Crouch (Joseph) Cemetery
2006
The cemetery, also known as the Hoss Cemetery, is located beside 2362 Boones Creek Rd, Gray, TN, home of the late Dr. Joe Clark.
GPS location: 36°21.74N 082°26.28W
Mrs. Sue Overbay, granddaughter of Dr. Joe Clark, pointed out the location of the barn and cemetery to members of the Cemetery Survey Team of NE Tennessee in 2005. Eleven unmarked graves were found.
In the Summer 2005 Craig Stewart, from Etowah, TN, placed two markers on the site of the cemetery, which have been moved to the fence line. The cemetery has been graded over for a road leading to a new Waterford subdivision being developed by Ray Jones.
Capt. [Rev. War] Joseph Crouch 1749 – Sept. 8, 1830, Sheriff of Washington Co. TN
Peggy Sandford Crouch, 1762 – Apr. 13, 1844, Dau. of George Sandford of VA.
FALL 2006 Update: The cemetery has not been paved over. It is located on the right just inside the stone gates to Waterford Estates. The markers that Craig Stewart brought are located on the left side of the street and are not on any graves.
MARCH 2014 Update: Construction trucks are now parked on the area of the cemetery.
Surveyed, transcribed and donated to the Washington County TNGen Web 2005 by Dawn Peters, Chester Willis, Craig Stewart and Betty Jane Hylton members of the Cemetery Survey Team of Northeast Tennessee.
Copyrighted 2012 by the Cemetery Survey Team of Northeast Tennessee. No part may be copied without written permission from the Cemetery Survey Team.
Additional information:
This cemetery was not included in the Washington County Tennessee Tombstone Inscriptions by Charles M. Bennett and the Watauga Association of Genealogists, vol. III, but it is listed on page 324 in the Washington County Checklist done by the WPA in the 1930s:
HOSS: Beyond the First Christian Church at Boones Creek, or 5 mi. NNE of Jonesboro near the crossing of the Clinchfield railroad and the county road. There are 7 to 10 graves, which are marked with stones. It was discontinued about 1914.
Information from a letter by the late Mary Hardin McCown to Mrs. Elizabeth Kountz, Feb. 8, 1967:
“Joseph & Peggy Sanford Crouch are buried in their own barn yard, just to the rear of their house at the Dr. Clark home site. It is on the banks of Boones Creek, near where the Clinchfield railroad trestle crosses over. If you have gone SW, after you turned off Highway #23 towards Kingsport going towards the Boones Creek Christian Church, you will come to this site, as you go toward Jonesboro. There are only field rocks to mark their graves. It is not fenced off. Dr. Clark, whose daughter, Della Clark Vines, died about 2 years ago.
The Bible record gives when children of Jos & Peggy C. married but not to whom. So I have worked that out from the marriage records in Jonesboro. I have William Crouch, son of Joseph and Peggy Crouch was md. May 26, 1815. From the Wash. Co. Marriages I find William Crouch md May 23, 1815, to Delcena Hunt. They must have signed up for the license on May 23, then md May 26, 1815. The Bible also gives William Crouch, son of Jos. & Peggy C. was born July 2, 1793. Then later it gives, Ceny Crouch, wife of William Crouch, died 4th day of June 1843.
I also have Bible record of Samuel Hunt which tells us that Sarah (Ceny) was dau. of the Samuel Hunt, Sr, the one they called Major Hunt.
Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church records also give Sister Ceny Crouch departed this life June 4, 1843. Just next to that is this – Sister Margaret Crouch departed this life May 13, 1844. The Bible record gives Margaret Crouch, wife of Joseph Crouch died 13th April 1844, in the 82nd year of her life.
Joseph Crouch md. Margaret Sanford in Henry Co. VA.”
Washington County, Tennessee Wills 1777-1872 by Goldene Burgner:
p.29 Joseph Crouch September 3, 1830
Sons: George, Joseph. Wife, Margaret. Mary, wife of John Crouch decd. Mariah Hunt, daughter of John Hunt decd., her brother Samuel Hunt and Sarah Bright. Joseph Hunt, son of Samuel Hunt. My daughter, Martha Devault. Executor: Son George. Wit.: George Couch, Jesse Crouch, Jewel (?) Douge.
Roster of Soldiers and Patriots of the American Revolution Buried in Tennessee, compiled by Lucy Womack Bates, ©1974; revised 1979 by Helen Crawford Marsh. Published by Tennessee Society, NSDAR, p. 45:
CROUCH, JOSEPH (b. 1749 King George Co. VA/d. 9-8-1830 Washington Co, TN) Bur. in barnyard of Dr. Clark’s House on Boones Creek. m. 2-21-1778 in Henry Co. VA to Margaret (Peggy) Sanford b. 4-8-1762/d. 4-13-1844 Washington Co, TN.
Children: Sarah b. 11-16-1778 VA/d. 8-29-1852 Washington Co, TN, m. 12-26-1797 Samuel Hunt, Sr.
John b. 6-11-1781/d. 1-26-813 Washington Co, TN, m. 12-13-1805 Mary (Polly) Hunt
George b. 6-14-1784/d. 4-6-1866 Washington Co, TN (evidently a 1st marriage before m. 4-19-1808) Susannah (Susan, Sukey, Sukie) Gresham
Elizabeth b. 4-17-1787/d. ?, m. 2nd 10/17/1805 John Hunt, m. 2nd c1825 Washington Co, TN Benjamin Shipley
Joseph b. 12-30-1791; d. early 1868 Washington Co, TN, m. 2-10-1814 Washington Co, TN Elizabeth (Betsy) Keyfauver
William b. 7-2-1793/d. 6-16-1844 Washington Co, TN m. 5-26-1815 Washington Co, TN Asenath (Ceny, Cene) Hunt
Martha (Patty) b. 2-14-1796/d. ? m. 1-7-1819 Washington Co, TN Samuel Devault
Sanford b. 12-1-1800/d. 11-3-1836 Washington Co, TN, m. 9-12-1822 Washington Co, TN Elizabeth Bean.
Ref: Joseph Crouch Bible Records, copy in possession of Mrs. L.M. Crouch, Jr., Henry Co, VA; Washington Co, TN Marriage Records; Court House Records of Washington Co, TN.
From the private papers of the late Clarence Hale:
“Joseph H. Martin, born 1823, son of James Tadlock Martin, I think married Margaret Shipley, born 1821, a dau. of Enoch Tolbert & Bessy Hoss Shipley. Bessy Hoss Shipley was buried at the barn of Fuller Grisham, then Dr. Joe Clark’s, just across the Boones’ Creek, Jonesboro Road R.R. #4 about 200 yards. south west of the C.C.& O. Railroad bridge, over Boones’ Creek. Enoch Tolbert Shipley did live on a farm adjoining Henry Martin, Julias Stafford, Shell Murray, & Joe Carey. Took a drove of horses to South Carolina, about 1861, never did come back. [Note: Enoch T. Shipley died in Greensboro, Guilford Co. North Carolina 23 Oct 1844. BJH]
The above was from Decaor Barnes’ papers written with aapen and very hard to read. Apr. 1945. CH”