Bee Creek Cemetery, April 1999

BEE CREEK CEMETERY
(Denton Cemetery)

            This cemetery is located in the Bee Creek watershed and is listed as Denton Cemetery on the U.S.G.S. Pope Quadrangle. There are over a dozen stacked stone burial cairns. There is a large area where natural, uncarved fieldstones clearly show graves. Only a small fraction of the graves have indications of who is buried in them. In 1987 the cemetery was kept clear of weeds, but pigs had heavily rooted in and damaged the area. In 1999 the cemetery was receiving regular grass cutting. In 2004 most of the trees shown in the 1999 photograph at left were gone and the grass was about 18 inched tall making some markers difficult to see. This cemetery may have been abandoned for most purposes before 1880, then come into use again during the depression. There are only five identified burials between 1878 and 1931. Markers for most burials in the 1930s were erected years later. Named the Denton Cemetery by the map compilers in 1949 (usually indicating the name with the oldest readable death date), only one Denton burial was identified in 1987. There were no new burials between 1987 and 1999. Total cemetery size probable is around 250-300.

            David and Leo Donahue recorded Bee Creek Cemetery on November 27, 1987. David Donahue updated it April 15, 1999 and checked and updated it September 17, 2004. Mary Bowen and Melissa Bowen recorded this cemetery in 1992. Their record appears in Mary (Stewart) Bowen and Melissa (Snyder) Bowen, Perry County Tennessee Cemetery Records (Linden, Tennessee 1992). This is referred to as "Bowen" in the notes below.

 

Bates, W. G., 1830-1901, "& son Frank" [replacement]

Bunch, Infant Son, May 12, 1946-May 12, 1946 [replacement]

Bunch, Jeanette, Dec. 28, 1938-Feb. 2, 1939 [replacement]

Bunch, Margaret Inez, July 21, 1943-Apr. 15, 1944 [replacement]

Bunch, W. C., July 15, 1935-Mar. 15, 1939 [replacement]

Bunch, Will B., 1912-1982, "Daddy Bunch, We Love You" [the temporary marker recorded in 1987 gave death date as Jan. 23, 1982]

Davis, B. J., Mar. 17, 1872-Jan. 8, 1947, "Father" footstone

Davis, James, no dates, "& Wife Emle" (carved on fieldstone)

Davis, Minnie E. [see Hickerson, Minnie E. Davis Hickerson

Denton, January Mikce(?), no dates p[recorded in 1987; not found in 2004]

Farmer, Frank, d. Aug. 19, 1979, Aged 47 Y 2 M, temporary marker recorded in 1987

Ferguson, Mary, Nov. 25, 1853-Apr. 29, 1938 [replacement]

Harden, Laura Francis, Mar. 30, 1904-Jan. 2, 1937 [replacement; adjacent to marker for John A. Hardin]

Hardin, John A., 1888-1959

Hickerson, Annie, July 18, 1862 [recorded in 1987; not found in 2004]

Hickerson, Belle, d. Mar. 29, 1877, "Wife of D. A. Hickerson"

Hickerson, Brown, Nov. 28, 1903-Aug. 15, 1983, "Dad" footstone
Hickerson, Nannie, Feb. 18, 1907-____, "Mom" footstone, "Married August 23, 1925"

Hickerson, Coy D., Jan. 3, 1911-Aug. 4, 1935

Hickerson, D. A., Apr. 8, 1855-Jan. 16, 1949

Hickerson, J. N., Mar. 23, 1906-Nov. 26, 1939, "Son of Mr. & Mrs. D. A. Hickerson"

Hickerson, Laura [see Kelley, Laura Hickerson]

Hickerson, Lois I., Aug. 24, 1932-Aug. 24, 1932 [replacement]

Hickerson, Melba C., June 11, 1931-Oct. 24, 1931 [replacement]

Hickerson, Robert M., 1881-1968, "Father" footstone
Hickerson, Minnie E. Davis, 1881-1950, "His Wife" "Mother" footstone

Kelley, Ellen, Sept. 15, 1868-Sept. 19, 1946

Kelley, Earnest L., Mar. 12, 1924-Feb. 4, 1961, military marker "Tennessee Cpl 382 AAA AW BN CAC World War II"

Kelley, J. B., Sept. 1, 1871-Mar. 19, 1921

Kelley, Joe, Mar. 29, 1802-Sept. 30, 1878 [replacement]

Kelley, Laura Hickerson, June 3, 1888-Nov. 15, 1974, "Mother"

Kelley, Martha E., Apr. 25, 1836-June 15, 1925 [replacement]

Kelley, Mary E., Nov. 23, 1877-Feb. 3, 1909, "Wife of J. D. Kelley" "Mother"

Kelley, Willie L., Aug. 2, 1894-Aug. 19, 1965
Kelley, Carrie L., Jan. 20, 1902-Sept. 5, 1982

Landers, Bridget, d. Nov. 11, 1972, temporary marker read in 1987

McMackw(?), J. W., Sept. 12, 1873 (homemade) [read in 1987; not found in 2004]

Mitchell, John W., Nov. 7, 1879-Sept. 29, 1883 [not found in 1989 or 2004; from Bowen]

Mitchell, William A.. July 31, 1881-Jan. 10, 1898, "Son of J. J. and L. A. Mitchell"

Moore, Rita, 1952-2001, temporary marker, McDonald Funeral Home, 5 feet south of marker for Will B. Bunch

Treece, I. J., Feb. 5, 1874-July 31, 1874, "Dau. of J. P. & N. C. Treece"

Tufard (?), J. T., Jan. 5, 1911 [or 1919?] (homemade) [read in 1987; not found in 2004]

 

            A copy of Perry County Tennessee Cemetery Records at the Tennessee State Library and Archives contains the following hand-written notes:

Buried in crypts: 1) Jane Kelly 1st wife of James Kelly 2) Patrick Hughes 3)Malinda Hughes (dau. of Joe & Jane Kelly)
Unmarked Graves: Peter Akin Kirk 1809/10-1860/70
Matt Holder Kelley 1887-May 1910 2nd wife of J. D. Kelley
& Fanny Bell Kelley 6 May 1910-July 1910

 

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