Big Hill Baptist Church Cemetery

 

Locality: Roanoke County                  Temporal Period:                  19^th c. – 20^th c.

Realty Map:          64.03-1-13/14/15/16?            Cultural Affiliation:              African-American

USGS Map:           Glenvar                                  Landform:                              Ridge top and slope

Grid Locus:            H-14                                        Elevation:                              1420 feet

UTM Easting:       573580                                    Aspect:                                  Northwest

UTM Northing:    4123510

 

Site Dimensions:  175 by 200 feet

 

Survey Description:  Site consists of a large church cemetery with at least 342 graves.  Cemetery is associated with the Big Hill Baptist Church founded in 1865.  Most of the identified graves featured grave markers including granite, marble, metal markers, fieldstones, plastic flowers, cement, and cement bricks.  Thirty unmarked graves were identified on the basis of ground surface depressions.  All of the identified graves were oriented to the northeast.  Other graves likely exist.  Entire cemetery has been enclosed by a modern chain-link fence with galvanized poles.  Cemetery is covered with mowed grass and historic plantings include oak and cedar trees, boxwoods, English ivy, periwinkle, yucca, and flowering shrubs.  Site was field inspected, photographed, and grave marker inscriptions were transcribed and compared to previous documentation.  Site size was estimated by pacing the horizontal extent of the observed graves.

 

Survey Date:         11/98

 

Field Notes:           _x_Yes   ___No

Photographs:        _x_Yes   ___No

 

References:           None

 

Additional Comments:        Assigned temporal period was based on date of the associated church and oral histories which purport cemetery establishment during the first half of the 19^th century.  Documentary research may provide additional social and temporal information.  The death dates inscribed on observed headstones range from 1888 through 1998.  However, the presence of uninscribed headstones and unmarked graves may reflect an earlier use of the site.  Many of the original headstones consisted of uninscribed fieldstone markers that have been replaced by modern markers. Large piles of replaced fieldstone markers have been piled around the bases of trees within the cemetery.  Cement bricks appear to be a common replacement marker. The cemetery is not marked on the USGS Bent Mountain map sheet, or on local realty maps.  Property address I 5380 West Main Street in Salem.

 

Marker Inscriptions:

 

James Whitlock                                    Martha W.                                                             Mr. Marshall A.

Dec. 15, 1869                                         Whitlock                                                                Jackson

Feb. 6, 1946                                           Apr. 13, 1874                                                         1912        1981

At Rest                                                  Feb. 13, 1926                                                         (metal marker and

(footstone:  JHW)                                At Rest.                                                                 Cement brick)

 

Mrs. Pearl I.                                           Dorothy Jackson                                                  James T.

Jackson                                                  Lewis                                                                      Pinkard

1893            1983                                        1916 – 1974                                                            Sept. 12, 1903

(metal marker and                                 (footstone:  DJL)                                                  Sept. 24, 1914

cement brick)

 

 

Big Hill Baptist Church Cemetery (continued)

 

Son                                                         Maria H. Francis F.                               Naomi A. Willis

Joseph P.                                               1914        1987        1913        ____                       1896        1993

Pinkard                                                                   Wills                                                       (metal marker)

Jul 27  1908

Jul 13  1920

Asleep in Jesus

 

The Family of                                        S.B.                                                                         Thelma Dowe Ross

Samuel B. Willis                                   Willis                                                                      July 24, 1911

                                                                Feb 5  1861                                                            Nov. 7, 1985

                                                                May 3  1911

 

Mr. Clarence E.                                     Clarence E. Dowe                                 Beulah L.

Dowe                                                      1911 – 1990                                                            Turner

1911            1990                                        His Wife                                                                Mar. 4, 1932

(metal marker)                                       Evelyn W. Dowe                                                  May 27, 1977

                                                                1915 – 1985                                                            Memory

                                                                                                                                                Husband, family & friends

 

Mr. Houston L.                                     Hobert O. Willis                                                   Father

Turner                                                    Aug. 11, 1928                                                        Joseph R. Dow

1925            1990                                        Nov. 16, 1978

(metal marker)

 

Dianne C. Isabelle                                Mr. Willis H.                                                         Nannie Willis

1954            1959                                        Dow                                                                        Dow

(metal marker &                                    1916        1982                                                        Mar. 13, 1890

cement brick)                                                                                                                        Dec. 14, 1991

                                                                                                                                                Asleep in Jesus

 

George Dewitt Shavers                       Mrs. Beatrice W.                                                  Aaron S.

TEC 4 US Army                                    Carter                                                                     Carter

World War II                                        1905        1989                                                        1936        1997

Aug 5  1917  May 15  1995  (metal marker)                                                       (metal marker)

 

Kyle Linwood Carter                           Robert Hughes Brown                                        GwendolynV. Brown

TEC US Army                                       US Army                                                                Mar 25  1920  June 7  1995

World War II                                        World War II                                                        Come unto me and

1922        1987                                        Sep 26  1912  Dec 16  1990                  I will give you rest.

