TOMBSTONE INSCRIPTIONS FROM BLACK CEMETERIES
Compiled by Jonathan K. T. Smith
IN CARROLL COUNTY, TENNESSEE
Copyright, Jonathan K. T. Smith, 2000(Page 2)
RESEARCHERS...PLEASE READ
During autumn of 2000 I crisscrossed CARROLL COUNTY, TENNESSEE with general highway and topographical maps in search of cemeteries in which black folk are buried, talking with black and white people who could direct me to the same. I visited the cemeteries listed in this book and copied the data I found or could discern on the tombstones. The data has been copied from any inscribed grave marker - conventional tomb- stones, funeral home markers or sandstones (most common variety of fieldstones used in black cemeteries in the county). I have tried to use the names of the cemeteries that black folk have used, not just by farm location or by names attached to burial grounds by map-makers.
In compiling such a record the purpose vas not to segregate any racial groups from the others but rather to provide a reliable and pertinent cemetery listing publication for researchers with black heritage in this particular county.
There are many burial places on old farms within Carroll County where during antebellum times black folk in bondage were buried but these have largely disappeared. Sadly, a few cemeteries have been obliterated by unfeeling or unknowing persons.
In some instances I have furnished additional information in order to enhance the tombstone data. The precise mileages I have used in locating cemeteries should be regarded as close approximations not absolute figures.
I regret any errors I may have made in copying the data from any given grave markers. Certainly I tried conscientiously to copy the data accurately but circumstances and condition of grave markers often make it almost impossible to "make out" what information is on them.
A special expression of gratitude for assistance in my searches go to Mr. Robert D. Taylor, Jr., Reverend R. B. Morgan, Mr. Clarence Norman, Mr. J. G. Willis, Messrs. Lotee and Kenny Hillsman, Mr. John Thomsen, Mr. Jere R. Cox, Mrs. Vera Price Gilbert, Mrs. Billie Jones and Mrs. Cynthia B. Kemp.
I as well as anyone doing Carroll County black heritage-genealogical research owe a debt of gratitude to the COX FUNERAL HOME in Huntingdon, Tennessee for making its records available to the public. Dilday Funeral Home has also been patient in providing information about cemeteries and their burial records.
Jonathan K. T. Smith
Jackson, Tennessee
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