stirred the curiosity of the Quincy Community. People wanted to know more. After about a year of preaching and teaching in homes, a tent was pitched in the field which was across the road from where the present church is now standing on Babe & Jane Richardson Speer’s land and a great revival was held. Bros. Sam Graves and Pitts Graves held the first revival and from there the church was built.

Gaston Dade Spence furnished the team to snake out the logs for lumber to build the first little one-room building. Robert “Bob” Spence, Ira Speer and Albert Speer helped to haul out the logs. So the work began. The first building was erected and completed about Feb. 25, 1923.

Great Revivals have been held here through the years. Most any of the churches you attend in any direction from Quincy have people in them who made their start or were reared in the Quincy church.

The baptizing were held in the Forked Deer River, which is north of the church at the bridge. All classes were taught back then in the same room and were called Card Classes. They are now called Sunday School Classes. Two people usually fanned the organist as he or she played the organ. There was no electricity until the late fifties.

Families mentioned in the early days of Quincy Pentecostal Church are: Eliza Owen “Babe” and Jane Richardson Speer, George Holt’s family, Albert and Bernice Holt Speer, Gaston Dade and Mozella “Ella” White Spence, Robert “Bob” Spence and William Amos Spence, Robert Lee “Bob” and Martha Ella Mathis, Gertie Jane Mathis Peay, Beulah Brown Mathis Graves, Emma Leona Mathis Hudson, Nina Cowan, Ida Warren, Robert L. and Lela Mae Byrd Richardson, Jessie Byrd (J. B.) Richardson, Flora Gertruce “Gertie” Sanders, Addison D. “Bud” and Beulah Walker Graves, Sr., Boss Cook Family, Jesse Eskew family.

A man who is not Pentecostal said he gave this church credit for this community being where it is today. Old timers tell us about how mean and wicked this part of the country was. Threats of all kinds were made and unruly sinners, bootleggers, drunkards, and gamblers made up a great part of the land at that time. However, God chose a man with very little education and who had little of this world’s goods, but had grit as a bulldog and faith in God to bring the message of love to this lost corner of the Globe. The power of God began to fall and the unruly became gentle and kind. The drunkard became sober, the bootleggers stopped selling, the gamblers quit their gambling and peace and love reigned where chaos had been. At many of the services, there was a crowd on the outside looking in the windows.

The old dirt road (Old 41) was traveled by horseback, surrey, two-horse wagons, and by foot to get to the meetings.

There have been many others whose names have not been mentioned in this writing who were a part of the work of God at Quincy. The ministry of Quincy Pentecostal Church has gone beyond its local community by helping to establish several churches in different areas who did not have a church.

The church was remodeled and bricked in the early 1970s. A fellowship hall was also built in the mid-1970s.

The church is now called Truth Ministries and is pastured by Rev. James Keeton.

Some of the other pastors at Quincy were: Sam Graves (40 years), James Martindale, Landis Franklin, Robert Rutledge, Billy Worrell, A.D. & Eleanor Jean Graves, Marty Johnson, Keith Holloway, Teddy Ross, Leonard Glover, Bob Holden (interim). 

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Contributed by Sharon Richardson Flake

Located in Crockett County, two miles north of the town of Crockett Mills in a rural community is the Providence Baptist Church. This church was organized in 1854 by members from Johnson’s Grove Baptist Church. The need for a place in which to worship was realized by the people in this community. The first worship house was a large log structure with a stick and dirt chimney. the building was constructed at a log-raising occasion, having two windows with wooden shutters and three doors, which were hung on wooden hinges. The seats were crude, split logs with peg legs. No known means of lighting the building are known, except for the large fireplace, which was over 4 feet wide. Two front doors were used, one by the women and the other by the men. Also, there were two separate sides of the church, with men on one side and women on the other. Their attendance was strictly for purposes of worship. The people came in ox carts and wagons to worship. Many of them came several miles through the woods.

Luke Tatum and J. F. Robertson donated one acre each to the church for a cemetery, which was recorded on May 27, 1874. Timber covered this land, as well as the surrounding area, with only a few small clearings where homesteads were established.

At this time money was very scarce, so the people grew sheep for wool, which was spun into thread to make woolen clothing to pay the preacher. He had no fixed salary and received such items as socks, shirts, corn and many other agricultural products. Preaching service was held the fourth Sunday each month on Saturday morning and Sunday morning.

The area increased in population, and the need for a better and larger church was at hand. About the time our county was formed, the people met and built a large frame, white building with glass windows. This building faced the south, had two front doors and one side door, with two rows of large white columns that reached from the floor to the ceiling to support the joists. Inside were kerosene lamps, a wood-burning stove, and benches made by hand from poplar lumber.

A committee was appointed to buy an organ, for they had no musical instruments. The membership was now about two hundred, which was a large percentage of the community, and most of these attended every meeting. A large church bell was bought, and before worship or a funeral, the tones from the bell could be heard for miles around.

