MY OLD SALEM CEMETERY TOMBSTONE INSCRIPTIONS SCRAPBOOK
(Madison County, Tennessee)
Jonathan K. T. Smith
Copyright, Jonathan K. T. Smith, 1995

1938 TOMBSTONE INSCRIPTIONS READINGS FROM OLD SALEM CEMETERY

(Page 5)

On April 4, 1938 Mary E. Stovall and Mary W. Beatty read and copied the tombstones located in the Old Salem Cemetery. These cover pages 108 to 112 of the manuscript entitled, "Tennessee, Records of Madison County, Tombstone Inscriptions, Mrs. John T. Moore, State Librarian and Archivist, Works Progress Administration." As read:

[HTML Editor's Note: Jonathan Smith cut and pasted a reduced copy of the 1938 record when making his scrapbook manuscript. The material is rearranged slightly again in making the HTML file. Accuracy of 1938 page breaks noted below cannot be guaranteed.]

108

GREER James T. Greer May 5, 1822 Feb 14, 1859 (Foot-mark) J.T.G. Charles Lafayette Greer July 30, 1834 Oct 25, 1852 Aged 23 yrs. 2 mo. 25 days "None knew him but to love him" (Foot-mark) C.L.G. SMITH Miss Mary E. Smith Jan 18, 1835 July 29, 1854 19 Y. 6 M. 10 D. (Inscription illegible) (Foot-mark) M.E.S.

PLEASANT Pleasant Theodore Nov 14, 1845 "In the 8th Year of his age. (Foot-mark) P.L. PERSON To the memory of Lucius, Son of Benj. R. & Emily E. Person May 5, 1850 June 6, 1850 (Foot-mark) L. GREER Pleasant, infant son of Alexander & Margaret Greer's Born Nov. 3rd 1832 departed this life July 27, 1833 "Loving & beloved children Your bodies sleep together in the dust Your spirits mingle before his throne." P.G.

 

109
GREER Alexander Greer Born in Medenburg Co. N.C. July 21, 1788 died Sept. 9, 1858 Aged 20 yrs. 5 mo. 18 days A.G. (The two following graves are covered with concrete slabs, which bear the inscriptions. No headstones) /These are STONE not concrete. J.S./	GREER To The Memory or Margret I. Greer who departed this life January 22nd 1841 in tne 43rd year of her age. PERSON To the Memory of Susan H. Person, wno departed this life Oct. 27, 1842 in the 23 year or her age.

 

(Page 6)

1938 Inscriptions, Page 109 continued

GREER Camillus P. Greer Aug 4, 1830 Feb 7, 1859 C.P.G. PERSON Charleos Lafayette, Son of B. R. & Emily K. Person Mar 18, 1857 May 19, 1859 Aged 2 yrs. 2 ms. 1 day C.L.P. William Marshall, Son of L. R. & K. K. Person June 11, 1855 Nov 21 , 1859 Aged 4 yrs. 5 rns. 10 ds. W.M.P. (This stone is fallen; almost buried in ground). (These twelve graves mentioned above are in one lot, enclosed in wrought-iron fence. These next four seem to be an addition, also fenced in. We discover that they mark the resting place of one Adam Huntsman and three wives).

HUNTSMAN In Memory of Elizabeth, wife of Adam Huntsman Died 7th Jan. 1843 Aged 33 Years. In Memory of Sarah W., wife of Adam Huntsman Died Oct. 1825 Aged 33 Years Nancy Third wife of Adam Huntsman Born A.D. 1789 Died Dec. 4, 1858 Aged 69 Years N.H. (The following grave, obviously the husband by initials on foot-marker, has the top of stone containing name broken off, leaving only dates and inscription). Feb 11, 1785 Died Aug. 23, 1849 "Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain mercy." A.H. (This completes those fenced in lots)

 

110

BURRUS In Memory of Thomas Burrus Born in Sourry County, N.C. June 23rd, 1791 Died February 28th, 1842 Erected by the bereaved wife Susan Burrus. T.B. SMITH Mary Alice, Dau. of Cynthia J. & Wm. G. Smith Dec 16, 1849 Dec 13, 1854 M.A.S. WARLICK In Memory of William Franklin, Son of Philip &. Nancy Warlick June 22nd, l1820 Oct 5th, 1839 W.F.W. Mother Nancy, wife of Philip Warlick Born in London Co. Va. Oct 11, 1799 Died in Carrol Co. Tenn. Dec 19, l877 N.W.

In Memory of Philip Warlick Born in Lincoln County, N.C. Nov. 50th, 1791 Died February 4th Aged 47 Years 2 months 5 Days P.W. Mc DONALD This Stone marks the resting place of Little Estelle, Daughter of Maj. J. E. & Emma C. Mc Donald Aug. 2, 1860 Nov. 6, 1863 (This Monument is entirely up-rooted, leaning against a tree.) In Memory of David Warlick Born in Lincoln Cty. N.C. Jan. 1st, 1800 Died May 14th, 1845 (This next grave with one more monument, appearing very old, only the base of which is left, completes this group).

 

(Page 7)

1938 Inscriptions, Page 110 continued:

JONES In Memory of Catherine Bevels, Consort of Timothy P. Jones, Daughter of Richard & Sarah Fenner Born in Franklin County, N.C. January 6th, 1821 Died April 17, 1845 Member of the Episcopal Church (This grave and the next are also covered with slabs, which were partly buried and entirely over-grown. They are obviously the only ones left of many in this group; signs of a brick wall and sunken earth show that there are other graves).

