South of Fairfield, Nelson Co., Kentucky
HISTORY OF THE CEMETERY
In the Records of Nelson County, Kentucky, Book 30, Page 199, the conveyance of land which established what is called the Daniel Tichenor Cemetery is recorded. The deed of conveyance is as follows:
This Deed of conveyance made and entered into this day of January, 1855, between Uriah Hughs the first party and Thomas P. Bryant Timothy Tichenor, Daniel Langsford and Edward C. Tichenor, the second party,
Witnesseth, that the first party above named for and in consideration of the sum of $ 1.00 to him in hand paid the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, hath this day sold and by these presents do sell and convey to the second party above named a certain lot of land lying in Nelson County on the waters of Plum Run, it being a part of the land conveyed by a commissioner appointed by the Nelson Circuit Court, from the heirs of Peter Tichenor, decd. To Uriah Hughs (above named) and bounded as follows, to wit,
Beginning at a stone at the corner of said lot or burying ground and corner to said Hughs land, thence with his line S 46 1/4, E 8 3/4 poles to a stone or cedar post comer to Silas Tichenor heirs land, thence with their line S 43 3/4, W 9 1/8 poles to another cedar post thence with another line of said heirs N 46 1/4, W 8 3/4 poles to a stone in Hugh's line, thence with the same N 44 1/4, E 9 1/8 poles to the beginning, containing one half acre.
To have and to hold themselves, and their successors as trustees for a Family burying ground forever, and the first party above named doth further agree to warrant unto the second party above (Trustees) the above lot of land and defend it against the claim or claims of all and every person claiming under him.
In testimony whereof I hereunto set my name in the presence of these witnesses this day and date above written.
/s/ Uriah Hughs
Witnesses: /s/ J. J. Tichenor
/s/ Albert L. Tichenor
State of Kentucky )
County of Nelson ) sct.
I, Darwin Elliott, clerk of the county court for the county and state aforesaid do certify that on the 13th day of December, 1856, the foregoing deed was produced to me and proven by the oath of Jonah J. Tichenor, subscribing witness thereto to be the act and deed of Uriah Hughs, who also testified that Albert L. Tichenor, Jr. subscribing witness thereto signed the same in his presence, Whereupon the same together with this certificate has been recorded in my office.
Given under my hand this 15th day of December, 1856.
By T. H. Miles, D.C.
The original measurements of the Cemetery would have been a rectangle measuring 150 feet 6 and 3/4 inches along two sides and 144 feet 4 1/2 inches along the other two sides. The four comers of the Cemetery are at North, East, South and West just as the points of a compass. The graves are laid out so that the head of the grave is at the West the foot of the grave is at the East. This follows the practice of Christian burial that would permit the dead in Christ to rise on the resurrection day facing the East where Christ is to appear.
At the time of the 1855 conveyance, the following persons had all ready been buried in the Cemetery: Daniel Tichenor, Hannah Tichenor, Anna Condit Tichenor, Jane Culverson Tichenor, Daniel Tichenor, Nicholas Langsford, Ebenezer Bryant Hannah Tichenor, Lewis C. Langsford, Anna Bryant Sallie Langsford, Silas Tichenor, Sallie Langsford, Aaron C. Bryant, Mandavill Bryant, Dr. Wilson H. Purdy, Thomas Tichenor, Hannah Tichenor and Susanna Tichenor.
The Cemetery was used for burials up to 1929 when the last known burial occur-red. Dunng the years from then up until the summer of 1989 the care of the cemetery was on a volunteer basis. Different individuals saw to the care of the cemetery. Charles E. Tichenor assumed the responsibility of the upkeep of the Cemetery for many years. During the 1970's and 1980's @. Flaughter, who owned the farm to the North and West of the Cemetery would do some mowing with a brush-hog mower. While the mowing was helpfid in some respects, it also damaged many of the grave stones that had fallen. over during the years and were partially buried.
