The Bullitt County History Museum

African American Burials
in other Bullitt County Cemeteries

The following information is provided by Daniel Buxton.

Burial at the Benjamin Pope Cemetery

Burial:

Grand Duke Clayton (African American)
Born: July 4, 1904
Died: May 23, 1985

According to Bullitt County, Kentucky birth records Louis Clayton Jr. was born to Louis Clayton Sr. and Jennie Gaither in Bullitt County on July 4, 1904. I believe this is the above Grand Duke Clayton. Of note though in the 1910, 1920 and 1930 census Grand Duke Clayton is listed living with his father. There was no Louis Jr. listed. Grand Duke and Louis Jr. are one in the same I am sure. According to census records Grand had 4 brothers Bennie, Dan, Cris, and Love H., Also 3 sisters Minnie, Ida L., and Holly.

I was told the following story on October 4, 2008 by Mr. Lee son of Marilyn Lee.

Mr. Clayton as the story goes was slightly mentally challenged. He and his family lived on Mooney Lane off Cedar Grove Road where they were operating a still. When the family found out that the police were on there way his family left and left him behind. Duke was arrested and taken to Jail. The story was that Duke served his sentence working around the court house rather than spending it in a cell. After he served his time he was released and moved in with Mr. Lee's grandmother. He lived with her for a while before deciding to get a place of his own. Duke decided he was to buy the property that the Paroquet Springs conference center is know located on. At the time Mr. Lee's grandmother talked him out of buying the land because it was too swampy and no good. So, he decided not to by it for the few thousand dollars he could have bought it for. Instead he bought a home on Cedar Grove Road. What kind of money could he have made? What if? We will never know.

Burial at Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery

Burial:

Susan Hall
Colored
B: May 16, 1844
D. July 9, 1918

Bullitt County Poor Farm Cemetery

Burials:

Source: Bullitt County Death Certificates 1911-1929 Transcribed from Microfilm by Edith Blissett in the Year 2005.

Source: Bullitt County Death Certificates 1930-1956 Transcribed from Microfilm by Edith Blissett in the Year 2005

Alf Perry (African American)
D. October 26, 1911

John Doe (African American)
D. July 10, 1915
(Run over by L&N Freight)

Jim Funk (African American)
B. November 13, 1915
D. November 13, 1915
(Listed as inmate of poor farm)

George Odd (African American)
D. June 1, 1920

Charlie Kennison (African American)
D. March 30, 1930

Burials at Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery

Burials:

Robert H. Taylor
PVT US Army
World War 2
B: July 12, 1922
D: August 4, 2000
Veterans Section: Lot 498 Space 3

Mattie L. Taylor
Loving Wife and Mother and Grandmother
B: February 25, 1929
D: December 2, 2007
Veterans Section: Lot 498 Space 4

Chester L. Mooney
In Gods Loving Care
B: June 18, 1926
D: January 15, 1980
Veterans Section: Lot 437 Space 1

George C. "Pig" Mooney
Beloved Father and Grandfather
B: August 5, 1900
D: May 24, 1992
Veterans Section: Lot 437 Space 2

William M. Cross
In Gods Loving Care
B: March 13, 1910
D: May 1, 1985
Veterans Section: Lot 437 Space 3

Clara M. Sarver
Beloved Mother
Love You Forever
B: November 5, 1898
D: August 19, 1987
Veterans Section: Lot 41 Space 12

Viola V. Hammon
In Loving Memory of our Mother You Will Be Remember
B: 1937
D: August 17, 1986 (Source: Hardy Close Funeral Home Records)
Veterans Section: Lot 41 Space 108

Nathaniel R. Roberts
B: 1921
D: 1993
Forever Together
Veterans Section: Lot 34 Space 17

Catherine Roberts
B: 1925
D: November 9, 1987 (Source: Hardy Close Funeral Home Records)
Veterans Section: Lot 34 Space 18

Beatrice E. Roberts
Beloved Mother
Loved By All
B: February 2, 1889
D: September 15, 1981
Veterans Section: Lot 34 Space 15

Burials in Joyce Cemetery

Burials:

There are no marked African American burials in this cemetery. The following information comes from secondary sources.

Source: Fort Knox Cemeteries on Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade Counties, Kentucky by Sam McDowell

Millie Allen
D: 1863
Only a field stone marked this grave
Note: This burial was moved to the Hall African American Cemetery in 1958 see the reading for this cemetery for more information.

Other possible burials:

An African American couple Dennis and Emma Allen who lived in a one room cabin located in a hollow on the Joyce Farm died together in 1940. There was a fire that destroyed the cabin and to the lives of these to elderly people. At this time the exact location of there home is unknown at this time. According to the article in The January 5, 1940 Pioneer News their cabin was located behind the Woodland School house. I believe that this school house was located on Mount Eden Road. According to the 1920 census they lived on Blue Lick Road. Note that the roads were not exactly as then as they are today. According to their official death certificates they were buried on the D.M. Kelly Farm.

At this time I believe that it is possible that the D.M. Kelley farm could be part of what would become the 846.5 acre property of W.F. Joyce. I have no proof of that at this time. If you compare this map to the map in figure 2 it appears to be the same location. But because of the fact the maps were made by different individuals at different times things don't match up and I can't say for certain at this time. There is circumstantial evidence that leads me to believe that the Joyce Cemetery was located on what was known as D.M. Kelly Farm at the time of their death. I believe that Millie Allen is the mother of Dennis Allen. Dennis's death certificate lists his mother as Mollie Allen. I believe that Millie and Mollie is that same person. If this is the case then it's not unreasonable to believe that they would have been buried next to Dennis's mother.

