BETHEL CEMETERY (A Soldiers' Graveyard.) Wood Co. WV Some Pioneer Graveyards of Wood Co. by John A. House On top of the high hill by the horseshoe bend just outside Elizabeth on the turnpike stands the Bethel M. P. Church. It is a comparatively new structure. On a sort of knob back of the church is the burying ground, which is also of recent date. In spite of this, it was badly grown up with weeds, brush, and huckleberry bushes. Down next the road I noticed four graves of soldiers: George Morris - Co. I 6th U. S. Cavalry. Monroe Morris - Co. G - U. S. Cavalry. James Bagous - Co. E - 12th W. Va. Inf. Henry D. Smith - Co. D - 35th Pa. Inf. On the top of the hill, in a little plot apparently reserved by the donor of the ground, with a monument for two graves, was: Williams: Andy Ellis, 1851 - 1921. Mary Alma, 1847 - 1913. The soldiers' graves had no dates. ------------------------------------------------------------------ BETHEL CEMETERY God will not seek thy race, Nor will he ask thy birth; Alone he will demand of thee, What hast thou done on earth? -- Persian. The Bethel cemetery is on the slope of a point, on a branch on Neal's Run, and about a half mile north of Lubeck. This graveyard is probably older than the one just noted (Lubeck Cemetery), but the oldest dates I saw were in the 1840's. The Baptist Church at the place, though old and weatherworn, doesn't date back that far. There may have been a cabin schoolhouse - church earlier, but the land was deeded to the Baptist Church. The grounds were under fence when I visited the place, but in bad repair, and grown over with broomsedge, which had ben cut off and let lie on the ground. There is a fine grove in front of th church, and cleared out woodlands up the run to the north. The lower end next the church is the oldest, and there has been added to it enough to make one a half or two acres. I noted names of - Jane Matheney ("Aunt Jinny") a daughter of William and Hannah Lambert Davis and a sister of my grandmother. She married Adam Matheney when she was old. Jonathan L. Davis (her brother) August 21st, 1851 - aged fifty-four years, ten months. *& 13 days penciled in. He lived on the waters of Tygart's Creek, near here. Of his children - Mother's cousins: Elizabeth, wife of Martin G. Sole, died 1870, forty-six years. (born 1824) Martin G. Sole, 1825 - 1888. Martin J. Sole, 1866 - 1896. Hezekiah T. Davis, December, 1895, sixty-six years, two months. Mary J., wife of H. T. Davis, forty-three years, two months. She died May 31st, 1875. Her maiden name was Clark. William A. Davis, March, 1832, February 19th, 1877, aged forty-four years, eleven months. Lewis A. Davis, son of Jonathan, died in 1852 (September 20th) at the age of eighteen. Another Lewis A. Davis, son of William A. and A. E. Davis, 1861 - 1865. Mary L. Davis, 1863 - 1865, daughter of William A. & A. E. William A. Davis was a first cousin of my mother. She remembered his wife as Hettie Kesterson. The initials as here given are "A. E.". It may have been a second wife. Nearby are the graves of - B. F. Kesterson, 1852 - 1914, and - William H. Kesterson, Co. D., 14th W. Va. Inf. Thomas Marr, 1874, sixty-one years old. He lived on the ridge south of the river. He has five children buried by him. Then there were Fortners, kin to Mathenys. John W. Stout, June 22nd, 1825 - March 4th, 1907. Elias M. Stout, April 12th, 1855 - May 5th, 1892. This grave marked with a U. S. flag. Mary, a sister of Jonathan Davis, married Abel Stout. (Is this her son?) Eleatha D., wife of Samuel Emrick, born Prince William County, Virginia, December 19th, 1811, died July 21st, 1865. Ezekiel F. Smith, born Stockbridge, Mass., October 4th, 1849, died at age of sixty-three years, six months. Malinda C., wife of Spencer Smith, is in the same row, but dates are effaced. Samuel Sams, Co. K., 5th W. Va. Cavalry. Peter Romine, died January 20th, 1860, in eighty-third year. Mary Maddox Romine, his wife, July 1st, 1858, in eighty-second year. Her father was Matthew Maddox, a soldier of the Revolution. Romine came to Wood County from Harrison County, about 1813 or 1814. Samuel Romine, son of Peter, died March 1st, 1888, aged eighty-one years, eleven months. Marinda, his wife, died January 11th, 1864, aged forty-one years, eleven months. An earlier wife, Margaret C. Calvert was born in Staunton, Virginia, September 11th, 1824 and died January 26th, 1860 (daughter of Samuel Calvert) By these graves, W. W. Romine, 1834 - 1921. Ethel M., 1842 - 1911. Thomas Romine, 1815 - 1902. Ann M., wife of Thomas, 1815 - 1850. Elizabeth, wife of James Romine, July, 1885, aged sixty-two years, one month. T. J. Dewey owned land and lived out on the ridge beyond Marrtown, and was a connection of the Romines, and probably of the Belleville Deweys. Jerusha C., his wife, died May 8th, 1858, aged fifty-three years, eight months., and a son, Franklin, died in 1858, no age given, probably a small child. Jennett Woofter, September 4th, 1880, aged fifty-three. Florence Ann Woofter, 1886, aged eighteen, are buried on the southern side. In a German section near the southern fence, I copied: Caroline Hecht, 1879, fifty-five years, eight months. Friedrich Holtz, 1865, sixty years. H. Schmidt, 1855 - 1872. Dorothea S. Wulf, July 31st, 1795 - February 23rd, 1860. Henry Pahl, May 23rd, 1876, aged fifty-two. Sophia, his wife, 1823 - 1881. Julia F., daughter of H. O. & D. K. Pahl, 1856 - 1880. Daniel Bartlett, September 29th, 1893, aged seventy-four years, eleven months. He lived out the ridge, on the Washington Bottom road, about a half mile. Daniel Bartlett of Bryant Street is his son. His wife was Rebecca Smitherman. Charles W. Teater, born in Belmont County, Ohio, 1833 - 1878. Walter J. Buckley, December 14th, 1876, aged twenty-four years, eleven months. David Riel, June, 1838 - 1916. Sarah K., his wife, 1837 - 1906. (Was this the Dave Riel of near Mount Hope, at the head of Lee Creek?) Johann F. N. Lassi, wife of J. G. Zahrutt, died December 26th, 1861, aged thirty-six years, twenty-eight days. Solomon Hoff, 1869 - 1909. Mary A. Hoff, 1810 - 1887. Amos Bartlett, 1840 - 1910. Mary F. Bartlett, 1840 - 1911. Amos Strong, 1870 - aged seventy-seven years. I only visited one corner of the graveyard where I copied all the most noticeable of the names. In the three quarters or more of the cemetery not visited, the dates would be later, but there were doubtless names of persons connected with pioneer history.