Burials in Battle Grove Cemetery

Battle Grove Cemetery is a large cemetery in the outskirts of Cynthiana, county seat of Harrison County, Kentucky. On 28 August 2008 we visited the cemetery and photographed some of the gravestones. Shown here are those of my great-grandparents and their mothers. Click on the photos to see larger versions.

Samuel McClintock died young in Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky (previous post). His widow, Elizabeth (Waits) McClintock returned to Harrison County with her young son John James. She married again in 1833 to Edmund Martin. Elizabeth lived a long life not dying until 19 June 1887. She was buried in Battle Grove Cemetery. Her son John James McClintock (1826-1892) and his wife Nancy Isabelle (Scott) McClintock (1843-1921) are buried nearby and all three share a monument with Elizabeth's information on one side and the name McClintock on the other. Headstones are also present for John and Nancy.

Elizabeth (Waits) McClintock Martin (1802-1887)

 

McClintock side of monument and headstone row

 Nancy Scott's father Thomas also died young leaving a widow with two small children. She remarried, but had no other children. Elizabeth (McShane) Scott Whaley was also widowed by her husband Caleb Whaley. She was remembered by her great-grandchildren as "Granny" Whaley who made each of them a quilt. She died 16 October 1907 and was also buried in Battle Grove Cemetery, sharing a marker with Caleb Whaley. Both Thomas Scott (1810-1844) and Samuel McClintock (ca. 1794-1827) were buried in older cemeteries.

Elizabeth (McShane) Scott Whaley (1823-1907)

Treasure Chest Thursday: Will of Charles Williamson

Deborah (Williamson) Bell was my great-great grandmother. I wrote about difficulties learning the identity of her father. A very strong candidate was a Charles Williamson who died in Wood County, (West) Virginia in 1858. See my earlier post: HERE. He was included in a book by Raymond Martin Bell and Edna Marian Miller with just eight children. They did not include Deborah. I hoped they had missed some esoteric document, but a very basic document reveals the truth.

FamilySearch has browsable images of "West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971" for all 55 counties of West Virginia. In Wood County's Will Book 5 I found three entries for Charles Williamson in the index: his will on p. 127-8 and two settlements on pp. 180-81 and 266-68. The image below is a little too small to read and not in the best of shape to begin with, but it is a treasure!

The will names eleven children. Based on the census records for Charles Williamson, I believe there were twelve, the additional one a daughter, Judith, who died in 1847 and is buried in Compton Cemetery in Wood County as are Charles, his wife Martha and other of their children. I created a table based on his census returns of who was represented assuming all the children were his children. The will now gives names to "my daughter Deborah Bell" but also daughter Sarah Williamson and son Samuel M. Williamson. The will named executors but Charles added a codicil naming his wife and Joseph Bell as executors. The settlements are done by executor Joseph Bell. He was Deborah's husband.

The Williamson book gives the maiden name of Charles's wife as Martha Martin. Learning her family will be added to my queries now. I will also have to verify the Williamson descent from Moses Sr. and his son John, both having served in the American Revolution, down to Charles.

I just found the will last night and when I saw those magic words "my daughter Deborah Bell" there was cheering in my house!
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• 1820 U.S. census, Tyler County, Virginia, p. 86; NARA M33, roll 140, digital images, Ancestry.com.
• 1830 U.S. Census, Tyler County, Virginia, p. 187; NARA M19, roll 200, Ancestry.com imaged from FHL microfilm 0,029,679.
• 1840 U.S. census, Washington County, Ohio, Marietta Township, p. 299; NARA M704, roll 433, Ancestry.com imaged from FHL microfilm 0,020,179.
• 1850 U.S. census, Wood County, Virginia, District 65, p. 110A; NARA M432, roll 981, digital images, Ancestry.com.

(all Virginia locations now in West Virginia)