O'KELLEY CEMETERY - Buncombe County, NC Other names are: Stony Fork Cemetery ****************************************************************** File transcribed and contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by:(zens@mindspring.com) USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ****************************************************************** DIRECTIONS >From Candler, NC take Pisgah Highway South (Rt 151) about 7.5 until it enters Federal property (The park signs about camping are the giveaway). Within .2 miles a sign will indicate a left to Stony Fork Church. This will be Ballard Cove Road (not always marked). Take this about a half mile to Stony Fork Missionary Baptist Church on the left. LATITUDE/LONGITUDE 352734N 0824341W (Per USGS) FIELD NOTES: 9/23/98 The cemetery is laid out on a NW - SE axis and the headstones are all facing NW and the survey began in the southern corner. The grounds are part of the Church and are well maintained. SURNAME LIST BUGG, GIBSON, MULWEE, OíKELLEY, PALMER, SHARP, WARREN, WILLIS. CEMETERY LISTING (For an explanation of the format, scroll to the bottom) ======================================================== [01] WARREN CECIL VAN / Nov 26 1923 / May 19, 1987 married Sept. 19, 1941 GRACE BROCK / Apr 17, 1922 / Jan 24 1996 [Footstone to Cecil’s marked:] CECIL VAN WARREN SR. US Army, WW II [Footstone to Grace marked:] Mother [02] SHARP VAN W. / Jan 1 1940 BETTY L. / Oct 23, 1938 / July 16, 1987 “Rest In Peace” [Footstones Father and Mother] [03] Baby MARTHA / KAY / SHARPE / Nov 9, 1963 [Note name as indicated with the final ‘e’] [04] RALPH W. SHARP / May 23, 1958 / Dec 22, 1960 [05] [Unmarked stone] [06] TERRIE WARREN / Mar 5, 1892 / June 15, 1976 [07] ROXIE OíKELLEY / Oct 22, 1902 / May 25, 1957 [8] MARTHA FOSTER / Wife of PINK OíKELLEY / 1855 - 1948 [Footstone: M.F.O.] [9] NINA OíKELLEY / May 10, 1877 / June 10, 1946 [10] ELIZA ANN OíKELLEY / 1827 / Jan 1929 [11] BILL OíKELLEY / 1854 / Mar 14 1929 [Native rock footstone, or possibly original headstone] [12] SHARP Thy Kingdom Come RALPH L. / Aug 29, 1904 / July 15, 1994 ORA O. / Nov 9, 1907 / Jan 26, 1986 [13] VINSON B SHARP / North Carolina / PFC US Marine Corps / Korea / Dec 11 1933 Jan 5 1964 [Veteran stone marked with cross] [14] MILLARD / OíKELLEY / Born: Au / g. 15 183 / DC Au. 15 [This is a native stone well selected and very well worked. It is partly unreadable and the known portions are transcribed. The designs and workmanship are excellent, even though the lines are broken up midword and weathering has taken its payment.] [15] [Unmarked or overly worn local stone] [16] [Unmarked or overly worn local stone laid flat with footstone of quartz] [17] B. N. H WAS / Born Apr 26 / 1838 . DC March 1840 [Native footstone] [18] U. G. H. WAS / Born Apr 26 / 1838 DC March / Twins . 1840 [Markers #17 & this one seem to be of the same mold as #14, very well-worked native stone with designs on the top. [19] [Uncut marble stone. The back even shows the drill holes. No markings found anywhere] [20] [Native stone, unmarked] [21] NOVELLA ISAM / WILLIS / Jan 11, 1916 / Jan 11, 1938 [22] JOHN / WILLIS JR. / Dec 27, 1936 / Dec 27, 1936 [23] MARY OíKELLEY / WILLIS / 1882 - 1933 [24] PINK OíKELLEY / 1882 - 1933 [25] MARY PALMER / Wife of / PINK OíKELLEY [No dates. Also, since this marker seems to have been part of the grouping of official “O’Kelleys” the other ‘wife of Pink O’Kelley’ may not have been the one that bore his children.] [26] BENJAMIN OíKELLEY / 1879 - 1912 [27] EARL / OíKELLEY / 1881 - 1913 [28] Father RALPH F. / WILLIS / Sept 2, 1910 / June 1, 1987 [Footstone: R.W.} [29] Mother LEONA PAYNE / WILLIS / Oct 18, 1921 / Dec 19, 1997 [Footstone: L.P.W.] [30] WILLIS [This marker is a large headstone indicating that this is the WILLIS section of the cemetery.] [31] The Family of / PINK OíKELLEY [This stone is the generalized headstone to markers #21 - #27, which are actually footstones.] [32] MULWEE ELLA W. / Nov 11, 1905 / Apr 30, 1988 [ Footstone: Granny] EDD M. / June 10, 1891 / Sept 16, 1985 [33] JAMES T. GIBSON / Dec 24, 1941 / Apr. 11, 1965 [34] [Completely unmarked, but discoloration in the soil indicates a burial. There are also fairly new floral arrangement at the head. Makes you wish someone who knows would put something, but it also feels very private and personal.] [35] [Unmarked, but recent floral arrangement.] [36] BUGG BESSIE M. / May 9 1891 / [no date] OSCAR T. / Mar 9, 1881 / May 31, 1962 [37] CARL EUGENE WILSON / Died June 30, 196(5?) Aged 0 Yrs 0 Mo 0 Day 6 hours [Slightly worked native stone with just the name crudely scratched. The information is from the original funeral home metal plaque.] ======================================================== RESEARCHER’S ADDENDUM Down the road I located and spoke to Harry and Emma O’Kelley who were in their late ‘80s and very pleasant but didn’t have a mind for remembering such things. I did ascertain that NINA is Harry’s Mother’s Sister; that his grandfather was a FOSTER; that Roxy was ‘slow’ or mildly retarded; and that they were going to be buried at the Mt. Pigsah Church Cemetery which they both referred to as ‘the O’KELLEY/FOSTER cemetery’ up the road. I got directions, thanked them and headed for there. FORMAT An attempt is copy down the grave marker’s information in the order and using the same punctuation in which it appears. The use of “ / “ indicates the next line. Names always appear IN UPPER CASE. Every stone is numbered. If more than one name is underneath the numbering, then all those names appeared on one stone. If there is wording before the name, it appears on the same line as the number. Also, if the last name spans the stone above the individuals, it also appears on the numbered line. PHOTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE Some photographs were taken of the stones under the best light and angle possible, but it is almost always true that more information can be discerned from being there, especially because the pictures are stored in a lossy compression format of .JPG. Send your request to me at zens@mindspring.com, and give me 2 days to figure out which zip disk they’re on or if i’ve taken those pictures.