BRATON-MCKELVY-RICHARDSON CEMETERY, Old Alto Rd, FRANKLIN COUNTY TENNESSEE

Mapping the Location


Area views of the Braton-McKelvy Cemetery: 3723/3724/3725/3728/footstone:3729/3743/3744/3745/3746/3747
Distant Area views: 3733/3748

BENNETT, H. King, PVT CHERRYS CO. Lauderdale Co. Tenn. Mounted Infantry, Cherokee War. (Military Marker, no dates b. abt 1815, death not unknown. He was in a muster roll for Captain Benjamin Cherry's Regiment, Lauderdale's Battalion, Tennessee Mounted Infantry, Cherokee War (Spies). They were mustered in at Ross landing 31 Oct 1837 for six months; This stone is probably a Cenotaph.) 3722C/3722***
H. KING BENNETT, PVT CHERRYS CO. LAUDERDALES TENN MTD INF. CHEROKEE WAR.

McKELVY, Noah, born 1814 and died after 1880 (He died after his wife and after his remarriage to (Almeda) Jane Edins. married after the death of Matilda to a Jane Edins 18 Feb 1858 in Lincoln Co. Tn.)

McKELVY, Matilda, (b. abt 13 Jun 1817) 18 June, 1857 Age 40 years & 5 Days [N.M. (Inscribers initials)]
3736C/3734/3735/3736
IN.MEMORY OF MATILDA.McKELVY.DEPARTED.THIS.LIFE.JUNE THE 15 1857.AGED 40(or70or80), years & 5 d. N.M.

McKELVY, Jane, Dau of Boby & Winey Embrey & wife of Joseph McKelvy, (b. cir Oct 1813) died July 27, 1844, Age 30 Yr 9 Mo. (not found-this survey, from Cemetery book, Cem#139.)

McKELVY, Elizabeth, Dau of Christian & Margaret Smith & Wife of Joseph McKelvy (b. cir March 1819) - 10 Feb 1849, Age 29 years & 11 Months. (Elizabeth Smith m. Joseph McKelvy 1844)
 3739C/3740/3739
ELIZABETH MCKELVY DAU OF. CHRISTIAN & MARGARET SMITH & WIFE OF JOSEPH MCKELVY DIED FEB. 10, 1849 AGE 29 YEA. 11 MO.

McKELVY, Lucy, (b. abt Dec 1847) Died June the 10th 1858 A Dau of Noah and Matilda McKelvy, Age 10 Years & 7 Months (My translation may contain errors; Used the census below)
3732C/3732
LUCY.McKELVY.DieD.JUNe.THe 10t.1858ADAG OF.NOAH.AND MATILDA.MCKeLVY age. 10. Y. 7M

McKELVY, Elizabeth, Dau of Jo & Jane McKelvy, (b. abt Jun 1844) - 4 Jul 1844, Age 1 Month. (Dau of Joseph & Jane Embrey McKelvy) 3726C/3726/3727
ELiZABETH McKELVY.DAU.OF.JO. & JANE McKELVY. JULY 4. 1844, AGE 1 MO.

McKELVY, Martha Ann, Dau of Joseph & Rebekah McKelvy. (b. abt 1857) - 6 Sep 1858. Age 1 year. 3730C/3730/3731
martha.Ann McKELVY DAU.OF JOSEPH & REBEKAH McKELVY DIED SEPT 6 1858 AGE 1 YEAR


RICHARDSON, Mary, (b. abt 1767 - 18 Nov 1837, Aged upwards of 70 years. (Erected by her son Freeman Richardson) 3741L/3741/3742
In Memory of MARY RICHARDSON )who departed this life November 18th 1837. Aged upwards of 70 years. Dust to its narrow house beneath, Soul to its God on high They have all seen Thy look in death No more may fear to die. Erected by her son Freeman Richardson. (My estimation of the installation of this stone is abt: 1875.)

SMITH, Tempy Embrey, Wife of C. (Christian)  Smith 15 Sep 1810 - 15 Sep 1868, Aged 58.
3737C/3737/3738
TEMPY.EMBREY.THE WIFE OF.C.SMITH WAS BORN THE 15 OF SEPTEMBER 1810 DYED 15 SEPTEMBER 1868, AGED 58

*** Found him in the war records but no luck finding him in the census of 1850. Was he a war causality, or a census error?

The Findagrave.com crowd has done no survey of this cemetery. Sometimes if there is a horrible tale tied to an old cemetery the locals will avoid it. Most times it is because they favor their kin (known modern cemeteries). Other times, (I believe this time) is that this cemetery is old & full of briars and the stones are hand made and very hard to read (except for the two formal markers). One must have training in bringing out the inscription to read these markers.

The latest stone here is a military marker and it has fallen. This is for Mr. R. King Bennett. The link to read about his war and unit:[ http://www.tngenweb.org/franklin/frindwar.html ]

Joseph McKelvy as we can see from all this was married to Jane Embrey McKelvy d. 1844, Elizabeth Smith McKelvy d. 1849, and Rebecah (?) McKelvy. Rebecah is the first wife to show up (named) on the censuses (1850)

The McKelvy family were early settlers of European descent. 
One set of initials N.M. that may be from the McKelvy individual that carved these inscriptions may have been N. McKelvy whose initials N.M. are on the bottom of the Matilda McKelvy monument. Could this be the Noah McKelvy mentioned as the husband of Matilda. who died on 18 Jun 1857. If so he & his second wife Almira Jane Edins McKelvy are probably interred here without a headstone. He and she were still living in the 1880 Census shown below in green text. Since he was the one inscribing the stones there was no one to inscribe stones after his death. There is a marriage record to Jane Edins in 1858. I will add him because it seems normal in the course of events that if he could inscribed the tombstone for his (1st) wife that he outlived her. It is also natural to assume that his second wife outlived him because she has no tombstone here either.

