SANDUSKY-McKNIGHT CEMETERY, (Bodenham, Old Hwy 64) GILES COUNTY TENNESSEE

Mapping the Location

Area Views of the Sandusky Cemetery: 8387, 8388, 8389C, 8389, 8380, 8390

Sandusky Cemetery:
SANDUSKY, J. W. (James W.), 1820 - 22 Sep 1855. h/o Delia Tacker Sandusky 8382, 8387, 8383
SANDUSKY, Delia Tacker, 2 Oct 1816 - 12 Aug 1854, wife of J. W. (James W.) Sandusky, has footstone D.S. standing at the new marker for J. W. Sandusky. 8384, 8385, 8381, 8387
SANDUSKY, Child, (no other information). 8386, 8387
 

Hughes Cemetery on the edge of Lawrence County line, a couple of miles from here:
Note: J.W & Delia Sandusky's original monuments were moved to the Hughes Cemetery on the edge of the Lawrence County Line years ago and lie there in the Moore Lot enclosure. I doubt if the grave remains were moved. Stones there are as follows:
James W. Sandusky     -  buried in Sandusky Cemetery, Giles County, just N. of Old Hwy 64 where a small granite monument was recently set. The original stone was moved to Hughes Cemetery years ago  0662/0662L/0663
Delia Tacker Sandusky - buried in Sandusky Cemetery, Giles County, just N. of Old Hwy 64 where a small granite monument was  recently set. The original stone was moved to Hughes Cemetery years ago. 0661/0661L/0663

Other graves - once a larger cemetery. Tilling or keeping livestock on the land over time reduces the size of the area of these old cemeteries especially when the graves are not marked by formal markers that survive in a standing state. Many stones fall and sink below the surface and are lost. Others wash down the hillside and into ditches and creeks and are covered, and off course there is often human destruction involved.

This Sandusky family was closely connected to the Sandusky's at the nearby Choates Creek U. Methodist Church Cemetery. Folks there are all younger, including one son.

Long time residents in this community say the McKnight cemetery was nearer the road on the same farm. Many graves were there (1989-G.C.T.C.). No easily visible sign of another cemetery today (2011-C.W. Austin).

Only two original stones appear to remain standing today in the Sandusky Cemetery. Both are old lime/sandstone footstones and appear to be for Delia Sandusky. One is Delia Sandusky's footstone with the initials D.S. The second stone is a broken stone that is likely the original headstone for Delia because it aligns with her footstone. It is broken off and today is totally encapsulated by the hackberry tree with the top half of the stone missing. Of course the original stones may have been moved from their original locations muddying the water of this analysis.

The three new stones, one for each listing, recently installed and shown above are small granite markers put there by descendents who wish to maintain the original location of the Sandusky graves. It is not known if there are other family members without a headstone buried here. Does not appear to me the new markers align with the footstones of Delia Sandusky as that grave lies between the tree and her footstone and just beside that is the new marker for James W. Sandusky. Well, so much for trying to analyze the grave locations when that is basically lost today, but at least some graves lie outside the fence and under the fence line.

Sources: After permission C. Wayne Austin visited and photographed this cemetery 20 Dec 2010.  The information and photography was formatted and added here 14 Sep 2011 by the same.  This cemetery is also listed on page  476, Giles County Cemetery book by the Giles County Historical Society. 1989 with the same three listings, but less family history information.