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.