Sacred to the Memory of Atlas Jones January 18th, 1782 November 17th, 1841 A native of Massachusetts.

 

Page 111

GARRETT Thomas E. Garrett 1827-1900 and wife Susan R. Garrett 1833-1903 FATHER (Next to this large stone lie two small (about 4' slabs, joined without writing). These three graves are in a family lot about 15' by 2o'. It is badly over-grown but with low wall still intact). Sacred to the Memory of Martha J., Consort of T. E. Garrett, a daughter of Robert & S. L. Brown Feb. 12, 1831 June 9, 1859 Aged 27 years, 3 mos. 16 ds. "Farewell vain world I am going home My Savior smiles and bids me come." Here lies 2 infants of Thomas H. & M. J. Garrett "Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not." CALDWELL James Caldwell Feb. 25, 1776 Mar. 10 1841 ANDERSON Gabriel Anderson Born in Newberry District, S.C. Feb. 15, 1774 Jan. 19, 1850

HOLT Jordan C. Holt Born in Bedford Co. Tenn. Dec. 25, 1822 Died in Madison Co. Tenn. Oct. 8, 1851 WORD Elizabeth Word Born A.D. 1782 Died Apr. 6, 1860 Aged 78 Years LOCKARD C. V. Lockard July 1, 1852 Nov. 28, 1852 BROWN Mary A. Brown, Dau. of Robert & Susan Brown Sept. 8, 1836 Mar. 13, 1853 "It was an angel that visited the green earth and took a flower away" RAINEY Martha O. (or D.), wife of W. B. Rainey May 10, 1814 Mar. 29, 1840 PAVATT Margreth Pavatt Died Aug. 27, 1841 Aged 57 years

 

(Page 8)

1938 Inscriptions, Page 111 continued:
BETTS Elmina L. Betts Dec. 9, 1322 Oct. 5, A.D. 1835 Aged 2 Y. 9 M. & 26 D.	ROGERS In Memory of H. Rogers Born ____ 16, 1778 Died ____ 10, 1842 (This stone is almost entirely gone; marker in half.)

 

112
BROWN Infant dau. of Robert & Susan L. Brown Born dead Oct. 13, 1841 "Budded on earth to bloom in heaven" George Washington Brown, Son of Robert & Susan L. Brown May 14, 1848 July 7, 1848 "Sleep on, sweet babe, and take thy rest, God called thee home. He thought it best. (They are side by aide)	HENDERSON M. E. Henderson July 19, 1844 Oct 18, 1920 Markers:       Mother       Father       Brother       Brother (Thin is a low walled-in lot, with graves caved in and overgrown with trees. There is a large, modern monument at one end of the lot, bearing above inscription. Lot about 12' by 20'.)

 

The typing is quite dim on the 1938 inscriptions pages but they merit presentation as representative of the tombstones in the cemetery in 1938.

---

ATTENTION, — All who have friends or relatives buried at Salem Cemetery, three miles east of Jackson, are invited to meet there Thursday morning, 15th of May, by 8 o’clock, with spades, saws, hatchets and bandsaws, for the purpose of building a fence around the graveyard. Those that can't come in person, are requested to send a good hand to represent them. By order of the trustees, Jas.BLACKMON, Robt BROWN Jno ANDERSON WHIG-TRIBUNE, Jackson, May 10, 1873

 

Some of the editorial staff of the WHIG-TRIBUNE wrote in its October 14. 1871 issue of the old camp-meetings that "were always associated in our mind with potato pie, cold chicken. barbecued pig, and sweet cakes and well do we remember with what fondness we looked forward to those happy gatherings when a boy. The good old fashioned hospitality, the kindly smiles and cordial hand shakings with which all were greeted went a long way in those happy times bringing 'sinners to repentance.'"

In his book, THE HISTORY OF A COMMON SOLDIER OF THE ARMY LIFE IN THE CIVIL WAR 1861-1865 (published 1920), page 119, Leander Stillwell, who fought "at Salem," Dec. 1862, wrote that after the Federals had withdrawn towards Jackson, of which his unit (51st Illinois Inf.) was a part, "Reinforcements soon came out from Jackion and then the whole command advanced, but the enemy had disappeared. Our regiment marched in column by the flank up the road down which the Confederates had made their charge They had removed their dead and wounded, but at the point reached by their head of column, the road was full of dead horses."-Also page 116, "The cemetery /Salem/ was thickly studded with tall native trees and a few ornamental ones such as cedar and pine."

In a conversation with Malcolm D. Wilcox, Sept. 4, 1995, he told the writer (Smith) that the five grave-markers placed near the cemetery gate simply marked as "unknown" Confederates (C.S.A.), are placed as commemorative stones, indicating the sacrifice of Confederate losses at the military engagement at Salem Cemetery, December 19, 1862. As Stillwell noted in the quotation, above, from his book, the Confederates had taken advantage of the Federal haste and withdrawal (temporary as it was) to remove their dead and wounded. Any Federal dead would surely have been buried in the soldiers' cemetery located near the old Union University campus in Jackson (and the remains from that cemetery were removed after the war to an established federal cemetery in Mississippi).

 

Return to Contents