Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Let us so live...

Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
--Mark Twain (1835-1910) American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer

I recently came across the sad remnants of an old cemetery outside of Kingsport, TN. The stones were leaned up on a tree in the middle of a cow pasture. I stopped and took some photos and upon looking at them later I became curious about this small family cemetery. The stones I could read bore the surname "Lady" and dated to the early 1900s, with many looking to be much older. A topo map of the area noted the location of "Lady Cemetery" and online I found this brief note about the "Lady home place":

"For the benefit of those who may want to find this Lady site, the William Lady house is still standing. It is a 2-story hewn log structure, now covered with siding, with a cornerstone marked "L.A.D.Y. 1796" The site is located on Buttermilk Road.... Across the road is a cemetery with several graves, including those for William Lady (1795-1869) and his wife, Jane (1797-1879). The date on the cornerstone raises questions because the first deeds indicate a Lady presence in the area are early 1800s."

Another website noted that in "1803, Jacob Lady settled on 238 acres [in Sullivan County] purchased from Conrad Isley." Not sure of the relation, but perhaps this was William's father.

It's sad to me that the stories of these early settlers have been lost -- and the cemetery so neglected. Makes me want to go out there and at least record the markers. (Not sure what good that would do, but I hate to think that history would be lost!). This reminded me of a previous post.

8 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you - seems there should be something that could be done so those that are buried there are not forgotten. Especially since the stones aren't exactly marking their resting places anymore.

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  2. I found your site the other day. I have it set as my startup page. This is an amazing compilation that I am so grateful for - and I just love your photography. I will be watching daily. Thank you for continuing to post. If I may - where exactly is this? I would love to visit once myself... but you said it was in the middle of a cow pasture. Is this private property?

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  3. The cemetery is located on the north side of Freeman Road in Kingsport, TN. If you're familiar with the Warrior's Path Mountain Bike Trails - it's the road that leads to the parking area for the trails. Here's a map that shows the general vicinity. Yes, it's private land, so you'd want to get permission before venturing into the pasture. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=kingsport+tn&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kingsport,+Sullivan,+Tennessee&gl=us&ei=olS1S8zMEcP_lgelremSAQ&ved=0CA8Q8gEwAA&ll=36.497399,-82.459736&spn=0.00326,0.008068&t=h&z=18

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  4. Has anyone volunteered to 1. repair and try to replace the headstones, 2. record all the headstones and their location, 3. Ask permission to do either one of these? I am from Kingsport, but seldom get home. I might make an exception for this piece of history.

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  5. I wrote the Sullivan Co Historical Society, but did not hear back from them. I don't know who owns the cemetery, and have not inquired. I'd be willing to go out and record the stones, I just don't know who would want/store the information once I get it. This is a new area for me - are these kinds of records kept in the local courthouses? I appreciate your interest in this -- I'm glad to know others feel strongly about preserving and respecting our history.

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  6. Mark, there is a department at the library that stores this information I think. You may want to check there first. I think, at the very least, they would be able to point you in the right direction.

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  7. If someone manages to transcribe and photograph the the headstones, you could post them to Find-A-Grave (http://www.findagrave.com/) where others can access the info online.

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  8. My name is David L McCrary. I live in St Louis, MO. The cemetery you found belongs to a branch of my family. My Grandmother Mary Lou Emma Lady McCrary, b. 1882 d.1965, was born and lived outside of Fall Branch. I have numerous relatives who still live in and around the area. I did some research and found that GW Lady is related through an uncle of my grandmother's father, James D. Lady. Many of the principle family members from whom I am descended are buried in the Double Springs Missionary Baptist Church.cemetery Its history goes back to the Revolutionary War era. They are listed on the TNGen website for cemeteries. Tennessee does a very good job listing their cemeteries. There is also a group of volunteers in Kingsport who help with old cemeteries. I am continuing to work on my McCrary, Gibson, Lady and Mitchell branches and hope to visit soon and rummage through the old records at the local court houses. I started this quest in February of 2009 and am now thoroughly 'hooked'.

    David McCrary

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