HISTORIC TENNESSEE CEMETERY
Established circa 1838
ELROD CEMETERY
Burgess Falls Road
Sparta - White County, Tennessee
THE "OLD"
GILES ELROD CEMETERY.
THE "OLD GILES ELROD" CEMETERY, an earlier family burial ground, sits in a private field on a small knoll approximately 830 yards across Burgess Falls Road to the west of the present-day Elrod Cemetery (36° 02.00' N, 85° 35.35' W).
Giles Elrod (b: 1780-1785 in SC, d: 1836-1840 White County, TN.) and members of his family and household are believed to be buried beneath unmarked field stones.
Perhaps more famously, this small family burial ground also contains the grave of Revolutionary War sharpshooter and father of renowned missionaries and ministers Rev. James Hickey (b: January 26, 1761 Hyco Creek, NC, d: October 29, 1833 White County, TN). The local Rock House Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated a monument on Rev. Hickey's grave on September 29, 1935. More than 150 people attended this hilltop ceremony honoring the pioneering patriot who in sworn testimony documenting his service recounted personally seeing both General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette at the conclusion of the war.
Additional graves in the "Old Giles Elrod" Cemetery are lost to history.
THE
ELROD CEMETERY.
ELROD CEMETERY was established circa 1838 on land granted to the Howell-Elrod family for service in the American Revolution. As many as three Revolutionary War veterans and some of Middle Tennessee’s earliest settlers lie beneath the ancient cedars at the heart of the property. Local lore holds that in addition to the 20+ unknown/unmarked graves in the cemetery, an unknown number of Native Americans and formerly enslaved African Americans are also laid to rest on the grounds.
WHITE COUNTY
GENEALOGICAL
& HISTORICAL
SOCIETY.
WHITE COUNTY COURTHOUSE
1 E. Bockman Way, Room 304
Sparta, TN 38583-2035
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THE WHITE COUNTY GENEALOGICAL-HISTORICAL SOCIETY serves as an incredible resource for those wanting to conduct in-depth research on family origins and community history. In addition to being a member of the Elrod Cemetery Family, the Society's President Geraldine Elrod Pollard is a wealth of information on families memorialized in the cemetery.
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