CRAIG - ROOK CEMETERY (Also known as the Gilliam Cemetery) - MAURY COUNTY TENNESSEE

From I-65 Exit 37 go about  1 & � miles on Hwy 50 toward Columbia and take Fred White Rd. (right) north. Go past New Cut Rd and thru Philadelphia Church and go another mile and turn right on Houston Cheek Rd. Go about 1/4 mile. The cemetery is in a wooded area on left of the road. You will see the stones of the Rook Cemetery and into the woods behind there is the Craig Cemetery. Map Location of Cemetery

CRAIG CEMETERY, Also known as the Gilliam Cemetery in various books & there is a sign there that says: Rook Cemetery.

FREELAND,  Robert P.,  d.  18 May 1846,  age 25 yrs.
FREELAND,  ??.,  A grave on left side of Robert P. Freeland, marked with fieldstone.
GILLIAM,  Angeline P.,  20 Oct 1837 - 17 May 1890.
GILLIAM,  J. M.,  12 Dec 1842 - 23 Dec 1903.  (Son Harrison O. & Elizabeth Patterson Gilliam;  Co. F., 1st Tenn Cav.,  "Maury Braves";  C.S.A.
GILLIAM,  Nancy J.,  7 Nov 1842 - no date given.  (Nee: Nancy Jane Denham.)
GILLIAM,  Martha R.,  19 Jun 1874 - 2 Apr 1881.  "Daughter of T. F. & R. P. Gilliam."

Partially inscribed field stones:
B, J. L. fieldstone with initials J.L.B. or maybe J.I.B. or J.I.A. Top part is broken thru the surname letter.
D.., A.... B...? Fieldstone crudely fashioned into marker with fading hand inscribed lettering.
*S., H. A.,  d.  1 Aug 1849.  (Hand inscribed stones, not found 12/27/2006, by this publisher.)
*S., A. B.,  d.  13 Aug 1849. (Hand inscribed stones, not found 12/27/2006, by this publisher.)
*I have new information on the Craig Cemetery. A distant cousin has identified the two initialed fieldstones that Fred Hawkins had listed. H.A.S is Harriet A Smith and A.B.S. is her mother Anna B Smith.
Matilda Craig married John Lawrence Smith, Harriet�s brother. The Smith family lived next door to the Craig family in 1850 census. Harriet and Anna died of fever in August of 1849. Bill Thrasher, 3 Mar 2012

Unknown Fieldstones scattered around Craig Cemetery.
#1  #2  #3  #4        #5  #6  #7  #8  Photos for all of the fieldstones that marked graves were not included here.
The below two people are listed in Maury County death notices as being buried in CRAIG cemetery. 
Melvin Gilliam 
America Howard Gilliam

This Cemetery sometimes called now Gilliam Cemetery on Houston Cheek Road south of Howard Bridge should be called the �CRAIG CEMETERY�. According to Bill Thrasher who is familiar with this cemetery. The old death indexes say that the Gilliams whose graves are marked here, at that time, were buried in the �CRAIG CEMETERY�. A cousin of Bill's, Zana Rook Cheek, who died a few years ago, told him that Robert R. Craig was buried there (it was his farm) and she remembers Uncle Steve Craig went over there and built a grave shelter over Robert Craig�s grave.

Through Bill's research it is pretty certain the below listed are buried there but not under marked stones that can be found today:

CRAIG, Robert R. Craig 1786-1854
CRAIG, Rachel Miles Craig 1796-1883 (wife of Robert)
CRAIG, Elizabeth Anderson Craig (mother of Robert, still living, 1850)
BALLARD, Margaret Craig Ballard (daughter Robert and Rachel)
BALLARD, Mary Craig Ballard (daughter of Robert and Rachel)
CRAIG, Joseph Miles Craig 1821 � 14 Feb 1858 (son of Robert and Rachel)
GRAIG, Nancy M Gilliam Craig (wife of Joseph)
CHEEK, Thirzey E Craig Cheek (daughter Robert and Rachel)
CRAIG, Harriet S. Craig 6 Nov 1838- Oct 1839 (granddaughter of Robert and Rachel, daughter of John Craig)
BOX, Larkin Box
BOX, Francis Miles Box (sister of Rachel Miles Craig, lived next door)
BOX, Martha Box (daughter of Larkin and Francis Box)

Above info by Bill Thrasher of Culleoka Tennessee, bthrasher@twfrierson.com

Craig Area photo

The Craig cemetery was becoming neglected already by the early 1900�s. Zana Rook Cheek told Bill �Grandpa wanted to be buried outside the fence so his grave wouldn�t grow over, the cows would keep it eaten down�. Her grandpa was Joseph Mayhue Rook. He was son of Samuel Rook and Margaret Craig. Joseph Rook lived on the place south of the graveyard. In fact I think the property line ran between the 2 cemeteries. I think the Craig cemetery is just the old part and the Rook cemetery and is actually on the Rook land which was long ago the Freeland place. The dirt road (Houston Cheek Rd) wasn�t there in those days. It was built 1940ish. The road used to come from the other direction and dead end at the Craig place. Mrs. Zana Rook Cheek�s family didn�t like it being called Gilliam-Rook and I think they put up the Rook Cemetery sign. So Yes, it is appropriate to call the front cemetery ROOK. But the old part should rightly be called CRAIG and not Gilliam. Bill Thrasher, Culleoka Tn., 8 Apr 2008.

ROOK CEMETERY (much newer) Signage