The 1980 Cemetery Census of Hardin County, Tennessee

Disclaimer

The information contained in this publication is subject to the degree of error consistent with any undertaking of a similar nature. Although every effort has been made to make the material presented as accurate as possible, errors and omissions will be found. The Hardin County historical society shall not be liable for any errors or omissions contained herein or any misuse or misapplication of this material.

Express permission is granted to copy this material for inclusion in other publications if proper credit and reference is given. The data contained in this publication is available on magnetic media and can be obtained by writing the Hardin county historical society.

The editors: Ronney R. Brewington, Henry E. Williams, Jr., Mary Lou Williams

Preface

The cemetery census became a project of the Hardin County Historical society in the spring of 1980. As a beginning point, all cemeteries shown on "quadrangle" maps published by the United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey and the Tennessee Valley Authority, maps and surveys branch were listed for the census count. The number of cemeteries shown on those maps was determined to be 154. Sample forms that were used for coding purposes in the project are included in the following pages.

As the work progressed, more and more cemeteries were located that were not marked on the maps supplied by the Tennessee Valley Authority. It became clear that if the location of the cemeteries not shown on the quadrangle maps was to be accurately marked, then a complete set of maps would have to be included in the book. With the assistance of the maps and surveys branch of the Tennessee Valley Authority, transparent copies of the quadrangle maps were purchased by the society and each map was sectioned for inclusion in the book.

The WPA cemetery census (14 cemeteries copied between the years 1936-1939), and the cemeteries copied in 1970 by Janet Austin Curtis, Kipp Curtis., And Oliver Qualls (about 50 cemeteries) were compared to the data copied by the society members after 1980. It is interesting to note the effect on some of the stones by exposure to the elements, vandalism., And other destructive forces during the time interval that was revealed by this comparison. The degree of destruction noted made the completion of this project imperative.

To date, 270 cemeteries have been located, mapped, and copied in Hardin County. The Shiloh National Cemetery at Shiloh National Military park and memory gardens was not included in this census.  (Shiloh National Cemetery will be added soon to the web pages.)

The Shiloh National Cemetery is documented by the park service and memory gardens is a relatively new cemetery that is also well documented. Each of these cemeteries may be included at a later date. Although every effort was made to make this book as complete as possible., it is certain that some small cemeteries have not been found.

Many individuals devoted countless hours and gave extensive financial support to bring this book to its final form. The society wishes to thank all those who helped in this endeavor.

Savannah, Tennessee August, 1984

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