HE-21:  NASHVILLE, DAVIDSON COUNTY, TN.  Old Hickory & Central Pike

 

This cemetery was surveyed in the Davidson County Cemetery Survey project on January 16, 2004.  At that time, the cemetery was overgrown and in a very deteriorated condition.  Surveyors were able to record the inscriptions on 3 Tombstones and to note the presence of at least 20 Fieldstones.  On the Metro Planning Commission Parcel ID & Maps web site, the identification for this land is the “Gleaves Cemetery.”

 

During February 2005, Gleaves family descendants, including Fran Gleaves Nichols, Hilda Hagar Barnes, George & Betty Wilkerson,  James & Janice Lewis, Richard Gleaves, Bobby Wayne Graves, Tom Gleaves and with their leader Owen C. Gleaves

and his wife Linda, were able to clear the cemetery of overgrowth and to re-set and restore tombstones in the graveyard.  The participation and support of  Debbie Mullins and the Burning Tree Apartments and John Thomas, Tree Techniques, Mt. Juliet, were also great assets to this project.

 

Davidson County Cemetery surveyors returned on February 26, 2005, to re-survey the tombstones.  George Wilkerson mapped the cemetery and counted the fieldstones.

 

5 TOMBSTONES WITH INSCRIPTIONS

65 FIELDSTONES

 

HILL                Born: 1828       Died: 1846

Front Inscription: IN/ MEMORY OF/ PEYTON R./ SON OF ROBERT S. AND/ ELIZABETH HILL/ BORN NOVR. 10TH/ 1828/ DIED SEPT. 30TH/1846

 

GLEAVES                   Born: 1827       Died: 1828

Front Inscription: SACRED/ TO THE MEMORY OF/ GEORGE W. SON OF/ W. B. & HARRIET L./ GLEAVES/ WAS BORN/ AUGUST 19TH 1827/ & DEPARTED THIS LIFE/ APRIL 19TH 1828

 

WRIGHT                     Born: 1805       Died: 1881

Front Inscription: EMELINE WRIGHT/ BORN/ FEB. 10, 1805/ DIED. JULY 29, 1881

Footstone: Yes Footstone Inscription: E.W.

 

GLEAVES                   Born: 1830       Died: 1833

Front Inscription:  SACRED/ TO THE MEMORY OF/ FELIX R. GLEAVES/ SON OF W. B. &/ HARRIET L. GLEAVES/ WAS BORN JUNE/ THE 7TH 1830 &/ DEPARTED THIS L(IFE)/ MAY THE 21ST 1833

 

UNKNOWN

Front Inscription:  CLEM…/ WAS BORN…

 

SITE RE-SURVEYED  FEBRUARY 26, 2005

Additional markers. 

After the clearing was completed, other markers, without inscriptions or partial inscriptions, located by George Wilkerson, were reported to the Davidson County Cemetery Survey,  on  April 18, 2005, were as follows:  6 tombstone markers without inscriptions. 1 marker with “M. C.”   A large square stone buried underground. approximately  3 ½ feet by 3 ½ feet by 7 to 8 inches thick, was left underground for

fear of breaking the stone.

 

Historical Information

Janice Gleaves, family historian, wrote to Frances Gleaves Nichols, on March 29, 2005, stating that this cemetery was on land owned by Thomas Gleaves.  His land adjoined the property of his brother Absolem Gleaves.  Thomas Gleaves was born on March 18, 1771, in Cripple Creek, Wyeth County, Virginia and died in 1848/49 in Davidson County, Tennessee. He was married to Sarah (Sallie) Smith on March 13, 1797, in Davidson County, TN.

 

Cemetery History

According to Oscar Ray Gleaves, as reported, on May 2, 2005, to Owen C. Gleaves,

there used to be two large monuments in the cemetery.  The monuments would have stood side by side.  Mr. Gleaves recalled playing on them when he was a boy.  In 2005, only the base and the top were intact for one large monument, but the middle section, where the inscription would have been written, was missing from the cemetery.  The other large monument was buried in the ground.  When inspected, during February 2005, no inscription was found due to weathering and age of the marker.

 

 

UPDATE REPORT  MAY 7, 2005