John Reece Cemetery - Estill County, Kentucky

I recently visited a very old cemetery in Estill County, Kentucky.  It's located in a remote valley below the Sparks Cemetery in the Leighton area.  After turning off the highway, you travel down the ridge on a gravel road, washed out in some places.  You pass the old family home, cross over a creek that's fed by a spring and up the hill.  There, in this grove of trees, you'll find the John Reece Cemetery.  It's interesting to note that John Reece was probably one of the last interments here. 

We estimated that there are at least between 100 and 150 graves located in this cemetery.  There are about 10 rows with 10 to 15 graves per row.  Most of these people are lost to memory, only identified with a field stone and/or a sunken grave.  Vinca minor (periwinkle) grows wild and covers the entire cemetery, cushioning steps as one carefully picks their way through the graves, careful not to step on someone and careful not to discover a resting copperhead.  I would warn anyone attempting to go to this cemetery that there would need to visit either in the winter or those few weeks in March before it's warm enough for the snakes to come out.

Unfortunately, when we visited, I didn't take a photo of the cemetery itself.  When I return, I will be taking it and adding it here, editing the post.

The photos of the graves are as follows:

Sarah (Sparks) Plowman

Nancy L. (Tudor) Alcorn

Samuel Fox

David Reece

John Reece

Samuel Fox - John Reece Cemetery - Estill County

Samuel Fox served in Co. E, 47th Kentucky Infantry

Read about our visit to the John Reece Cemetery

Tombstone Tuesday - Robert Riddle - Old West Irvine Cemetery

Robert Riddle, Sr.

01 Jan 1773 ~ 12 Feb 1849

Old West Irvine Cemetery

(aka Simp Richardson Cemetery)

This is the oldest readable headstone in the cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday - Unknown - Old West Irvine Cemetery

One of the many broken headstones

Old West Irvine Cemetery

(aka Simp Richardson Cemetery)

Tombstone Tuesday - Interesting Family Plot - Campbell Cemetery

This interesting family plot is located at the back of Campbell Cemetery, Doe Creek, Estill County, Kentucky.  Surrounded by a low chain border are field stones that are common to cemeteries in the area.  What makes this family plot different is the large marker in the center.  It gives names and dates for all in the family area.  Listed on the marker are:

James Alfred Hale

9-2-1922 ~ 9-20-1922

Cash Farthing

10-29-1852 ~ 1-2-1931

Mary (Babb) Farthing

11-5-1852 ~ (12-8-1920 according to death certificate) 

Mary Eliza (Farthing) Land

11-1-1873 ~ 6-1-1905

Robert Land

4-2-1905 ~ 4-2-1905

Garrett H. Land

2-19-1897 10-5-1902

Mattie (Farthing) Land

3-3-1888 ~ 11-15-1916

Marjorie Land

6-1-1907 ~ 5-10-1909

Lucy Ann Farthing

9-21-1882 ~ 12-22-1913

Eva T. (Hale) Metcalf and Twins

2-11-1893 ~ 1910