REGISTRATION CREW DISCOVERS
GRAVE STONES CAN BE USED FOR MANY THINGS
INTERESTING FACTS UNEARTHED AT CEMETERIES
NEAR FORT ASHBY
(BELIEVE DATE OF ARTICLE TO BE @ 1937 CEMETERY SURVEYS)
Grave stones can be used for other things than
marking the last resting places of those deceased, the grave
registration crew in Mineral County has discovered. The crew, which
is registering graves of all veterans of all wars buried in the
county, has made some interesting discoveries near Fort Ashby, Frank
Kight, senior clerk of this project announces.
One set of grave stones have been put to four
different uses, the crew found out.
First, they were utilized for the purpose for which
they were made. Sliders of the Civil War used them as sort of frying
pans and fried their eggs and bacon on them. Later on, some
enterprising moonshiners of that section used the same stones for a
chimney for their still. The stones were found being used as a walk
at a nearby farm.
The stones were taken from the old Alkire Cemetery
one mile from Route 28, on Route 3, on the Siple Farm.
The cemetery measured 60 feel square, but only
three head stones were found in place.
One marks the grave of Elvina Alkire, 1857 - 1885;
another the grave of Thompson M Neff, Nov 5 1869 and the other the
grave of J Alkire, 1856.
Broken stones are scattered around the cemetery and
the crew started inquiring of nearby residents about the remaining
markers.
On talking to Mr. Siple, the owner of the farm, the
crew learned that the stones along side of the farm house were head
stones from the cemetery. Mr. Siple and the crew turned each
headstone over as the information on them had been put face down.
Seven head stones were discovered, one of these possibly being a
veteran. The crew discovered one of the stones to be that of Peter
Alkire, early settler of this section, who died Sept 30, 1850, aged
77 years, 6 months and 20 days.
Flanking the old Alkire Cemetery, the crew found on
side a burial plot 15 by 30 feet in which were buried John and
Charles Stickley. To the west of the cemetery was found another
enclosed lot 12 by 30 feet on which were found seven graves with
ordinary rocks as markers.
Another interesting discovery made by the crew late
yesterday evening on which complete information could not be
obtained, was a grave near Fort Ashby in which two veterans are
buried. They were named Foley and O'Fanton.