RIGHT OF ENTRY TO CEMETERY
The following is taken from an opinion of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky (QAG 82-523; Oct. 1, 1982, Greenburg, p. 3):
"If a property owner has a cemetery on his/her property which has not been abandoned, as defined by KRS 381.755(5), the property owner does not have any statutory right to request the removal or relocation of this cemetery. Furthermore, the case law in this jurisdiction prohibits him/her from doing anythmg winch interferes vnth the graves therem The case, Hutchison v. Akin, Ky., 5 Ky. Op. 3 73 (18 71), states the rule which has been followed consistently by Kentucky courts:
'As to the grave yard, it is very evident that appellant knew it was on the land when he purchased, and being there the law without any reservation, and inhibition in the deed, prohibits him from removing the stones that mark the resting place of the dead buried there, or of injuring and removing the enclosures around the grave yard and compels him to permit the relatives of these buried there to exercise the right of ingress and egress to and from said cemetery on proper occasion and for proper purposes. I
Id, at P. 3 74. Therefore, not only is the proper owner prohibited from interfering in any way with the grave yard on his property, he is compelled to provide ingress and egress for the relatives of persons buried in that cemetery."
RESTORATION OF THE CEMETERY
In the late 1970's Harold Tichenor constructed concrete bases to hold the headstones of Margaret Tichenor and Anna Tichenor. As a result of Harold's writing of his book, Tichenor Families in America and his interest in seeing the Cemetery maintained in a better condition, efforts were begun to establish an organization to see to the restoration and maintenance of the Cemetery.
The cemetery prior to when the restoration began.
On May 24, 1989, the Daniel Tichenor Cemetery Club, Inc. Was incorporated under the laws of the state of Missouri, as a not for profit corporation. On July 26, 1989, the Club was given a Certificate of Authority to @act business in the State of Kentucky as a not for profit corporation. On January 22, 1990, the Club was issued an IRS 501(c)(3) letter of exemption, permitting it to receive tax deductible donations. A general to pay costs of maintenance of the Cemetery, and an Endowment Fund, to provide a source of perpetual care of the Cemetery were established.
On August 22, 1989, W. B. Tichenor, Chfford Ray Langley, and Guy Langsford executed a Quit Claim Deed as successor of Thomas P. Bryant, -Timothy Tichenor, Daniel Langsford and Edward E. Tichenor conveying the Cemetery to the Daniel Tichenor Ceinetery Club, Inc. Clifford Ray Langely being a descendant of Edward C. Tichenor. Guy Langsford being a descendant of Daniel Langsford and W. B. Tichenor being a descendant of Daniel Tichenor.
During the summer of 1989 various individuals worked cleaning up the Cemetery. The grass, weeds, multi-floral rose, briers and poison ivy were so thick, one could hardly walk through the Cemetery. Most of the head stones were obscured from view by the growth of vegetation. Many of the head stones were fallen from their bases. Some were sunken in the ground. Others were covered over by the earth. With a lot of hot and hard work the ground was cleared of weeds, briers and multi-floral rose bushes. The ground was prepared so that the Cemetery could be mowed.
The cemetery after restoration.
Buried head stones were uncovered. Fallen stones were replaced on bases where this could be done. Over the next couple of years, work would continue on resetting of grave stones and pouring of concrete pads to set stones in flat on the ground where they could not be placed in their original upright position. Harold Tichenor drew a map giving the location of known graves and site of graves with no identifying marker other than natural rock placed upright in the ground to mark the head of graves. A list of the persons reported to have been buried in the Cemetery was compiled from various sources.
Arrangements were made beginning in the spring of 1990 for the Cemetery to be mowed every two weeks. On July 20, 1991, the first meeting of the Daniel Tichenor Cemetery Club, Inc. Was held at the Bloomfield Baptist Church. Sixty-one persons were recorded in attendance at that meeting. It was decided that a fund would be started to raise money to build a five-foot high chain link fence around the Cemetery. The funds were raised and by the Spring of 1992 the new fence was completed.
