yesterday's tennessee

Antioch Cemetery

from the clipping collection of Brenda Kirk Fiddler

Mrs. Taylor, Progress correspondent for the Antioch community news, wrote the following in response to an article printed in April 1975 detailing the library project with the cemetery index.

May 14, 1975, Lexington Progress

Forum: Speaking of cemeteries, as we are, I'm glad so many are awakened to the need for locating them, especially those old neglected ones that are unknown to so many. Some of them are family burying places where perhaps all the family is now deceased; but there would be distant relatives who would be glad to learn of their kinsmen.

The cemetery on the farm of Loyd Ballard, according to H. S. (Cuff) Johnson, deceased, was the burying ground of a family by the name of White. There are no tombstones there—just rocks to mark the graves. Mr. Johnson said if his memory served him well, that there is an officer of the Confederate Army buried thee.

In Antioch Cemetery there is a marker stating that Pinkney Deaton who came from North Carolina in 1829 with Martin Fesmire, is buried there. Clearing was done along Beech River. Mosquitoes were bad and caused malaria, chills and fever. Pinkney Deaton suffered from malaria and chills and would lie under a plum tree until his chill was over. He requested that if anything happened to him to bury him there. His request was granted; years later the plum tree was blown down. But a marker was placed at the grave. This information was given to me by Everett Rhodes, now deceased. Martin Fesmire was the great-grandfather of Mr. Rhodes.

We have been informed that Antioch Cemetery is the second largest in Henderson County. (Mrs. A. H. Taylor)