This cemetery was located on the property at 2364 Rock Springs Road. The area, including the home at 2364 has been turned into a subdivision and elementary school.

At the time of the relocation, there was only one marked grave and five or six graves marked only by fieldstones. The Jones family were some of the earliest settlers in the area, establishing their home probably in the late 1700s. The farm was handed down through the family over the years, and eventually became the property of the Hargis family.  The cemetery is called the Hargis Cemetery, but there was only one marked grave – Richardson Jobe – but from research we know this was actually a cemetery for the old Jones family and some of their descendants.

Transcribed and photographed 25 Jun 2002 by Donna Briggs and Gary Sawyer. Photo below is the cemetery prior to its relocation to the Double Springs Cemetery.

Hargis Cemetery / Jones Cemetery Research

by Donna Briggs

On September 13, 2007, I (Donna Briggs) received an email from the attorney for the City of Kingsport, Mike Billingsley.  He indicated that he wished to locate the relatives of Richardson Jobe, who was buried on property now owned by the city.  He asked that I contact him with any information that I might have on the relatives of Richardson Jobe or others who might be buried in the Hargis cemetery.

I contacted several of my Jobe relatives that are interested in genealogy and enlisted their help to determine who should be included in the decision making for this grave removal.  I also contacted Dianna Chesser, who is a Jones descendant, as the property belonged to the Jones family and Richardson Jobe had married a Jones daughter.  Old articles and information indicated that this “Hargis Cemetery” was actually the Jones Cemetery.

Mr. Billingsley and I corresponded for a year and I sent as much documentation on the cemetery as I could possibly find and probably much more genealogy than he ever wanted. We all met at the cemetery on that September day in 2008 and witnessed the removal.

I sent out the following note to my Jobe relatives to let them know that the removal had been completed:

“It’s all done.  We met there at 9:00 a.m. and work began…the first grave that they exhumed was Richardson’s.  The first item that was found was the base to Richardson’s tombstone, then some type of coffin lock, a bunch of broken glass, and a small piece of a skull.  They eventually dug out seven or eight large holes, finding a few small pieces from 4 graves.  The last grave had two leg bones and a piece of skull. We were there three hours. When a grave was located, they brought in another small child-sized coffin and put any pieces that they found into it. We then went to the church cemetery where all four boxes were placed in one large grave, just behind the church.

“I’ve got to say that it was handled very much to my satisfaction. Every tiny piece of wood, bone, glass, even the coffin lock went into the boxes that were reburied. The developer was there and he told us why they opted to remove the cemetery—he said that when they began work, the original plan was to leave the cemetery and put a wall around it.  He said that he was so concerned because the way the area had been landscaped, the cemetery was up on a knoll and the road curved around it, which created a blind curve.  One of his children was hit by a car and he said that it was such a similar type area, that it really bothered him. They’re building an elementary school within 500 yards of the cemetery and there will be children all over the place—he said that he was just so worried that a child would be hit by a car on that curve.  The developer was not someone that you could be angry with—and believe me, I wanted to.  He was so nice and I really felt like that blind curve was the part that worried him so much.

“The attorney had never handled a cemetery removal, and he was extremely accommodating, even offering to take photos of us. Dianna Chesser, a Jones descendant and I were the only family members present.  The men from the funeral home, the attorney, the developer and even the guy running the backhoe were definitely very caring about our feelings and would dig anywhere we asked them to and for as long as we asked them to!  Richardson’s tombstone went to the cemetery with him and they’re going to put down another marker acknowledging Richardson’s Civil War service and in remembrance of John Jones, who we are sure, is buried there.  Dianna and I were asked to talk it over this evening, and decide what we wanted put on them and they’d take care of it.

“The pastor of the Double Springs Baptist Church was on hand at the re-interment and offered a prayer before the burial.”

Death and Obituary Notices from the Jonesboro Herald and Tribune

Volume XXVIII, #47, 17 Mar 1897

Died: The 10^th at Double Springs, a daughter of Thomas Hargis, from the measles.

Rachel Jones probably died sometime just prior to August 5, 1889. Her name appears in records of administrative bonds secured from J. Hite, Richardson Job, and E.B. Ingh. This procedure seems to be due to the fact she died without a will. The 1880 census indicates that the mother of Rachel Jones was born in Virginia.  The census clearly identifies Rachel Jones as the sister-in law of Richardson Job, and therefore the sister of Eliza.  It seems certain Rachel Jones was buried in what became known as the Hargis Cemetery. I have personally visited this place where the cattle have knocked down all the stones and only two remain visible. One is that of Richardson Jobe, age 84 years (per my memory, recorded in a letter shortly after a visit to East Tennessee.) The other stone was a simple one having only the initials “R. J.”  This stone was probably Rachel Jones’ marker.  (“East Tennessee Roots” by Stuart Jones)