Cemetery of the Past

Thomas Scott Sr. - Born June 1790 – Died August 1869
William Pike – Born March 1806 – Died September 1851
Elemena Bacon – Born January 1839 – Died June 1856
Joseph Nelson File – Born February 1832 – Died November 1855

These are the names of four of the deceased buried at a rather small 50 ft. by 50 ft. cemetery called Batson & Tranquility Methodist Cemetery just north of the main part of the city in which I reside. It is a quaint cemetery. Most of the occupants of this small plot of land are from the same family. Except for a few of the older headstones, most of the headstones are placed in an arc spanning the width of the cemetery.

By reading the inscriptions on the headstones, it is safe to say that the family cemetery was in use for about one hundred years. Until recently, the area in question has been way out in the country and on fertile farmland. If I were to imagine myself attending one of these funerals, I suppose that, while standing there, I would look around and see little or no housing and quite possibly not much of a road leading to it. It is quite possible that, being farmland, this small piece of land was on private property. Little or nothing is known about this cemetery and I suppose that anything I say about it is mainly conjecture but what I have mentioned gives you a fair idea.

So… a hundred years ago it was in the middle of nowhere. Now, look where it is! (Click on the photo for a better view) About 30 feet east of it lies a five-lane road, a beer store, a Nissan dealership and a WalMart. North of it, sits a Hyundi car lot. South of it an automobile parts store parks itself and west of it resides a large farm house and an 18 hole golf course. I have no doubt that before each person that was buried there in the eighteen hundreds, they thought that they were going to rest in peace for eternity. Well… time and modernization has changed all that!

It amazes me how our communities are growing. Cities around us are gobbling up farmland faster than I could ever have imagined. People are pouring in at a rate faster than house builders can build. In no time there will be nowhere to rest. Hopefully, when I die, I will be buried in a place where it is quiet forever… well at least for a hundred years. After that…all bets are off!

Rest in Peace!