Washington County, Tennessee Tombstone Inscriptions by Charles M. Bennett and the Watauga Association of Genealogists. Information used with the permission of Lorraine Bennett Rae.
From volume 3, page 89 – entry 74
“This cemetery was covered by the lake. Harve Beard, who died in 1908 at age 66, was reinterred on June 9, 1942 in Westlawn (sic) Cemetery in Washington County.”
LOCATION – Unknown – In Sullivan County, per TVA records. Part of the South Holston Reservoir Project. TVA records show the old cemetery as “Beard”. TVA records have been located that place the original gravesite at about the location of where Highway 421 crosses the western shore of South Holston Lake. Elevation of the gravesite was recorded as 1720.1’ which is about 8’ to 9’ below normal water line. It was a single grave on the property of Jim Lowry.
CENSUS – Harvey Beard, (B), aged 35 in 1880 – District 1 (Holston Valley), Sullivan County, TN. 1891 TN Voters – Harvey Beard, colored, Sullivan County, TN.
Thomas Alexander Beard, (B), born 1883 (1900 census and death cert). Thomas A Beard, Sr, born 1844 (1900 census). District 22 (Holston – New), Sullivan County, TN.
BURIALS – No individual marker was found at West Lawn during the 2013 survey, however, there is a Beard Family marker in section A. West Lawn has no supporting records, either. Thomas Alexander Beard was buried at West Lawn. No familial connection has been firmly established, however Harve may have been Thomas Harvey Beard, father of Thomas A. & Rachel E, hence him being brought from Holston Valley to West Lawn.
From TVA records – Rachel Beard Hawkins and her brother, James, signed the removal order for TVA and are shown as sis/bro of Harve on the form. She was found as sister to Thomas Alexander, and daughter of Thomas H. Beard. Based upon their ages, Rachel would not have been a sister of Harve, and perhaps, she and her brother signed “bro/sis” because of each other, not their father – a minor clerical error. It is believed that Harve and Thomas H. are one and the same person.
No further information has been found.
Beard (Harve) Cemetery
Old Location
Surveyed, transcribed and donated to the Washington County TNGen Web May 2015 by Gordon M. Edwards, member of the Cemetery Survey Team of Northeast Tennessee.
Copyrighted 2015 by the Cemetery Survey Team of Northeast Tennessee. No part of this work may be copied without written permission from the Cemetery Survey Team.