A History of the Lost West Grave Yard

A History of the Lost West Grave Yard

By Indiana Bones

(AKA: John G. West)

The following is an attempt to tell the story of this cemetery and the people buried in it.  Much is unknown as the cemetery has been abandoned and is remotely located deep in the woods with the last known burial in 1934 being that of Sarah Wells wife of Henry Harrison West.

West Cemetery is located in northeastern Christian County, Kentucky in the Ovil Community very close to the Todd County line.  The cemetery is a good distance in the woods – isolated and basically abandoned.  It was copied 20 May 1966 and published in the Cemetery Records Northern Portion of Christian County, Kentucky, compiled by Anna Hunsaker Meador, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, copyright 1976, Pp. 373.  Sometime after the 1966 reading of this cemetery and 1978 when I was beginning my research of this West family, the cemetery could not be found after several searches.  I had found a few hunters that said the old cemetery was basically hidden in the woods, long abandoned and that most of the stones were gone or buried under vines and under growth of trees.  Even back in those days, I was told that there were lots of snakes in the area – rattlesnakes and copperheads!  Sadly, when it was cold enough to not have to worry about the snakes, hunting season became the thing to worry about!

Several times in the 1980's I had asked about this cemetery with those who did not know anything about the cemetery or those stating it being in total ruins and thus essentially no longer in existence!  I very much wanted to see this cemetery to assure myself that the dates listed in the cemetery book were the same as on the grave markers.  I knew that my great, great grandfather William Ellis West had died in 1896, but the only record of his birth would be his marker in this “lost” cemetery.  Also, I had visited the graves of so many of my ancestors; I wanted to visit his, too!

The directions listed in this book (p. 343) for West Cemetery are: From 107N turn right at Lacy go 3.3 miles, turn left go .6 miles. Keep to the left then go 3.9 miles, follow unused trail keeping to the right the cemetery on the right in the woods.  There is a Withers Cemetery not far from this same general area.  The directions listed in the book (p. 342) are: Located from Hopkinsville on 107N turn right at Lacy go 3.3 miles, turn left go .6 miles, keep to left go 3.3 miles cemetery on right near road.  The Withers Cemetery is marked on the topographic maps and can easily be found by following these directions.  This cemetery is just south of Withers/Weathers Branch (of Pond River?) on Froghop Road and is fairly well maintained.  West Cemetery has the same directions only that you must go about .6 mile further up Froghop Road.  However, when you go this distance, that “unused trail” has long since disappeared.  Froghop Road comes off of Ovil Road (State Highway 178) and runs between Ovil Road and Greenville Road (107N) [directions are from Ovil Road to Froghop Road].

In the early summer of 2012, I had been listed in an Evansville newspaper article as being a “cemetery geek!”  My wife thought I should have a special name and give presentations about cemeteries to genealogical societies and anyone interested in that kind of program.  We came up with “Indiana Bones!”  Later, I had given several programs about cemeteries as Indiana Bones... dressed for the part.  I went to a special dedication of a Sons of the American Revolution Monument in remembrance of those who participated in that Revolutionary War and were buried in Christian County with unknown graves.  As I was at the ceremony, I could not help but want to find that lost West cemetery with W. E. West buried there – his great grandfather, Thomas West, was one of those patriots being honored that day in the Western Kentucky Veterans Cemetery.  I came back to the county another time visiting some of the relatives in this area of the county asking about this cemetery... they remembered that it existed, but no longer knew where it was.  A few weeks later, I returned with a resolve to find this cemetery.  I stopped at several places asking about the cemetery with no results.  Late in the afternoon, I found Rick Maywald that knew exactly where this cemetery was and had actually cleaned it up a few times and he, with his parents, had watched over it.  In fact, he took me back there to see it!  The cemetery is on his father's property that adjoins his. 

Rick got me into a 4-wheeler John Deere 'Gator' taking me from the south of Withers Creek going through 3 pastures, fording the (dry) creek and following an old, over-grown logging road for several minutes north east of the creek... when we finally came to a spot where you can just barely see some grave markers.  The grayish colored markers resemble the tree trunks and are hard to notice from the few hundred feet from the logging road to the cemetery.  The last marked grave was in 1913 of Nancy E. West.  William Ellis West and at least three of his brothers are buried here.  Besides the normal grave markers, there are quite a few unmarked small sandstone slabs (field stones).  Nearly every grave has a foot marker.  Some are sandstone, but several are regular marble or granite foot stones with initials that match the grave markers.  Some of the graves appear to have a foot stone and a head stone that are unmarked graves of unknown people, perhaps as many as 10 more graves.  To read the markers, you face north with the footstone at the north end of the grave.  One of these unmarked graves is believed to be one of William's 3 brothers, Henry Harrison West.  When I stood before the grave of my great, great grandfather, I was amazed and stunned... I was literally shaking as I was trying to take photos of the marker.  All the markers listed in 1966 were still there and in reasonably good shape.

