GRAY CEMETERY, MOORESVILLE
PIKE, MAURY COUNTY TENNESSEE
(Also known as MYRICK CEMETERY.)
Located (Locator
Map) on Mooresville Pike, 1/4 mile south of Old County Farm.
The cemetery is on the hillside, behind barn on Ernest Taylor place
(1987). (GPS pointers for this cemetery are located on the 2005 Delorme
electronic road map and are accurate).
This is a typical abandoned rural cemetery in bad repair. There is a rock wall
around it but the vegetation is out of control and all of the stones are missing
or broken or fallen.
GRAY, Matthew, Born January 31, 1849 in the 62nd year of his age. (One would
wonder if this meant died Jan. 31, 1849 at age 62. One Matthew is the husband of Eliza.
Eliza died 1857.)
GRAY, Eliza K., GRAY, Eliza K., 8 Jun 1811 - 1 Nov 1857. (46-04-13.) 'Wife
of Matthew Gray.'
MYRICK, Elizabeth, d. 15 Jan 1844, 65 years of age. "Wife of John Myrick.
MYRICK, infant Daughter of David & Mary, 1 Jun 1826.
MYRICK, Elizabeth, daughter of M. Myrick, b. ...1831, d. ...Jun....3. (Stone
almost buried.)
Stone not readable due to photo being blurry.
WHITAKER, John G. W., 7 May 1843 - 26 Aug 1850. (07-05-20) 'Son T. J. & M.
L. S.' (Son of Thomas J. & Mary A. L. S. Myrick Whitaker.)
WHITAKER, Elizabeth K., 15 Dec 1847 - 5 Jun 1848. "Daughter of T. J. &
M. L. S. Whitaker'
WHITAKER, Alice E. W., Alice E. W., 17 Nov 1849 - 9 Apr ..... (calculates to
1858), "Daughter of T. J. & M. L. S. Whitaker", (08-05....)
There is a home out front near the Pike that may have been the former home of
the persons interred here but appears to be (from the architecture) later than
that. Probably a rebuild or remodel, but nevertheless a historical icon very
typical of the homes around Culleoka built prior to 1900. Mr. Bill McMillon who
lives there and showed me the cemetery says the house was built about 102 years ago (from 2005). The
Taylor's (Henry) lived there before him and passed or sold the property to him
about 28 years ago. Bill was a very helpful and cordial in helping me find and
photograph the cemetery.
These are the book publications
where you will find this cemetery listed:
Listed 19 Mar 1987, Maury County Tennessee Cemeteries, page 464 by Fred
Lee Hawkins. (Listed as Myrick Cemetery)
Listed 1963, They Passed This Way, J. C. Parrish & Marise Lightfoot, two
hardworking ladies. page D-155.)
Wayne Austin visited there Nov 29, 2005 in the late evening. This late visit
yielded less than great photos. Digital cameras don't perform well in the
twilight.)
This is Mr. Fred Lee Hawkins
commentary on this cemetery in 1987:
This cemetery was once enclosed in a beautiful hewn rock wall. The stones
were large and fitted together without mortar. It has now tumbled down
in various places. 2 or 3 graves sites are marked with fieldstones and
at least 2 box tombs were found whose inscribed tops were missing.
This further 2009 commentary was from a letter by a probable descendent of this cemetery Randy Farrar of Texas. Possibly the best proof he has for his position is the inability to account for the burial of his lost Myrick ancestors mentioned below:
"This is all leans toward
speculation on my part, but I believe two probable burials in the Myrick
Cemetery here would be my gggg-grandfather, John Myrick (1777-1838), and my
ggg-grandmother, S. M. (1805-1838). Both died about 1838. I think what
happened was after my ggg grandfather, John Myrick 1803-1856), received his 1280
acres in Texas in November of 1836, he made plans to move his family there to
Shelby County, Texas. His last child, John Myrick was born about 1838. I believe
that S. M. stood for Sarah M. Do not know her maiden name. I believe she died in
childbirth. I believe the five children of John and Sarah lived with Elizabeth
(Kirk) Myrick until her death in 1844. Louisa married William Morgan and John
(1838) shows up with them in 1850 Giles County, Texas. Dorothy married William
Reavis in 1849 and show up in 1850 census of Shelby County, Texas. Mary and
Martha show up with Aunt Mary (Myrick) Whitaker in 1850 Maury County, Tennessee.
So to make a long story short - I think that John Myrick (1777-1838) and
Sarah M. (?) Myrick (1805-1838) are buried here in Myrick Cemetery."
Randy Farrar 30 Aug 2009.