FAMILY CEMETERIES

In the county where my ancestors lived are many family cemeteries. A lot of these cemeteries have become lost or completely abandon over the years. Some are known about but access to them is very restricted.

One such cemetery is that of my 4^th great grandparents – Thomas Davis and his wife Nancy Rivers Davis.  While I have known about this cemetery and have visited it in the past; it was not easy to access.  One problem is a lovely little reptile called the rattlesnake.  The other is a vine with bards that will rip you and your clothes to pieces. The area where Thomas Davis and his wife are buried was recently clear-cut making the cemetery accessible. So I paid my 4^th great grandparents another visit, this time taking my trusted GPS along for documenting the coordinates of the cemetery. The Cemetery is located at GPS coordinates N34 46 067', W 080 02 744'

There are 4 tombstones visible in the cemetery.

Davis Cemetery

They are:

Thomas Davis, b. 22 March 1760, d. 20 March 1845

Nancy Rivers Davis, b. 15 Dec 1767, d. 15 Dec 1853

John Rivers, Co. D, 6th SC CAV, CSA    

James K. Parker, Corp. Co. E, 21^st SC INF. [1837- Apr. 14, 1862]

His military record shows that James K. Parker enlisted 21 Dec 1861 and died Apr. 14, 1862. The 1860 Census for Chesterfield County shows that James was 23 years of age and married to Nancy, age 16.

The John Rivers buried here is most likely John B. Rivers whose record is shown below.

The dates on the tombstones for my 4^th great grandparents are wrong. Correct dates have been obtained from official documents and verified.

Thomas Davis, b. 22 March 1760, d. 20 March 1845

Thomas Davis Tombstone

NOTE: Thomas Davis middle name IS NOT "LLOYD". He has NO middle name.  Lloyd is the Capt. that he served under in the Revolutionary war. As stated above the dates (1748-1844) are wrong.

Nancy Rivers Davis, b. 15 Dec 1767, d. 15 Dec 1853

Nancy Rivers Davis Tombstone

The dates (1753-1846) on Nancy tombstone are also incorrect.

North Carolina Cemeteries - WPA Survey

Prior to World War II President Franklin D. Roosevelt created what was
known as The Works Progress Administration (renamed during 1939 as the Work Projects Administration; WPA). The WPA was instrumental in rebuilding the infrastructure of America and putting many able-bodied men to work.

Another lesser known aspect of the WPA is the WPA Historical Records
Survey. One of the many accomplishments of the Records Survey was the creation of the Census Soundex Cards and their Cemetery Survey Project.

A sample of the Cemetery Survey is shown below.

In recent weeks, The North Carolina State Archives & State Library of
North Carolina has scanned, digitized and made these surveys available
on-line. You can find them at http://bit.ly/AwsT0h and obtain more
information on this project at the North Carolina State Archive Blog.

With the destruction of tombstone and cemeteries throughout the state
these records are most certainly to become a valuable resource for NC
genealogist and researchers.