The following seven markers were read in 1966 as:

Mary A.  daughter of F. M. and H. A. West

20 July 1873   13 June 1890

W. E. West [Son of Jesse West & Mary Bright Rogers - JGW]

13 September 1822   21 July 1896

Jennie West Boggess [Daughter of F.M. & H.A. West - JGW]

09 June 1869   18 September 1893

Eddy Montgomery Boggess (no dates) [Son of Jennie & J.P. Boggess - JGW]

Nancy E.  wife of C. P. West and J. R. Johnson

27 September 1913   Aged about 82 years

Charles P. West [Son of Jesse West & Martha Pruitt (a half-brother to W.E. West) - JGW]

22 February 1828   01 September 1875

Francis M. West [Son of Jesse West & Martha Pruitt (a half-brother to W.E. West) - JGW]

24 June 1833   21 March 1893

It is known that Harrison West is buried here in 1929.

Also his wife Sarah (Sallie) on 23 Apr 1934 and his daughter

Lou West in 1921 who married Floyd Cook. In addition,

Lou's stillborn daughter Mary Effie Cook 1921.

[Henry Harrison West (1840-1929) is another son of Jesse West & Martha Pruitt (a half-brother to W.E. West).  His death certificate states that he is buried in the “West Grave Yard” - JGW]

Plus, quite a few field stones...

Now, Indiana Bones had a great adventure to share with others.

Who were these people and why are they buried in a small cemetery hidden deep in the woods?  I will start with William Ellis West, the fourth son of Jesse West and Mary Bright Rogers.  His mother died within a year of his birth, perhaps during childbirth or as a result of the birth.  He was raised by his step mother Martha Pruitt.  Jesse and Martha had nine more children, three of which are buried with William in the West Grave Yard: Francis M., Charles P. and Harrison West.

Since Jesse West married Mary Bright Rogers in Christian Co., Kentucky on 07 Aug 1817 all of Jesse's children were born in Kentucky; while Jesse and his wife were both from North Carolina coming with their parents in the early 1800's.  They were tobacco farmers and settled in the area where this little cemetery is located.  William E. West married Cincinnati O. Williams in nearby Todd County in 1848 and had five children, one being my great grandfather John William West born in 1857 and died shortly after I was born in 1947.  Cincinnati died in 1912 and is buried in the O'Daniel Cemetery on Herring Mill Road near the old homestead of William Ellis West on Melvin West Road.  John William West was born and died in their home [Melvin was John's son with Glendle Rayburn West being Melvin's son and the great grandson of Cincinnati & William Ellis West].  John W. West is buried in the New Ebenezer Church Cemetery (located on Pilot Rock Road) where his wife and many of his children are buried, including my grandfather Warner West (who also died in the home of William Ellis West in 1939), Melvin West, Icy Nora Henderson, William Walter West, Annie Laura Morris, Eva Eunice West, Elvie Ellis West. John's son Gather (Gaither) West (1892-1907) is buried in O'Daniel Cemetery not far from his grandmother's grave (Cincinnati O. West). Another son Charlie Bell West is buried in Denver, Colorado in 1946.

Francis M. West married Hester A. Lindsey in 1864 Todd Co., KY.  They had one daughter Mary A. who was buried in the West Grave Yard at age of almost 17 years – she was a twin of Marthy A. West (the two being born in July of 1873).   Another daughter Jennie E. married J.P. Boggess in 1890 in Todd County... she is buried in this West Cemetery along with her son Eddy Montgomery Boggess. Frank (as Francis was called) had one son John Harmon West who died in Hopkins County, Ky at age 64.  He and his wife Mary Sue Berry had at least 8 children.  Francis & Hester had at least 5 children (the four already mentioned, plus William Charles West).  Francis was born 24 Jan 1835 with a twin brother James K. West.

Charles Patterson West married Nancy Emeline Williams 15 July 1871 just four years before his death.  She is buried in the West Grave Yard near her husband and has the tallest marker, an obelisk.  She also had married J. R. Johnson, as listed on the stone along with C. P. West as husbands.

Henry Harrison West was the youngest of the children of Jesse West born 27 Dec 1840 and died 18 Jun 1929.  He with his wife Sarah (1854-1934), daughter Lou Cook and granddaughter Mary Effie (stillborn) are known to be buried here.  Lou and her daughter died on the same day (21 Jul 1921) according to their death certificates.