The following minutes were written by K. S. Peal in the church record book in 1910: “Voted to pay the pastor the sum of $150 salary for 1/4 time for the year. Rev. J. T. Barker called to serve as pastor for the following year.”

In 1919 the building was moved south to give more room in the cemetery. Members were not satisfied because they wanted the building to face the east. They decided to build a new church instead of repairing the older one, using some of the lumber in the new building. During the construction of the building, regular worship services were carried on in the Methodist Church at Crockett Mills. This building, completed in 1923, now stands on the grounds at the present time. It is a large, brick veneered one facing east, with beautiful oak trees on the grounds and is near a hard-surfaced road. It has four large brick columns in the front. Inside the building are 312 comfortable seats, a rostrum for the chair, and a piano which was bought to replace the organ. The cemetery was not well kept and was growing up in briars and bushes. The third Sunday in May was set for Homecoming Day and a special donation made for upkeep of the cemetery. People from far and near come, bringing their lunch for the all-day affair. After the usual morning services, dinner placed upon a huge table under the trees, where all enjoy good food and good preaching, after which a donation is taken for the cemetery. Someone is hired to keep the cemetery mowed and beautiful.

Another big event is the annual revival which starts on the fourth Sunday in July. This was at one time a great meeting, according to old-timers. Many nights the church would not hold the crowds that gathered to worship.

Vacation Bible School is held for one week each summer, in which the superintendent is sometimes the pastor. On Saturday before the school starts, a parade is made through the community, which aids in getting children of ages 3 through 16 to attend. The study consists of singing, studying the Bible, and handicraft. Commencement is held on Sunday evening, after a week of study, where diplomas and awards are presented.

People from surrounding communities buried their relatives in the cemetery; therefore, it grew rapidly. In 1943 Mrs. Rosa Hamlett donated two acres of land south of church for a new cemetery, in which there are now three graves.

In 1953 four new Sunday School rooms and a hall were added to the building. People donated money, and most of the work was done by members. When the rooms were completed, they were paid for. The former pastors, Bro. Melvin Williams and Mrs. Clyde Mayfield preached the dedication service. Bro. Mayfield said, “This is only the passing of another milestone; let us keep working until more goals are reached.” Some other improvements are electric lights, gas heat, polished floors, painted inside walls and window fans.

This year Mrs. Effie Williams donated a new piano to the church as a token of remembrance and Mrs. Ruby Laster donated a new communion table in memory of her husband, Mr. Clarence Laster.

Providence is now a full-time church with 334 members, a standard Sunday School, B.T.U. services, and Wednesday night prayer service. Some important achievements of the past year were sending the pastor to Cuba for a week of missionary work, buying 60 new song books, donating a love offering for the pastor and buying a new pulpit.

The present pastor, Bro. Ted Wimberly, lives in the community, enabling the members to observe his words, actions, sincerity and closeness to God.

The Providence Community has prospered much since the first settlement, thanks to this as well as other churches. Today the soft tones of the church bell may be heard, not as they were years ago when they echoed in the woods, but drifting over cultivated fields. The church has stood the test of time for more than a century, and in the future will continue to be of importance to this community. Visitors are always welcome at Providence Baptist Church. 

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The preceding article was contributed, with permission of the Crockett County Historical Society, by Natalie Huntley. 

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This article was compiled and written by Wayne Redmond, and published in the book Crockett County Courthouse Centennial, 1874 – 1974, prepared by the Crockett County Historical Society.

In 1875, William W. Nance donated one acre of land on the southeast corner of present-day Nance Road and Tennessee Highway 152 for the construction of a school building for children in the Nance, Quincy, and Cairo communities. The school was first known as Nance Academy.

Worship services in the academy building began in 1890 with Sylvester Green, Jim Jones, Martin Nance, Smith Randle and their families in attendance.

In 1905, the academy building burned. In 1907, a new school building, constructed on the same site, was completed and worship services began again. Among families attending services at this time were those of Henry Conley, Will Corbett, Will Hunt, Jim Pittman, Smith Randle, Edd Stallings, and Frank Yearwood.

In 1913, the church appointed Dee Colvett, Will Hunt, and Smith Randle as its first elders. Due to increasing membership, the congregation soon decided to construct a building specifically designed for worship services. In 20 minutes, $1,600 was raised for the purpose. Claude Laman donated one acre of land directly across Nance Road from the school and a new, white-frame church building was completed in 1916.

This building was destroyed by a windstorm in 1933. It was rebuilt the following year but then was destroyed by fire in 1938. In 1939, the congregation completed work on a modern, red-brick structure with a large auditorium. In 1951, four classrooms were added at the rear of the building. (According to Jenny Gordon, the church was destroyed in 1938 by wind, not fire. She was a student at the time at the school across the road)

On a rainy Monday afternoon, April 29, 1963, the Nance community was devastated by a deadly tornado. The storm, approaching from the west, first touched down northeast of Maury City. Entering the Nance community at approximately 6:10 p.m., the storm killed three people, injured several others, completely destroyed 14 homes, and severely damaged the few homes left standing. The tornado demolished the Nance Community Center, site of the Crockett County Fair, located in the former school building.

