YANCEY COUNTY, NC - CEMETERIES - Roland Cemetery (Roland Hollow) ----¤¤¤---- ROLAND CEMETERY ("COLORED"). Location: Take Hwy. 19-W from the Cane River Junction with Hwy. 19-E, and go a few miles down-river to the first bridge. Take a sharp right turn up Silvers Gap Road (formerly known as Higgins Branch). At the first major junction, take the left-hand fork (= Roland Hollow, formerly known as "Nigger Branch"). The maintained road will end at the residence of Clint Higgins (whose house stands where the old Roland Church/school once stood; he has recently removed brush from the cemetery, God bless him!). Take the old road up the hollow to the right of his house for perhaps 1/4 mile, at which point you will reach a meadow straight ahead (at the far end of which the road continues to where the old patriarch James Roland once lived). Instead, when you reach the meadow, turn left between two barns into another meadow and go about 1000 feet. With any luck, you will spot an old road to the left, winding up the hill. Follow it perhaps 1500 feet to the cemetery (more or less on the ridge behind Clint Higgins' residence). It is surrounded by an ancient fence, and densely overgrown with day-lillies. I visited the site in June of 2000. Years ago, at reunions/decorations, perhaps 100 people would be in attendance, driving their cars (including Cadillacs from NY, I was told). The person who seemed to organize this was named Lena Young, now about 100 years of age (once living in NY but now somewhere in Asheville, NC). There are about 50 graves in all, almost all marked with fieldstones (some fallen down, and with the rows so crowded that it is very difficult to tell "head from foot" stones. The marked ones are of concrete, and inscribed as follows: SURNAMES: FLACKS, ROLAND, YOUNG, 1. "Cecil, son of A.M. and Mollie Roland, 5/14/1919-12/12/1919. Asleep in Jesus." The marker has three stars atop it. 2. "John Young, d. 3/27/1904." 3. "Haret Young, d. 9/24/1904. We will meet again." Same marker as #2; footstone also has their names. 4. "Jeff Roland, d. 5/9/1908, aged 77. My trust is in God." Has two stars atop headstone; name also on footstone. 5. "Lizzie Young, dau. of R. & S. Young, 5/20/1873-8/23/1903. Gone Home." On the base is the date "Nov. 1923" (perhaps when the marker was erected). Also repordtedly buried here (fieldstones) are: 6-7. James Flack and wife Sally Roland (sister of James ). These are the parents of Tom Flack (d. 11/21/1972, and not buried here), and a much liked person. This may or may not be the following person listed on a Yancey Co. death-certificate reads: "James Luther Flack, b. 3/3/1861 in Rutherford Co., NC, son of W.H. and Clarabelle Flack, died 3/15/1950; buried at the Roland Cemetery. 8. James Roland, who had sons named Will (employee of Nu-Wray Inn in Burnsville) and Arcemus (moved to Mars Hill, NC). 9. Millard Roland (brother of James), killed in a dynamite explosion on Jacks Creek in 1942 (along with Jess Wheeler). If I am not mistaken, his death- certificate lists his age as 93 years. Millard reportedly fatally shot Dick Young over a property squabble. 4/16/2002 - The family used to go there, coming from far and near and decorate the graves on the first Sunday in September UNTIL most of the interested ones died out and the brush grew up so badly. The oldest now is 104 and she was taken here last year. She can't hear well anymore but otherwise she is fine. I have a video of that. Courtesy of Elaine Gales