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Gethsemane Methodist Church Cemetery
NOTE: This is only a partial transcription of this cemetery. There are two sections to this cemetery. When they ran out of plots in the old section, they moved across the road and a new section was started. This cemetery is still active. Gethsemane Church Cemetery is located in the southeast section of the county along the banks of the Water Fork Creek, sometimes referred to as "Water Ford" (directions will follow shortly). Gethsemane Church has a long history beginning when a prominent citizen, "Squire Billy" William Henry McCoy, born 30 March 1797 in South Carolina and died 1877, decided to donate land for a church in his community & a log structure was built. He deeded the property 24 Sept 1857 & more land 7 Aug 1876 for a new church. He was the first to be buried in the old section of the cemetery. The most current brick structure was built in 1957, when the old church was torn down. He was an industrious man who had a small settlement located on both sides of the Water Fork (Waterford) Creek. He owned a sawmill, flour mill, general store, built coffins, & built a school. Below is a sketch drawn by a descendant, Diane Tignor of Indiana, who was born in the settlement. She writes in 1971. "I was born in a one room log cabin, in the "piney woods" no less. That makes me sound like an old-timer. We moved to Indianapolis in the early 1940's when I was about 4 years old, but I still remember that old log cabin and still consider Tennessee my home. I spent a lot of summers down there (after moving to Indianapolis), and I guess that's why it's still "home" to me. Most of my kinfolk are still there. Our old homeplace is still standing, although it will probably go in a few years. No one has lived there in about 10 years; it has a lost look to it now. It was built about 1858 - 1860, and was probably considered modern in its day. Electricity was put in around 1950, so I still remember writing Mother letters by a kerosene lamp when I spent Summers down there. The house was a weather board (remember my Great Grandaddy "Squire Billy" had a saw mill). There were 6 large rooms, each with a fireplace. And there was a small pond in the front yard with water piped in from the creek, but no running water in the house. I couldn't figure that out. My grandmother was a flower lover. She had everything imaginable; everybody made their own floral baskets for funerals, maybe that's why they had so many flowers then. I went back last summer to take a look at the old homeplace. The road is gone now, so I waded the two creeks. The house has almost fallen down, most of the windows are gone (they were yellow like with many imperfections. The grass in the yard must have been three feet tall, and there amid all the loneliness stood a gladiola, left over from happier days. It broke my heart to see it so uncared for. I won't go back again."
Settlement of Squire Billy
Home of Squire Billy in 1970. Contributed by Dixie Lea Wright
Grave location in 1946 of Squire Billy McCoy & his wife Anna Moncier - Contributed by Dixie Lea Wright
"B" Bowman, Susannah McCoy - lst wife of Jonathan Bowman
Family of Jonathan Bowman & Susannah McCoy, daughter of Squire Billy & Anna Moncier McCoy "C" Click, Fane Luda & Pearl Mitchell Cochrane, Glen & Macie Moncier "F" Fanning (Laws, Bowman), Mary Moncier "Toad", 3rd wife of Jonathan Bowman "J" "M" McCoy, "Squire Billy" William Henry- Donated land for church & cemetery (Moncier)Muncher, Ida Jennings "T" "W" White, James & Tennessee Mercer
County Administrator Carolyn Whitaker This site is hosted by Rootsweb Last update 18 April 2002 |
