Wayne County, NC - Gravestone Inscriptions

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The Wayne County, NC GenWeb Archives is grateful to the Wayne County 
Historical Association for allowing this great resource to be be posted 
on this USGenWeb Archives website.

Gravestone Inscriptions
An Inventory of Cemeteries in Wayne County, North Carolina
Compiled by Mrs. Faison Thomson, Jr. and Mrs. Gordon B. Weeks
Published by Wayne County Historical Association, Inc.
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Copyrighted 1981 by
Wayne County Historical Association, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Hilburn Printing Corporation
Goldsboro, North Carolina

                        INTRODUCTION

    This inventory of cemeteries of Wayne County, North Carolina, is 
sponsored and published by the WAYNE COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.

    In 1975 the Heritage Committee of the Bicentennial Commission discovered
that there was no adequate inventory of graves in the County. This prompted
the Bicentennial Committee to ask Mrs. Faison Thomson, Jr. and Mrs. Gordon B.
Weeks to undertake the gigantic task of making an inventory. Mrs. Weeks,
assisted by her husband, had previously spent a great deal of time collecting
and locating information about Confederate Soldiers who were buried in the
County that formed a nucleus for this project. With the ending of the Bicen-
tennial celebration in 1976, the Wayne County Historical Association assumed
the sponsorship of the project. With the additional help of other members of
the Association from time to time, the job nears completion after five years of
continuous work. Over 550 pages of valuable information is contained in this
one volume.

    The Wayne County Historical Association is proud to be the sponsor and
publisher of this important work and is grateful to the two ladies who did the
research work and compiled this book and to Mr. Charles Norwood, Sr., for his
encouragement as the work has progressed.

    An attempt has been made to record all data collected as accurately as
possible. It was impossible to avoid some errors and omissions. We would
appreciate any assistance that can be rendered by our readers in correcting
these mistakes. Please send additions and/or corrections to:

WAYNE COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
P.O. Box 665, Goldsboro, N.C. 27530
919-734-5023

(Note to reader: If you would like to purchase this book, contact the Association)

                           FOREWORD

    Perhaps it is advisable in presenting the first volume of monumental
inscriptions in Wayne County to the public to draw attention to their great
value. They give information regarding relationships, places of residence,
etc., not recorded elsewhere, and as the years pass, such information becomes 
more and more difficult to obtain, owing to the fact that births and
deaths were not recorded before 1913 in this County. Action of weather and
wanton destruction is fast doing away with many of the old cemeteries. The
only satisfactory way of preserving them is by means of the printing press,
for in this manner, copies are not only multiplied, but by being scattered all
over the country some are sure to be preserved.

    There is a peculiar charm in those peaceful resting places that is not
easily defined - a tumult of emotions, a wonderment as to the experiences of
those long sleeping, and a reverent eagerness to learn about them. The old
stones possess a wondrous fascination, varying with the mood of the onlooker.
At times they attracted by their faithfulness in preserving the messages 
committed to their care and the quaint ornamentations found on many of them. Many
times these graves are clustered in some spot undisturbed by modern burials and
apart from the rush of life, and are found by chance only, or by guidance. Even
then, vines and brambles catch hold of our garments as if in protest, but we
press on and search for the old headstones. Occasionally, the wear of time or
lichenous growth compels the use of finger-tips and pieces of chalk to assist
the eyes in deciphering both letters and dates.

    We are grateful for the help from different ones in this mammoth 
undertaking, especially to Mr. Gordon Combs for the records in Evergreen 
Memorial Cemetery, Mr. N. P. McArthur and Mr. Howard Huff for the records in 
Wayne Memorial Park, and to Mr. Gordon B. Weeks for the many Sunday afternoons 
he spent gathering information from all over the County.

    We deeply appreciate the patience and time spent indexing these records
by Mrs. Hilda Price with the Wayne County Register of Deeds Office. Mrs. Price
did this work in her home at night. "Thank you, Mrs. Price, for this valuable
asset to this project."