In 1993, the Club voted to undertake a landscaping project for the Cemetery. In the spring of 1994, a portion of the trees and shrubs were set out Four flowering dogwood, two sugar maples, and nine burning bush were planted. In the Fall of 1994, six eastern red cedar, three coral berry and one rough-leafed dogwood were planted.. By the spring of 1995, all the plantings had survived, except two of the coral berry shrubs. Many members of the club made individual contributions. Specific memorial gifts were made as follows:
|
1 dogwood |
In Memory of Florence Tichenor Pace, by Emily Bayless |
|
|
1 dogwood |
In Memory of deceased children of John and Ann Marie (Tichenor) Conely, by Joseph L. Conely. |
|
|
1 dogwood |
In honor of the 99th birthday of Mary Elizabeth Brown McClaskey, by Bettie M. Hauser. |
|
|
1 rough leafed dogwood |
In memory of Howard James Tichenor, by Wm. G. & Irene (parents) and William Tolbert, Charles, Lloyd and Cary (brothers). |
|
|
4 red cedars |
In memory of Jesse Gflmore Pigg, William Van Dyke Pigg Jr., Frances Pittenger and Nancy Tichenor Pittenger, by Betsy Ross Pigg. |
|
|
2 sugar maples |
In memory of Isaac Taylor Tichenor and James Lewis Tichenor, sons of James and Margaret, and Baptist ministers by W. B. Tichenor, great grandson of JLT. |
In July of 1995, poured concrete head stones for persons known to be buried in the Cemetery, but without a marker, were set in the Cemetery. Markers with "Unknown' were also set on those sites that were identified as a grave site but no information was available as to the person who might be buried there. In May, 1996, rows for future burial sites were laid off Grave lots within these rows are set apart five (5) feet from center of grave to center of grave. Grave lots are 5 feet wide by 1 0 feet long.
LOCATION OF THE CEMETERY
The Cemetery is located just South of Fairfield, Kentucky between Plum Run Road and Murray's Run Road. From Fairfield go South on Murray's Run approximately 1 mile to where mailboxes and a fire hydrant are on the right side of the road, turn left into a gravel driveway, proceed down the driveway, crossing a cattle guard. Proceed toward a red brick house. To the left of the house you will see a gate into a pasture. In dry weather you can drive through the pasture back to the Cemetery. The Cemetery is a couple of hundred yards behind the red brick house. The turnoff onto Murray's Run in Fairfield is next to an abandoned distillery and across from a metal sided building.
From the Bardstown Courthouse Square, go North on Route 31 E approximately 2.4 miles to Olde Delaney's Store (on the right of the road, Route 332 junctions with 32 E at this point from the left, there is a yellow caution light at the intersection).
Turn right just past the Olde Delaney Store onto Plum Run and proceed on Plum Run for 1 mile. At this point Plum Run continues on the Right and Murray's Run goes to the left. Go to the left on Murray's Run for 6 miles. You will see a group of mailboxes and a red fire hydrant on the left side of the road. On the right is the gravel driveway. Turn into the driveway and follow the directions as above.
The GPS coordinates for the cemetery are: 37°55'01.18"N 85°23'13.03"W
Aerial satellite view showing location of cemetery.
BURIAL POLICY FOR THE CEMETERY
On July 15, 1995, at the Annual Meeting of the Corporation, the following Policy was adopted relative to burials at the Cemetery.
|
1. Sale of lots can be made to descendants of Daniel Tichenor and their spouses. |
|
2. The price per lot is $200.00, to be placed in the Endowment Fund. |
|
3. The Board of Directors has authority to authorize the sale of lots to individuals and their spouses who are descendants of persons buried at the Cemetery but are not descendants of Daniel Tichenor. |
|
4. A headstone is required to be placed as soon as possible after a burial. |
|
5. A person can purchase multiple lots, but must designate at the time of purchase the persons who are to be buried in each lot. In the event that a person named to be buried in a lot is buried at another cemetery, the vacant lot would then revert back to the Club and the purchaser would forfeit the purchase price. |
|
6. The Board of Directors will have authority to make necessary decisions to carry out the intent of this policy to insure the continued preservation of the Cemetery. |
Prepared by W. B. Tichenor
Columbia, Missouri 1996
(c) 1997 Tichenor Families in America
Return to Tichenor Families in America Homepage