As far as why this cemetery is in the middle of a remote, isolated area of a dense woods, the answer must be that at one time it was not an isolated area.  Since most that are buried here come from the family of Jesse West, I suspect that the cemetery is located on what was his land.  Jesse West was born in North Carolina in 1798 and he died in 1843 in Christian County, Kentucky.  The first known burial was in 1875 when Charles P. West was buried there.  With all of those field stones with unknown burials, Jesse West could be buried there.  His wife Mary Bright Rogers died young in 1823 and, perhaps, from problems with the birth of William Ellis West.  This William is buried in this cemetery despite the fact that he had moved from the immediate area to near where the O'Daniel Cemetery is located on Herring Mill road.  Is it possible that he was buried near where his mother was buried (and possibly where his father is buried)?  Charles H. West (Jesse's father) might have owned the land that this cemetery is located and might be buried here, as well... Charles died in 1845 a couple years after his son Jesse died!  Aquilla Buckner married Charles H. West about 1796 in Chatham Co., North Carolina.  Her grave is unknown as well, but the Kentucky State Vital Statistics has recorded her death to be 07 Dec 1854.  It could be that Aquilla is buried here, also.  Remember there are at least 10 field stones here marking graves that may have pre-dated the engraved marble markers.

There are two deeds recorded in Christian Co., KY – Henry Boggess (of Macoupin Co., Illinois) and his wife Mary sold property to a William West in 1835 & 1837 (Deed Book X, P. 261 & Deed Book Y, P. 522).  Henry's relation to J.P. Boggess is unknown at this time, but the land that was sold to William West is very near the land that this West Cemetery lies.  The 1830 Federal Census of Christian Co. lists an Isaac West, then Henry Boggess followed by William West.  Generally, the list of names are in the order of visitation indicating that the next name was the owner of the next home along the route of the Census Taker. 

[Work to do: check the deeds going back in time of the land that now belongs to Glendle West from Melvin, then  from William Walter West & John William West, and earlier from F. M. Cowan, as well as, William Ellis West & Cincinnati... it might be fun to check all of these deeds back & go forward from original owners to current owners.  It would be exceedingly interesting to be able to see the abstract of title for the Maywald property that has the West Cemetery on it!  - JGW]

So, where is Thomas West, Jr's land actually located?  Where was Charles H. West living?  What land did Jesse West live on?  Who ended up with these lands?  Where was my William Ellis West living and what lands did he own?  Why is West Cemetery deep in the woods?  Was there homes and roads going by it... was there a church or was it just on one of the West family's land for use by the family?

Persistence - Don't Ever Give Up!

This article was written 28 May 2014 for the West, Fike and Allied Families in MyFamily.com.   I am posting this today to point to the importance of not just deciding the facts will never be found.  Joy Ikelman and Ben West have told me that they are preparing articles for this blog... I am so excited to see their articles, I decided to find something to help the time pass!  My article will show that I am stubborn about finding what I want to learn.  I hope it will encourage all that read this to decide to knock down brick walls in their family tree research or in anything else in their lives that is of importance to them.   - John G. West

Don't ever give up! I have been studying my family history since I was a kid of about 10 years of age. At times life got in the way a little for me to stay at my life-long hobby, but I would pick up again and continue the course. College and dating girls took me away from genealogy. Then being in the Air Force for four years was a serious obstacle to researching... but I would still do a little research and Mom would send me little notes about the family. She knew that the service was not where I wanted to be, but I had to serve like everyone else and it was my duty. She also knew that family history kept me going and made the not so great times more bearable!

Mom's father died when I was about 12 in 1959, he was an old man that had a rough life and 8 kids. He worked very hard - my Dad had worked with him in a factory for a few years... stating that no man worked as hard as he did! He was known to drink a lot over the years, but never missed work, though. He drank only on the weekends!  He was almost 79 when he died and had very little money or possessions. His small life insurance policy paid some of his final expenses, family paid the rest. He had enough to pay for the funeral and a grave spot near his father's grave and a number of family members in a large cemetery in Owensboro, KY where he lived. The $255 from Social Security was supposed to help and should have paid for a grave marker. One son got the check and was the one that was supposed to get the marker made and installed at his grave. It apparently never happened!

