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?