McCRARY-WRIGHT CEMETERY (Riverton Road) MADISON COUNTY ALABAMA
aka Old McCrary Cemetery

Mapping the Location

 
Area photos of the Old McCrary Cemetery: 6695/6696/6697/6705/6715/6723/6724/6725/6726/6727/6728

BOLDEN, Anthony, 1807 - 20 Dec 1892. (failed to see this because it was outside the stone wall)
 Anthony Bolden - Born in 1807, Died Dec. 20. 1892.
BOLDEN, Eliza, 1827 - 23 Dec 1892. (failed to see this because it was outside the stone wall)
 Eliza Bolden - Born in 1827, Died Dec. 23, 1892.

McCRARY, Thomas, 17 Jan 1789 - 31 Aug 1865. (This headstone was in the form of a scroll. (Thomas McCrary was born in Charleston, S.C. and married Betsy Wright Sept. 23, 1812. (Main stone moved to the Macon-McCrary-Wright Cemetery (aka new McCrary Cem). He is buried here but the monument is there): 6708/6706/6707
 To the Memory of Thomas McCrary, Born Jan. 17, 1789, Departed this life August 31, 1865. (This stone is now found in the Macon-McCrary-Wright Cemetery about 3 miles north of here on the E side of Macon Lane.)

McCRARY, Betsey, 12 Apr 1793 - 10 May 1821. 6702/6703/footstone B.M. 6712/6713/6714
 Betsey McCrary was born 12th April. 1793, Departed this life 10th May. 1821.
SHACKELFORD, Thomas, 23 Aug 1810 - 31 Jul 1820. (stone not found 27 Mar 2013)
 The the Memory of Thomas Shackelford who was born August 23rd 1810, Departed this life July 31st 1820.

WRIGHT, Major Daniel,  27 Sep 1759 -  24 May 1838 The Patriot of 76 (Revolutionary War Soldier) 6693C/6693/6694
 Sacred to the Memory of Major Daniel Wright. The Patriot of 76, The Kind husband, Father & Philanthropis(t), Born Sept. 27th A. D.. 1759, Departed this Life May 24th 1838

WRIGHT, Adeline Eugene, 13 Apr 1822 - 8 Sep 1835. 6709/6710/6711
 In Memory of Adeline Eugene Wright who was Born April 13th 1822. Departed this Life September 8th 1835.

W. . . . ., Y. W.,  footstone with initials "M. Y. W." (This appears to be a footstone, but no matching headstone found, quite possibly its lost under many years of soil. Possibly it marked the grave of a "Wright" or a "Wyche". 6716/notice the other stone lying on the ground out in front of this one. It is smaller. It had no inscription on it. 6718

WYCHE, Henry C., 26 Aug 1826 - 19 Apr 1853. (Henry Chambers Wyche, a brother to Lucinda Wyche) 6704C/6704/6705
 Henry C. Wyche, Born August 26. 1826 - Departed this life April 19. 1853.

WYCHE, Lucinda, 30 Jan 1803 - 11 Jun 1850. 6698/6699/6700/6701/6705
 Lucinda Wyche, Born Jan'y. 30, 1803 - Died June 11, 1850.
SANDIDGE, Kathleen I., 18 Dec 1835 - 18 Jul 1837. By the Mother. (James S. Sandidge married Elizabeth O. Wyche April 6. 1835. Kathleen is likely their daughter.) This stone is in danger of being lost as crumbling parts become lost. 6719C/6719/6720/6721/6722
 My Daughter, The first pledge of youthful affection, Kathleen I. Sandidge, Born Dec. 18th 1835, Obt July 15th 1837. By the Mother.

Unmarked grave with head and footstone. Appears to be smaller than an adult: 6717/6718
Outside the stone wall are many unmarked graves. They are the graves of the McCrary and Wright slaves and their descendants. This part of the graveyard is no longer in use.

Census, Nov. 16, 1850
McCrary, Thomas,   59 SC, farmer, $15,000.)
McCrary, Nancy,    45 NC
McCrary, Williams,  21 Ala.
Wright, Cyntha,     33 Ala
Wright, Harriet,    24 Ala

Notes
Nancy Wright was a cousin to Betsy Wright the 1st wife of Thomas. She was Thomas' second wife and bore all his children.  The Wright and McCrary's were two of Madison County's earliest pioneer families and owned adjoining plantations; their family histories are closely interwoven.

Also see Macon-McCrary-Wright Cemetery for more members of the Wright & McCrary Families.

All the graves here except for Anthony & Eliza Holden were inside the high stone wall.

The wall was unique because its height was greater than most cemetery enclosures. One marvels at the weight of each stone block and the labor taken to set them in place given there were no machines for that task. The ends of each stone were carved to fit the contour of the next one to it and the result was not only functional but made the wall a thing of beauty and endurance.

A huge limb from an old tree had once fallen across the wall. This was probably the result of a severe windstorm. This violet event plundered many of the stone blocks to the ground. The limb was later removed and the wall restored.

Mrs. Glen D. Estes (Nee Mary Wyche) and Dorothy Johnson author of Cemeteries of Madison Co Al visited this cemetery in July, 1969. Lucinda Wyche was Mary's gr-gr-grandmother. They were delighted to find the stones legible after so many years of weathering. The two Wyche graves were box tombs. Even though the lids had fallen from place they are still readable.

At one time the stone wall carried the following Inscription which can no longer be found: "The earth within these walls is dedicated to the dead therein."

Listings & Links developed by C. Wayne Austin using photos dated 27 Mar 2013. Added here 14 Apr 2014 by C. Wayne Austin. This cemetery was shown in the book Madison County Cemeteries Vol II known there as the McCrary-Wright Cemetery, Page 230 by Dorothy Johnson.