Dad's father did not get a marker either. Not long before my father died, he & Mom decided that their father's should have markers. Dad got the one for his Dad (Warner West) in Christian County, KY. It had been over 10 years since Mom's father had died and the cemetery could not figure out from the records where his grave was actually located which made placing a marker impossible. After my Dad died I took Mom to the cemetery to help her find the grave, but we spent a lot of time in vain. I have gone back and walked the whole area trying to figure it out many times. Two years ago, I insisted on the cemetery director to actually go out with me and find the grave. He was determined to help me find it - the cemetery should know where he was buried, the burial was in recent times (1959). We spent several hours even after it began raining. I really did not want to give up.

This Memorial Day weekend (2014), I was determined that I was going to find grandpa's grave. It was an outrage that the cemetery did not know the exact location. They had records, why was this so difficult? I had been in charge of Evansville's city cemeteries with Oak Hill Cemetery being older and larger than the Rosehill-Elmwood Cemetery in Owensboro. After trying again, going from information in the office files and back to the cemetery section and back again three times, I finally asked if I could actually examine the records to see what the problem might be. I finally figured it out. Section G had 3 divisions. The burial list that was recorded in alphabetical order had him buried in Section G, Division 2, Lot 44. While the burial plot maps had him in Division 3. These two records were never cross-checked before. Division 3 is where all of my grandfather's family was buried, Division 2 is next to # 3 not all that far. However the two divisions had over 800 burials. Once I looked in Division 2 after consulting the records in the alphabetical listing of who should be buried around him, it was easy to find the lot. His was the only plot that did not have a marker in the rolls and graves near lot 44.

It would have been easy to just forget it and accept the fact he was buried somewhere in Division 3 near his father and let it go. Persistence (ok and stubbornness) paid off in finally finding his grave after all of these years. The records have been corrected. Now, if only I had the money to get a marker for his grave.

The moral of this story is to "never give up." The answer is there somewhere, keep looking. Many in this group have found records that everyone said was forever lost. New information seems to pop up from other sources. New technology changes what we currently know. Just look at what DNA has done to help us discover our family connections, what new tools will the near future give us? Keep searching, be persistent and discover the facts!

Links to Connections to Families with Ties to the Family of Thomas West, Sr.

NC Secretary of State Land Grant Office

[This information was previously posted on the MyFamily.com web site "West, Fike & Affiliate Families" on Dec 9, 2000 by John G. West.]

Land grants are excellent records of where a family owned land.  The neighbors (adjoining lands) are generally listed to describe the land borders.  The chainmen listed were trusted neighbors, friends or family... since they provided the measurements.  The person given the grant wanted his full measurement and would ensure that the chainmen were trust worthy and well-known to him.

The following records were transcribed from the NC Secretary of State Land Grant Office in Raliegh, NC as compiled by John G. West on 4 Aug 1981. Taken within one hour of the office closing for the day - hopefully there are no errors - there were other West family land grants not copied due to the time constraint!

West, Thomas #1216 Chatham Co. 100 Acres
Grant # 1121 Issued 7 Jul 1794
Entry # 1 Entered 16 Feb 1791
Book # 82 Page # 345
Chainmen: Ignatius West & Richard West
Beginning at a black jack... Lutterloh's corner & James Simmon's line... Baker's corner...

West, Phillip #1792 Chatham Co. 2 3/16 acres
Grant # 1698 Issued 7 Dec 1803
Entry # 639 Entered 10 Feb 1801
Book # 117 Page # 242
Chainmen: John Hackney, Sr. & John Hackney, Jr.
Waters of Dry Creek, along Thomas West's line & Lutterloh's line from his own corner...
(Comptroller's Office 15 Dec 1802 states "10 Acres Entry # 639" ???)

West, Jeptha #1693 Chatham Co. 74 Acres
Grant # 1620 Issued 14 Nov 1801
Entry # 569 Entered 19 Feb 1800
Book # 111 Page # 162
Chainmen: Hezekiah Henderson & Quintin Millekin
On the Waters of Robertson's Creek...

West, George #66 Chatham Co. 300 acres
Grant # 65 Issued 1 Jul 1779
Entry # 147 Entered 19 Oct 1778
Book # 30 Page # 65
Chainmen: Jeremiah Melton & John Harrison
On the head of the Wattery Branch the Watters of Indian Cr. and Deep River. Beginning near the Quaker Road (including the Millstone Glade)...

(The following Ignatius West records were copied by me as "Ig" to save time. The records had various spellings for this name - "Egnasus," "Ignasus," "Ignatious," plus a few others. Time was of essence, since the clerk called out that they would be closing in 20 minutes!)

Ig # 210 Chatham Co. 400 acres
Grant # 341 Issued 31 Mar 1780
Entry # 139 Entered 30 Aug 1779
Book # 32 Page # 195
Chainmen: Ignatious West, Jr. & William West
On the SS of Haw River & NS of Dry Creek...