The church building also was destroyed. Quickly, plans were made to rebuild the structure and work commenced the following summer on a new place of worship. At the invitation of the Alamo Church of Christ, the Nance congregation held services in the former Alamo church building on East Main Street while the new structure was being built.

The present Nance church building, of A-frame design, contains a spacious auditorium, seven classrooms, a baptistry, and children’s nursery. It was dedicated on April 19, 1964, with 501 members and friends in attendance. In 1993, a fellowship hall was added on the building’s south side.

Bro. W. A. Bradfield of Henderson, Tennessee, began serving the congregation as minister on a part-time basis in the 1950s. In 1965, Bro. Wendell Bloomingburg of Henderson began the church’s first full-time ministry. Bro. Logan Lewis of Humboldt and Bro. Bill Mitchusson of Jackson have served since then with Bro. Mitchusson being the congregation’s current minister.

The church has been an ardent supporter of Christian education through the years, in particular, the educational mission of Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson. Several young people from the congregation have attended FHU as well as other Christian colleges such as Lipscomb University in Nashville, the Memphis School of Preaching in Memphis, Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City.

The church also has supported such endeavors as the Mid-South Youth Camp in Henderson, children’s homes in Tennessee and Arkansas, and foreign missionary work in Aruba, Puerto Rico, Pakistan, Australia, Brazil, and other countries.

Today, Nance is one of 12 congregations of the Churches of Christ in Crockett County– the others being Alamo, Bells, Cairo, Cherryville Road in Bells, Cox’s Chapel in Coxville, Crossroads, Friendship, Gadsden, Koonce Street in Alamo, Lincoln Street in Alamo, and Maury City.

Nance Cemetery was established in 1935 just south of the church building on land donated by the Claude Laman family. The first burial, that of David F. Stallings, took place on June 5, 1936.

Over the next 50 years, many of the burial lots were spoken for and additional space was needed. In 1985, one additional acre of land adjoining the cemetery on its south side was donated to the community by Fred Colvett, Daniel Boone, Gene Castleman, Lonnie Colvett, and Jones Warren.

The oldest person buried at Nance is Zilphia Ann Ray, who was born October 4, 1860, and died August 3, 1951. Four other persons born in the 1860s also are buried there: James A. Pittman (1862-1952), Ellen Ann Pittman (1866-1948), William Dallas Thornton (1868-1950), and William H. Turner (1869-1956).

Twenty veterans of U. S. wars are buried in the cemetery including two veterans of World War I: John S. Pittman (1894-1993) and Sol B. Reece (1896-1983). World War II veterans buried at Nance include Daniel A. Boone (1910-1998), Frazier Churchwell (1923-1944), Horace Clinton Colvett (1907-1990), William Larimore Colvett (1916-1944), Otha Conley (1911-1992), Glen Warren Corbett (1924-1990), Freddie Dorance Hunt (1925-1964), Herbert M. Jones (1924-1998), Jim Henry Moore (1919-1989), George Joseph Nyland (1924-1987), Charles Hart Rice (1923-1990), Ellis Leon Rice (1922-1987), Paul Taylor Rice (1926-1945), Clarence E. Stallings (1901-1972), Horace O. Stallings (1910-1961), Paul Stallings (1915-1944), Philip Williams (1916-1985), and Willis Wilson Williams (1924-1991). In addition to his service in World War II, Daniel Boone was a veteran of the Korean Conflict and George Nyland served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

Four of the World War II soldiers buried at Nance were killed in action during the war: Frazier Churchwell, Larimore Colvett, Paul Taylor Rice, and Paul Stallings. Charles Leon Hunt (1923-1944), another young man from the Nance community, also died during World War II. A memorial marker for Leon has been placed in the cemetery although he is buried in Belgium.

In addition to the soldiers mentioned above, five other young men from the Nance community also died in combat during World War II– but are buried in other local cemeteries. They are David Marion Cotton, buried at Friendship Cemetery; Andrew Emison, buried at Alamo Cemetery; Billy Austin Harber and Everett Lewis Rogers, both buried at Crockett Mills Cemetery; and Tommy Redmond, buried at Providence Cemetery.

Today, there are 237 persons buried in Nance Cemetery. Surnames found most often include Hunt (16), Rice (16), Williams (15), Parker (10), and Turner (10). It is believed that there are no unmarked graves in the cemetery. The original plot map still exists and is maintained by the church. 

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This history is dedicated to the late Lynn Colvett of Alamo who provided much of the information in the establishment of the Nance community, church, and cemetery. 

By Jeff Reece