TOMBSTONE INSCRIPTIONS FROM BLACK CEMETERIES
IN CARROLL COUNTY, TENNESSEE
Compiled by Jonathan K. T. Smith
Copyright, Jonathan K. T. Smith, 2000

(Page 24)

CARROLL COUNTY POOR FARM

For those persons unfortunate enough to have become aged with no money or obliging relatives, young and middle-aged poor and/or handicapped and children "thrown on the mercy of the world," black and white, they had to resort to living in a community called the county poor farm. Persons who died on the place were buried there on a hill about a quarter mile south of the main building on the grounds which has now become wooded and reclaimed by nature. The last burial there was made in 1951 (a black man named Toby who had lived on the farm about sixty-five years). The county farm was closed, the indigent being placed in nursing homes and it was sold in May 1973. (There appeared an article about the county farm in the May 31, 1973 issue of the CARROLL COUNTY NEWS, Huntingdon.)

From McLemoresville, Tennessee drive east about 5.6 miles over U.S. Highway 70 to the County Farm Road; turn onto the latter road and drive about 1.8 miles south to the former residential area of the farm.

Among the black folk buried here, as indicated by their death certificates:
JOHN HOWARD died January 18, 1915 aged about 70 years
ROBERT SCATES died August 22, 1915 aged about 100 years
RICH JONES died December 16, 1915 aged about 45 years
ANNWHITEHEAD died May 3, 1917 aged about 90 years
BOB PHILLIPS died December 9, 1917 aged about 60 years
TOM HOOKER died December 19, 1917 aged about 75 years
CHARLES THOMAS died May 30, 1918 aged about 60 years
LOFTON FUQUA died February 7, 1920 aged about 33 years
BEV FUQUA, 1847-December 27, 1923

 

Return to Contents