Ig # 302 Chatham Co. 381 acres
Grant # 433 Issued 31 Mar 1780
Entry # 239 Entered 15 Aug 1779
Book # 32 Page # 287
Chainmen: Ignatious West, Jr. & William West
On both sides of Dry Creek...

Ig # 1145 Chatham Co. 40 acres
Grant # 1045 Issued 16 Nov 1790
Entry # 180 Entered 6 Oct 1788
Book # 77 Page # 97
Chainmen: William Pilkinton & James Davis
An Island in Haw River...

Ig # 1246 Chatham Co. 100 acres
Grant # 1151 Issued 7 Jul 1794
Entry # 273 Entered 12 May 1789
Book # 82 Page # 354
Chainmen: John Meacham & Nat Brewer
Both sides of Terrells Creek beginning on Wm. Meacham's line...

Ig # 1115 Chatham Co. 20 acres
Grant # 1015 Issued 16 Nov 1790
Entry # 184 Entered 14 Nov 1788
Book # 77 Page # 88
Chainmen: Richard West & James Mutin
On the waters of Dry Creek... James Henderson's line...

Ig # 1135 Chatham Co. 30 acres
Grant # 1035 Issued 16 Nov 1790
Entry # 204 Entered 6 Mar 1789
Book # 77 Page # 94
Chainmen: William Pilkinton & James Davis
On Haw River (an Island known as "Big Island")...

Ig # 1039 Chatham Co. 75 acres
Grant # 963 Issued 26 Nov 1789
Entry # 77 Entered 27 Oct 1787
Book # 71 Page # 358
Chainmen: Henry Brewer & Nathaniel Brewer
On the waters of Dry Creek...

Family Branches and Lines

The West DNA Family Project was started in an attempt to help us connect the branches of the family and to attempt to move each branch further back in time.  I recently discovered that we can do the same within each branch.  I was asked to present a program about DNA at the SAR meeting in Christian County, KY.  Christian County is where my SAR Patriot Thomas West moved from Chatham Co., NC before 1809.  This Thomas West is the son of Thomas West, Sr. born before 1718 and died in Chatham County in 1808.  My father was born in Christian County, KY in 1918.    Many of Thomas West, Junior’s descendants still live in the same area he moved just over 200 years ago.

At this SAR meeting, Tommy Henderson introduced me as the speaker, but first he introduced my cousins that were members of the chapter.  Counting Tommy, there were a total of 5 cousins present with 5 more members that were not able to attend.  I have 10 cousins that are members of that SAR chapter.  Tommy pointed out that they were either fourth thru sixth cousins depending on the line we were connected.  Five cousins were descendants of Thomas West, Jr.

My point is that except from Tommy and two others, I did not know anything about the other seven.  I could develop the same project that I have developed for our DNA Family Group #5 for the descendants of Thomas West, Sr.  who have lines in Christian County, KY, Logan County, KY and Hendricks County, IN.  These three locations would account for about 5 or 6 of the 14 children of Thomas West, Sr.  We could attempt to merge the connections between branches of the family with the lines within each branch.  The computer and the Internet can make this a reasonable project that can be of help to all that are members of our West DNA Group #5.

With the FTDNA West Surname Project, we have learned that we (FG #5) are less that 10% of the West that have tested to date.  This means that 90% of people named West are not related to us.  On the other hand of that 10% that is related, we actually only know of a very small number of our living cousins.  How many are lost in their quest to find their ancestors?  How many might live within one hundred miles of where we live OR just down the road from us?  How many of these unknown cousins might be able to bridge our branches?

I keep finding people named West and wonder are they related?  Are they from my branch or one of the other branches in our FG #5?  Ever since, I was a kid, I knew of a few lines of Dad’s family living in Evansville, but none were descended from Thomas West.  The few cousins in Evansville descended from my grandmother’s side of the family.  About one year ago, I learned that the man that owned West Tax Service (William West) not far from my house is a cousin that was born in Christian County, KY.  A young man became a member of the Evansville chapter of SAR about one year ago – Bart Burke.  We soon learned that he descends from Thomas West, Jr.

Tommy Henderson has compiled many of the descendants of Thomas West, Jr. in a very well documented book of 1,000 pages.  I know that Ben West and several others have compiled info on the descendants of Richard West and that the Ignatius West family has compiled many of that line.  This is three of the 14 children of Thomas West, Jr.  We have a great start for some of Thomas West, Sr’s branch of the FG #5.  We should be able to do the same for the other branches of our West DNA Family Project – FG #5.

Written by John G. West