 

Josephine J.          Charlie L.               Walter a. Carter III                                               Twine Brothers

1911-1991                      1908-1997               Virginia                                                                  McLee and Hughesy

Bratton                                   SP 4  US Army

Married Oct 19  1927                            Nov 11 1947  Nov 17 1968

 

Father                     Mother                   Charles W. Borden                                              Robert R. Boyden, Sr.

GW Boyden          JV Boyden             Virginia                                                                  1902 - 1985

1864-1933               1866-1937               PRC Base Vet Hosp

                                                                World War II

                                                                Jan 7 1897  April 17 1963

Big Hill Baptist Church Cemetery (continued)

 

Mother                                                   Father                                                                                     Boyden

Florence B. Logan                                Epp Logan                                                             George M              Nannie F.

Nov. 30, 1888                                        Mar. 15, 1887                                                         1892 – 1967            1894-1974

Sept. 18, 1974                                        Oct. 14, 1988

 

Osie M.                                                  Herman R.                                                              Alice Wife of

Johnson                                                 Johnson                                                                 Jupiter Johnson

June 9, 1917                                           Apr 5 1925                                                             July 10, 1856

May 29, 1967                                         Nov 1 1928                                                            July 22, 1927

                                                                                                                                                None knew thee but

                                                                                                                                                To love thee.

 

Matt Anderson                                    Christiana A. Bolden                                           (Tots)

1858-1920                                               Feb. 7, 1864                                                           Alberta G. Christiana

                                                                April 1, 1958                                                          Sept 15, 1902

                                                                                                                                                May 22, 1969

 

Eugene Christiana                                Brother                                                                   Mother

Virginia                                                  Randolph Levicy                                                  Mattie Levicy

Sgt Co. K 367 Infantry

World War II

Dec 9 1895     June 29 1971

 

William A. Wade                                  Grandmother                                                         Phoebe

US Army                                                Katie Levicy                                                          Wife of MW

World War II                                                                                                                        Willis

                                                                                                                                                May 26, 1899

                                                                                                                                                Age 43 years

                                                                                                                                                At Rest.

 

Lila W. Bratton                                     David J. Carter                                                      Bruce J. Willis

Apr. 9, 1896                                           US Army                                                                Aug. 8, 1884

Jan. 22, 1981                                          Mar 5 1922  Mar 2, 1998                                      Feb. 20, 1961

 

Emma C. Willis                                      G. Frank Anderson                                              Burncenia Anderson

Apr. 11, 1894                                         Nov. 1, 1893                                                          Sept. 7, 1894

Mar. 19, 1980                                         Dec. 17, 1963                                                         Sept. 18, 1989

(metal marker)

 

James (Pete) Clark                                George R. Anderson                                            Robert

Mar. 3, 1900                                           Aug. 20, 1929                                                        Woody

Apr. 3, 1965                                           Oct. 5, 1989                                                            Virginia

                                                                                                                                                PVT

                                                                                                                                                Co H 48 US Vol Inf

                                                                                                                                                August 16, 1878

                                                                                                                                                August 13, 1953

 

Ellen H. Matthews                               Harris                                                                     Jennie Dow

Nov. 30, 1888                                                                                                                        Died

Jan. 16, 1960                                                                                                                          Apr 16, 1903

Big Hill Baptist Church Cemetery (continued)

 

Day                                                         Georgia D.                                                             John William Dalton

Eppsy J. Day                                         Jones                                                                      Virginia

Son of                                                    Died                                                                        (marker sunken)

W & M Day                                          May 23, 1943

Born                                                       Aged 66 years

June 22, 1912

Died

Aug. 15, 1927

Age 15 years

 

Mrs. Virginia Dillard                            Joseph Dillard                                                       Father

Born                                                       S Sgt US Army                                                     Frank Dillard

Henry Co. Va. 1889                              (sunken)  June 4 1974                                          Nov. 11, 1882

Died Sept. 15, 1941                                                                                                               Nov. 15, 1974

Age 52

 

Vivian C. Dillard                                   Walter E. Campbell                                              William Perry Bowers

Oct. 10, 1917  Apr. 28, 1995 PFC US Army                                                       PFC US Army

                                                                World War II                                                        1919        1983

                                                                May 15 1917  Jul 21 1983    

 

Freddie Joe                                            Lettie H. Willis                                                      A Loving Father

Grant                                                      July 9, 1916                                                            William Arthur

1923            1986                                        Feb. 8, 1989                                                           Tate, Jr.

(metal marker)                                                                                                                       1902 – 1979

 

Mother                                                   Simon P. Tate

Dollie Via Tate                                      Jan. 26, 1948

Oct. 11, 1913                                          May 12, 1971

Aug. 11, 1974

 

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