Jesse Stith Cemetery

The Jesse Stith Cemetery is at the top of the hill above the homestead of the old Stith farm.  Jesse Stith mentions it in his will.  Jesse was son of Richard Stith, Jr. and Elizabeth Jones Stith.  William Stith who is buried here is Richard Stith's brother and William's wife Nancy is Elizabeth Stith's sister.   Apparently Richard Stith, Jr. and Elizabeth are buried here also but their stones have been lost.  (See Jesse Stith's will.)

Notes from a visit to the cemetery in summer of 2000.

Stones in Jesse Stith Cemetery
     Noted as of 24 May 1998

1.  James L. Hardaway
    Died Sept 24, 1869
    Aged 50 Yrs 7 Mos 12 Ds

2.  William Stith           Died      May 10, 1854      Aged 77 YRS     7 MOS & 2 DS 3.  Nancy Stith           Died      Jan ____1849          ___ = missing data      ________YRS     1 MO & 21 DS 4. Alonzo R.     Son of     E. J. & Mary Stith       Died     Sept 21, 1852     Age 11 Ms  1 D    Wherefore should I make my moan    Now the darling child is dead    He to early rest is gone    He to paradise is fled    I shall go to him but he    Never shall return to me.

5.        Ben L.
           son of
    Ben E. & Mary H.
         Johnson
           Born
    May 13, 1863
            Died
    Aug 22, 1864
                  J.S. Pool & Co.
                  Lou. Ky.
  (Mary Hardaway Johnson was daughter of Martha Ann Stith and Joseph E. Hardaway.)

Quoted from Walter Scott's Book:
Stith Graveyard

Scott Hill Farm - Meade County, Kentucky

James Hardaway, died in 1849**, age of 50 years, father of Laddie Hardaway Scott, Walter C. Scott's grandmother.

Alonza R., son of A. J. and Mary Stith, age of 1 and 1/2 years.

Ben E., son of Ben E. and Mary Johnson, age of 2 years.

William Stith, died May 10, 1854, age of 77 years, brother of Richard Stith, first owner of Scott Hill Farm. As best can be
determined, the brothers moved in 1804 and built the first log cabin. Richard bought 450 acres in 1811.

Nancy Stith, died January 2, 1849, age of 69 years, William Stith's wife.

** grave stone says 1869, jbs

Visit:

Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 19:34:30 -0500 (CDT)
To: Jack@Woodspoint.org
From: jscott@StithValley.com (Jess Scott)
Jack,
I wandered today to the hill at twilight to visit the graves of William
Stith and Nancy Jones Stith. The path winds through the woods to the top of
the hill where there is a clearing with a view out across Stith Valley. The
cemetery is on the edge of the cleared area by the woods. A rabbit ran
across the path in front of me. Two deer stirred in the woods near by. One
coughed but otherwise both stood motionless thinking that I could not see
them. The cemetery was peaceful as if I could share the evening with
William and Nancy.

On the way back down the hill the crescent moon and bright Venus decorated
the sky not too far above the horizon. The sky was blue and pink and purple
above the dark outline of the hills on either side of the valley as it made
its way to the west. I can imagine there might have been evenings like this
in the early 1800s as the progression started from William to Henry to
Thomas to Charles, to Walter L. and from Nancy to Mary Ann to Hannah to
Irene to Ruth.

Jess