KY-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest 21 Oct 1999 Volume 99 : Issue 25 ************************Message: #2 Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 19:49:07 EDT From: THembrey@aol.com Subject: CEMETERY - Vine Hill Cemetery, Bullitt Co., KY In a very rare opportunity, I was able to spend some time away from my desk and found exactly what I went after. What follows is the result of finding a very little known group of grave sites that provides a response to a respectable Texas lady looking for roots in Bullitt County history. First is the identity of the cemetery in question. Referred to as Clermont Cemetery that is located at the Jim Beam Distillery on Hwy 245, it is recorded in the Bullitt County Library in a publication by Mike Troutman. Information can be obtained via email to the BCPL Reference Clerk at bcpl@iglou.com. The road is Happy Hollow Road and the cemetery is less than one-half mile on the left off the main highway as you drive through the distillery. Can't miss it! There is a brick church next to the cemetery with a placard inscribed with: Clermont Baptist Church Erected 1956 Rev Paul C. Doss, Pastor The correct name, according to the Vine Hill Church, whom are the owners, is Vine Hill Cemetery. Being one in the same. What is less known is the original cemetery started another several hundred yards back on the ridge as early as 1827, the earliest year of burial as I recorded. There is a gravel road (Vine Hill Road) along the left side that leads to a dead end where there are several more graves being the original site of the cemetery. I spoke with Mr. Bessell Duke Tinnell (he is 84 years old and called "Duke") who is related one way or the other to most of the ancestors in that area. His grandfather is buried in the Troutman (also known as O'Reilly) Cemetery near Hobbs, KY, a few miles east. Parents, Cousins, Aunts and Uncles are buried all around Vine Hill. Duke mentioned he was born in 1915 and extended a kind invitation to return and discuss the area history. He seemed to know a great deal about the Bernheim Foundation and the previous families that farmed it before Isaac Bernheim bought it for a nature preserve in 1927. The original site is what most folk would prefer to view as a front yard area where the grass is cut and kept free of underbrush. There are a few residents in this cauldesac. A few of the headstones are in small brush clusters but accessible. There are approximately seven stone markers that cannot be identified. Two are made of sandstone and the information is weathered completely away, but these headstones are in remarkable shape for age. Most of the headstones have some inscription and most are readable and will require an expert handler to transcribe. A few stones are broken and one is engulfed by a tree trunk. All in all, the following data is a blessing considering the age of this plot. The cemetery appears to be cir. 1827 to 1950; (see Brashear-Warden). This data is transcribed exactly as I read it and provided here as certifiable in this text. I hope this information will help our families and friends wherever they may be today. A young Beagle playfully kept me company on this trek. It was an enjoyable experience. A little rushed for time but I had fun. Thomas Hembrey Bullitt / Meade CC KYGenWeb ATHS ======= Ancestors Buried at Vine Hill, Bullitt County, Kentucky [alphabetical by surname] BENNETT Anna M. d/o G.T. & S. E. Bennett b. Apr 26, 1877 d. Jul 11, 1878 John W. s/o G.T. & S. E. Bennett b. Jun 15, 1880 d. Dec 1, 1880 BRASHEAR I. Brashear (initial is cap *i*) b. Mar 8, 1748 d. May 10, 1827 [Isaac Bernheim bought property from Francis Brashear that is today known as Bernheim Forest. The Brashear families raised cattle on a few small farms in the area. This info is from an interview with Duke Tinnell. 20 Oct 1999.] FRENCH George French [This is a broken cement headstone with only a name on it. Duke Tinnell mentioned an aunt had married this person. She was called Aunt Polly and had four sons; Bart, Charlie, Jim and George] HATFIELD Henry Hatfield b. Aug 8, 1849 d. Aug 11, 1899 Minnie d/o Henry & S. A. Hatfield b. May 13, 1890 d. Oct 29, 1894 KURTZ Jacob Kurtz b. Jul 7, 1830 d. Broken stone engulfed by tree trunk. Masonic symbol on face of stone. MUDD William A. s/o C. & G. Mudd b. Sep 18, 1893 d. Jun 2, 1894 PERKINS Benjamin H. s/o U. S. & Birdie Perkins* b. Dec 12, 1896 d. Dec 12, 1896 Mary A. d/o Ulus C. & Birdie Perkins* b. Jul 20, 1885 d. May 21, 1886 Ulyssess Grant Perkins* "Pete" b. Oct 10, 1863 d. Sep 23, 1929 [Note*: These headstones all appeared to have different initials for the father. It is not known if in fact the person is one in the same. Spelling was verified and close inspection by me could not decipher the difference. I choose to leave interpretation to the experts.] TINNELL Eller Tinnell d. Jul 26, 1906 Aged 41 Years Jerry M. Tinnell b. Jun 10, 1861 d. Sep 3, 1911 " Farewell my wife and children all, From you a father doth Christ call" [This is Duke Tinnell's great uncle] Sarilda d/o J. M. & L. K. Tinnell b. Nov 18, 1877 d. May 13, 1893 "In love she lived, In peace she died, Her life was craved, But God denied" WARDEN "Mother" Angie Warden b. May 7, 1862 d. Nov 19, 1950 "She was the sunshine of our home" Neal P. s/o H. & A. Warden b. Aug 11, 1887 d. Oct 8, 1899 ************************Message: #3 Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 20:01:17 -0600 From: "Phyllis Hill"