Hi Barry,

I am planning a genealogy visit there in March and would like to know how I should proceed.  I have relatives in Oakland, Rose Hill, and Yorkville cemeteries.  How would I find out where they are buried so I do not have to walk through 4,000 headstones?   Also, where could I find the local genealogy library?

My thanks,

Deborah Lloyd
Hickory, NC
dmattoxlloyd@gmail.com

*****************************************************

Deborah,

Sorry for the delay in responding.  I’ve been working a lot of hours lately and am behind in my correspondence.   In regards to finding your relatives in the cemeteries without having to walk through the entire cemetery, the links to those cemeteries you mentioned may be helpful.  These transcripts were taken by volunteers who typically did a complete walkthrough of the cemetery, so the order of the names will normally match the order the tombstones will be found.  Once you locate someone at the beginning of a row that is near your relative, you should be able to locate the marker you’re looking for pretty quickly.  At least this has worked for me in the past.  I should note that I do not live in Gibson County myself.  My father and many of my Reeves family were born in Gibson County and I have made numerous trips there to visit relatives still living in the area as well as many a research trip.

Rose Hill Cemetery

http://files.usgwarchives.org/tn/gibson/cemeteries/rosehill.txt

Yorkville Cemetery

http://files.usgwarchives.org/tn/gibson/cemeteries/yorkvill.txt

I did not find an entry for Oakland Cemetery, but there are several cemeteries that start with Oak.  Here is the link to the entire list of Gibson County Cemeteries.  Perhaps you’ll find what you’re looking for.

http://files.usgwarchives.org/tn/gibson/cemeteries/

There are several very good libraries in the area with excellent genealogy collections.  The ones in Gibson County can be found at the link below.

http://www.tn.gov/tsla/pld/library.jsp?Region=Reelfoot&City=&Name=&County=Gibson

If you have the time while you are in the area, I would highly recommend that you visit the Jackson-Madison County Library in Jackson, Tennessee.  In my opinion, they have one of the best genealogical collections in the State.

http://www.jmcl.tn.org/

The library in Jackson is within an hour’s driving distance of any part of Gibson County and well worth the time you would spend there.  I would allow at least half a day to spend at the library if possible.  The library employees have always been extremely helpful to me when I have visited there in the past.

I hope this information is helpful to you and that you have an enjoyable and productive visit to Gibson County.  Please let me know what you found after you’re visit.

Regards,

Barry Reeves
Gibson County Coordinator
TNGenWeb Project
barry.gibson.county.tn@gmail.com

*****************************************************

Thank you so much for the information, Barry!  I appreciate it soooooo much.  I will let you know what I find.  I have one brick wall there I hope to crash through.

Deborah Lloyd