Individuals mentioned in the above cemetery listings but not found listed themselves are: Noah McKelvy/Margaret Smith/Christian Smith/Joseph McKelvy h/o Elizabeth Smith & Rebecah (?) McKelvy. Was Tempy and Margaret Smith the same lady or two different marriages for Christian Smith? I am not related, but find this cemetery historically interesting.

Some Franklin County Bratton Family History.
John BRATTON was born in 1788 and died in 1833 in Franklin County, Tennessee at age 45. Notes: 1781-1844 Marriage Records of Madison Co., Ky, Bratton, John Bratton, m. Susannah pg 106 Jan 07 1810.
Franklin Co., Tn - Biography: John Bratton, 1788-1833 - John Bratton married Susannah Burton in 1810, in Madison Co., KY. Their first child was born in KY. The family moved to Franklin Co., TN. about 1814 and settled along the Elk river near Estill Springs. Their second child Robert Franklin Bratton was born about 1814 in KY. or TN. and the other nine children were born in TN. John Bratton died in 1833 in Franklin Co., TN. (cannot find cemetery or a field where he is buried). Circuit court records name his widow and eleven children and also appoint his oldest son Monroe, as Guardian of the seven youngest children. His widow, with the eleven children (two or three of them already married) remained in TN. until moving to Barry Co., MO. in the mid-late 1838. (several other families from the Franklin, Co., TN. area also made the move to MO at the same time. Susannah (BURTON) Bratton was the daughter of Samuel Burton, Jr. and Amy Oldham, she died in 1852 in Barry Co., MO.  After moving to MO, the descendants of John Bratton took on the surname spelling of Brattin. [if you have further interest in exploring this issue see this URL:
[ http://www.thebrattonfamily.net/FT/THE%20BRATTON%20FAMILY/D3.HTML#C1632 ]

Comment by CWA: Estill Springs was about 5 to 8 miles northwest of here on the Elk River, but some of the Bratton descendants could have settled near this cemetery. Ok I am speculating but can anyone tell me why this cemetery is called the Braton (spelling probably not important) Cemetery on maps. No mention  is made in the cemetery name of the the predominate McKelvy family who lived here and formed all these home-made monuments. They are inscribed and shaped out of common limestone. The other two surnames here are  Richardson or Bennett. Every McKelvy grave I can identify has a footstone and headstone shaped with a round top and smoothed on the front side enough to hold a hand carved inscription.

Some Franklin County Tennessee Census Information on the McKelvy's
1850 Census of Franklin Co. TN, 16 Oct 1850, Dist 8, HH# 942
McKelvy, Noah       36 M Ga  Farmer $1,000
McKelvy, Matilda    32 F Tn
McKelvy, William B. 12 M Tn
McKelvy, Samuel     10 M Tn
McKelvy, Frances     8 F Tn
McKelvy, Isabella    6 F Tn
McKelvy, Caroline    4 F Tn
McKelvy, Lucy        2 F Tn

1850 Census of Franklin Co. TN, 16 Oct 1850, Dist 8, HH# 943
McKelvy, Joseph     35 M Ga Farmer $398
McKelvy, Rebecca    29 F Tn
McKelvy, William J. 13 M Tn
McKelvy, Joseph G   10 M Tn
McKelvy, Miley F     8 F Tn
McKelvy, Noah S      5 M Tn
McKelvy, John C      3 M Tn
McKelvy, Jasper N.   2 M Tn
McKelvy, Margret     0 F Tn

1860 Census of Franklin Co. TN, 15 Aug 1860, Dist 8, HH# 1281
McKelvy, Noah,      45 M Ga Farmer $2,000
McKelvy, Almira J.  41 F Tn  (Almira/Elmira Jane Edins?)
McKelvy, Isabel     16 F Tn
McKelvy, Caroline   14 F Tn
McKelvy, Narcissa    9 F Tn
McKelvy, Thomas J    6 M Tn

1870 Census of Franklin Co. TN, 18 Jul 1870, Dist 8, HH# 7
McKelvy, Noah       55 M Sc
McKelvy, Norah      51 F Al (Almira/Elmira Jane Edins?)
McKelvy, T J        16 M Tn
McKelvy, H A         9 M Tn

1880 Census of Franklin Co. TN, 21 Jun 1880, Dist 8, HH# 151
McKelvy, Noah      65 M SC SC SC
McKelvy, Elmira    61 F AL AL AL ((Almira/Elmira Jane Edins?)
Floid, Tempy,      11 F TN TN TN (G'Dau.; surname Floyd?)
 

Visited & photographed 31 Jan 2015 by C. Wayne Austin. Added to this site by the same 3 Feb 2015. This cemetery is listed as cemetery # 139 in the Franklin County Cemetery book, but with some differences in the interpretation of the transcriptions. Revised to add Jane McKelvy wife of Joseph McKelvy 7 Feb 2015.