Dennis Allen
B: About 1846
D: January 3, 1940

Emma Gaither Allen
B: About 1851
D: January 3, 1940

Note: If these individuals were buried in the Joyce cemetery they would have been moved to the Mount Eden Cemetery in 1958. They would not have been moved to Hall African American Cemetery because they were unmarked graves and they would not have known that they were African Americans. If they were not buried in this Joyce Cemetery they are still buried in an unknown location on the Fort Knox Reservation.

Burials in Kennison Graveyard-Kinnison Cemetery

Burials:

Source: Source: Bullitt County Death Certificates 1911-1929 Transcribed from Microfilm by Edith Blissett in the Year 2005.

Richard Kinnison
Died: April 24, 1914

John Henry Bowman
Born: September 15, 1883
Died: February 11, 1926

Burials in Mount Washington Cemetery

Burials:

Malinda
Wife of Wm. Thomas of Col
D: February 16, 1892
Aged 30 Years

Mary Lee
Daughter of Wm. and Malinda Thomas
Aged 4 Months

Margaret Bell of Color
D: September 22, 1881
Aged 51 years
Inscription: Dearest Mother thou hast left us, here thy loss we deeply feelBut tis God thathas bereft us He can all our sorrows Heal.

Thomas Dugan
B: July 11, 1872
D: July 29, 1935

Walter Lee Dugan
B: October 29, 1918
D: April 17, 1919

Viola Payne
B: May 9, 1901
D: July 24, 1932

Thula Dugen
Born: October 15, 1898
Died: June 1, 1914

Rhoda Taylor Stone
Born: June 9, 1888
Died: Feb 22, 1915

Thomas Pigg
Born: March 28, 1899
Died: August 18, 1940
Note: According to his death certificate Thomas was murdered over 50 cents and a dice game in Louisville, Kentucky.

Note: These death records list Mount Washington as place of burial but not a specific place. Therefore I have included them in this general list.

Source: Bullitt County Death Certificates 1911-1929 Transcribed from Microfilm by Edith Blissett in the Year 2005.

Source: Bullitt County Death Certificates 1930-1956 Transcribed from Microfilm by Edith Blissett in the Year 2008.

Mariah Caroll
Born: December 15, 1818
Died: November 26, 1911

Georgia Taylor Stover
Born: October 1, 1911
Died: December 7, 1911

Ehaman Bowman
Born: October 24, 1911
Died: June 1, 1913

Jeanett Russell
Born: January 20, 1839
Died: February 22, 1914

James Sanders
Born: June 12, 1862
Died: July 22, 1916

Eli Rose Taylor
Born: April 11, 1859
Died: November 17, 1917

Samuel Straughter/Strother
Died: February 7, 1918

Charlie Stallard
Born: July 21, 1881
Died: September 18, 1921

Bal Perry
Born: October 20, 1866
Died: October 22, 1921

William Henry Bowman
Born: November 21, 1921
Died: February 14, 1921

William Johnson
Born: March 11, 1848
Died: March 15, 1922

Charity Bowman
Born: August 26, 1888
Died: August 18, 1923

Ara Brown
Died: December 15, 1926

James Bowman
B: May 1, 1866
D: January 13, 1931

Marie Miller
B: September 25, 1935
D: September 25, 1935

William Sloan
B: 1874
D: December 23, 1939

Burials at Saint Frances Catholic Church Cemetery

Burials:

Mae S. Weaver
B: 1894
D: 1969

Ed Weaver
B: 1879
D: 1953

Mary Weaver
B: 1922
D: 1944

Jason P. Flaherty
B: October 31, 1974
D: April 16, 2007
Devoted Father

Samuels Cemetery

Burials:

Alex Samuels husband of Rosie
B: May 2, 1831
D: April 3, 1890
Note: His wife his Rosie is buried in 122 Lebanon Junction African American Cemetery

Burials at the Simmons Cemetery

Susie Sheckles
Born: March 29, 1892
Died: July 4, 1977
Note: This is the only known burial in the white section. Susie was allowed to be buried in this section because she protected the life of the Simmons young child on the 1917 train wreck in Shepherdsville that took the life of the Childs mother. (Source: Train Wreck Shepherdsville, Kentucky December 20, 1917 A Narrative Prepared By Charles Hartley

Section 2: African American Section:

James Swearingen
Born: October 31, 1902
Died: August 28, 1978

Kenneth O'Nell Swearinger
Born: January 21, 1964
Died: January 8, 1966

Mae Cotton
Born: 1889
Died: 1973

1 Field Stone

Burials at Viers Cemetery

Burials:

This listing of these burials in this cemetery is an educated guess based on the fragments of information gathered from official documents.

Source: Bullitt County Death Certificates 1911-1929 Transcribed from Microfilm by Edith Blissett in the Year 2005.

Sudie Bell Kinnison
Birth: June 15, 1908
Died: March 15, 1911
Burial Place: Viers Cemetery

Henry Walter Kinnison
Birth: May 4, 1910
Died: March 16, 1911
Burial Place: Viers Cemetery

John Everett Kinnison
D: November 21, 1911
Burial Place: Viers Cemetery

Note: The above individuals are the children of Isaac K. and Lou "Bowman" Kinnison

I believe the following burials are at Viers cemetery. There is a Howard Hill buried in the Viers Cemetery that was my first clue. I have drawn this conclusion base on there family relationships, proximity of the family's to Viers Cemetery and the Pitts Point area.

Lucinda Kinnison
B: January 12, 1874
D: February 18, 1914
Burial Place: Howard Hill Graveyard

Viola Kinnison
B: June 18, 1908
D: May 24, 1913
Burial Place: Hill Cemetery

Jane Jackson
D: August 27, 1920
Burial Place: Hill Graveyard

The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 13 Jan 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/cem/bullittafamer2.html