Jacob and E. F. Gurley

In Memory

Of    Father

Jacob Gurley

Born Aug 25    1822

Died June 11   1902

________________

                                                   Mother    

E. F. Gurley.  Born

Feb 9 1830  Died

March 1    1907

This is the largest marker in the Old Gurley Family Cemetery.

John and Mary Edwards

John Edwards

Born May 4, 1814

Died July 11, 1877

Mary G. Edwards

She Was Born

May26, 1821

Died December

20, 1901

John and Mary Green Spears Edwards are buried in the Edwards Family Cemetery on Blonnie Ross Road in Anson County, NC.  They are my third great grandparents.  This cemetery is well cared for.

Location map for the Edwards Family Cemetery

View Edwards Family Cemetery in a larger map

Green and Emeline Baucom

Emeline Baucom

Was Borned The

29 Of May 1818 And Died

Aug 29 The 1899

Age 81 Years

Old

Green Baucom

Was B The 24 Of

Dec 1816 D Nov

11 1899 Age 84

These are husband and wife, and are my wife's third great grandparents.  They are buried in the old cemetery at Mt. Moriah United Methodist Church in New Salem, NC. The inscriber had to "erase" a mistake on Emeline's stone, and put an outline of a hand at the bottom.

Location Map for Mt. Moriah United Methodist

View Mt. Moriah United Methodist Cemetery (Old Section) in a larger map

Dicy Gurley

Dicy

Gurley

Died March

18th 1871

This is the Old Gurley Family Cemetery in the Olive Branch community in Union County, NC.  The 1850 Federal Census for Union County lists Dicy Gurley, 1 year old female in dwelling number 1222 with John Gurley, 30 year old male, Ellen Gurley, 20 year old female, and James F. Gurley, 2 year old male.  This cemetery is on a hill overlooking Richardson Creek.

The same census lists dwelling number 1221 with my 2nd great grandparents William Stewart, 21 year old male, Mary Stewart, 22  year old female, and Minerva J. Stewart, 9 month old female.  William, Mary, and Minerva J. moved west eventually settling in Jacks Creek, Tennessee.

Location map for the Old Gurley Family Cemetery

View Gurley Cemetery in a larger map

Mary, Harbart, and Frances Nance

In

memory of

Harbart Nance

born May 21, 1805

died Jan. 13, 1867

Frances

wife of

Harbert Nance

Born  Nov. 17, 1808

Died  Dec. 3, 1882

Mary

wife of 

Wyatt Nance

Born Dec. 24, 1775

Died June 12, 1868

More graves in the New Nance Family Cemetery.  Mary is the mother of Harbart Nance.  Harbart and Frances are the parents of Sarah Jane Nance Stewart.

Mary's husband, Wyatt Nance, is buried in the Old Nance Cemetery closer to Richardson Creek.  There are very few identifiable graves there. 

Location for the Old Nance Cemetery

View Old Nance Cemetery in a larger map

M. E. Mullis

DC Oct 31 1852

M. E. Mullis

A diversion from the New Nance Family Cemetery.  This is in the Old Brooks Cemetery in Union County, NC.  It was once known as Bigfoot Cemetery.

Location Map

View Old Brooks Cemetery aka Bigfoot in a larger map

James, Martha, and Sarah Nance

James Silas Nance

Born

June 14, 1840

Died

March 8, 1909

Martha Diana

Wife of J. S. Nance

Born

June 3, 1887

Died

Nov. 21, 1907

In

memory of

Sarah Clementine Nance

born March 17, 1859

died Sept. 25, 1864

These are the headstones for a husband, wife, and daughter in the New Nance Family Cemetery.  

James Silas and Martha Diana are also the parents of Davidson Nance.  Around 1930 Davidson authored the research book of The History and Genealogy of the Nances.  On page 42 Davidson writes, "Clementine Nance, died at the age of six with diphtheria and is buried at the new Nance grave-yard..."

Davidson also wrote briefly about my second great grandparents, Culpepper and Sarah Jane Nance Stewart.  Davidson is their nephew.  He mentions a "Stewart grave-yard," where the second son of Culpepper and Sarah is buried, but does not reveal its location. 

With this acknowledgment of a "Stewart grave-yard" the search for Joseph will continue. 

     

M. A. Spears

M. A. Spears

Died 1865

This is another stone I photographed on January 28, 2011 in the New Nance Family Cemetery for which I have no more information. 

I've researched different sources for cemetery information in the area of Union County where Joseph lived.  Among these are cemetery surveys in the Hampton B. Allen Library in Wadesboro, Anson County, NC and the cemetery surveys in the Union County Public Library in Monroe, NC.  Union County was formed in 1842 from Anson and Mecklenburg Counties.  Joseph's property was in Anson County before Union County was formed.  Recently I searched cemetery surveys completed in the late 1930's and early 1940's online through the North Carolina Digital Collections.  A brief article about this collection, and a link to it can be found at the NCGenWeb site.

TOPO maps prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey also have cemeteries indicated by CEM on the map.  Click here and go to a TOPO map.  The map is integrated with Google Maps enabling you to view the street map or satellite images.  

Even with all of these great sources I still have not found Joseph.

    

Miney E. Thomas

Miney E. Thomas

Was Borned November

The 28th 1886

Died July The 24th 1887

I took this photograph on January 28, 2011.  This stone is in the New Nance Family Cemetery located at the end of Meggs Road, New Salem, Union County, NC.  The location is marked in the below Google map.  Unfortunately, I do not know anything about Miney other than what is recorded on the stone. 

                                                                 View New Nance Family Cemetery in a larger map

I love Google Maps and Google Earth.  I can pinpoint with a place marker exactly where a cemetery is located.  It is interesting to view these on the map, and see how close these small cemeteries are to each other.  As this blog, and my search for the grave site of Joseph Stewart progresses, I will display a map with multiple sites indicated.  


 

Culpepper and Sarah J. Stewart

My addiction with genealogy began after retiring from a law enforcement career.  I began photographing tombstones of some of my ancestors at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Cemetery in New Salem, Union County, NC.  I knew one set of grandparents were there, but I wasn't sure who else.  I found a grave site for 

Culpepper Stewart

Born 

Apr. 23, 1838

Died

Jan. 8, 1899

On the opposite side of his head stone is the name 

Sarah J. Stewart

 Born 

July 28, 1838

Died 

Sep. 13, 1914

While looking at this marker I vaguely remembered my mother talking about Culpepper, so he must be an ancestor.  (I've gotten very good at kicking myself for not listening to her, and asking questions when I had the chance!)  It turns out Culpepper and Sarah Jane Nance Stewart are my maternal 2nd Great Grandparents.  This was only the beginning...


I was fortunate to have an ancestor with the first name of Culpepper.  Being an unusual first name made it easier to begin my research.  I quickly learned Culpepper's father was Joseph Stewart, and he left a will in Union County in 1866.  I began searching for the burial site of Joseph, but I have not found it.  

During my search I have located many old stones in long forgotten family grave yards.  These sites are not in well manicured areas.  They are in woods, in fields, or in backyards.  Some of the stones have weathered the test of time, while others are damaged, and the rest are lost forever.  

For me, these sites are the most satisfying to locate and photograph...before they all disappear. 

I am beginning this blog to present these old graves so they may not be forgotten.  I intend to post one or two tombstones at a time along with a brief biography if known.