Information presented here is incomplete. Perhaps some readers or other researchers will have something to add.
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 2, page 277 – WCCL
“KENNEDY – 2 miles Southwest of Jonesboro. Established in the 1770’s by the CHESTER and KENNEDY families. This cemetery was used for both white and Negroes.”
Although the actual burial location has not been located and no tombstones have been found, it is believed that this reference is made to the Judge John Kennedy farm. John Kennedy was married to Katherine Greer.
Some mystery still surrounds this entry. Several sources have been reviewed and no conclusive proof of a burial ground has been found. A physical walkdown of the property yielded a patch of “Easter flowers” located on a high spot, behind where the old house had stood. No significant depressions were found. No further scientific study has been done.
John Kennedy had purchased approximately 175 acres from William P. Chester in 1829 (Deed Book 18, Page 300). A thorough study of deeds and wills has not been done, however, it is known that Thomas Ruston Kennedy (son of the judge) and his wife, Harriet Hargrove Emack Kennedy, were living at this location. Harriet survived her husband, living into the 1870’s. One of their children, Margaret Bowie Kennedy married William Madison “Matt” Gresham. The property became known as Matt Gresham’s. In 1904, the property, which was about 275 acres at that time, passed (Deed Book 85, Page 291) to F.B. Vines and then again in 1911 (Deed Book 107, Page 178) to Abe & Martha Rosenbaum. It currently remains in the Rosenbaum family.
Another child of Judge John Kennedy and his wife Katherine, was Rebecca Greer Kennedy, who married John Patton Chester, son of William P. Chester.
It is clear that the Kennedy family and the Chester family had many connections, both familial and business. Much is known and written in other sources about these two families and will not be repeated here.
LOCATION – Southeast of the apartment complex at 183 Old State Route 34 and located within the boundaries of Washington County tax parcel 059-234.00 up near the highest elevation.
Kennedy Cemetery
GPS: Location is about 36.276250, -82.484590
Although the house is gone, remains of bricks and limestone foundation rocks are still present. The flowers previously mentioned are about 50 to 75 feet south of the house location.
DEEDS – Deeds reviewed were silent on any existence of a burial ground.
BURIALS – No confirmed names have been found. All that is known is the Bennett entry above. It is not known who supplied that information to Mr. Bennett, however, it was compiled during the Works Progress Administration enumerations of county burial grounds in the late 1930’s. These families were rather prominent and some have been found buried at Old Jonesborough Cemetery (Rocky Hill). It is not logical that family members would have been buried, unmarked, on the farm, but it is possible. Perhaps stillborns/infants/children, as well as slaves could be those buried there. It is known that the Kennedys owned several slaves.
Bets Kennedy, personal slave of Mrs. Thomas Rustin Kennedy.
If any reader has more information on this burial ground, please contact the Cemetery Survey Team or the Heritage Alliance.
Researched, surveyed, transcribed, and donated to the Washington County TNGen Web March 2017 by Gordon M. Edwards, member of the Cemetery Survey Team of Northeast Tennessee.
Copyrighted 2017 by the Cemetery Survey Team of Northeast Tennessee. No part of this work may be copied without written permission from the Cemetery Survey Team.