COLLINS FAMILY CEMETERY, Oconee County, SC A.K.A. Mountain Rest, SC Version 2.0, 3-Mar-2002, C260.TXT, C260 **************************************************************** REPRODUCING NOTICE: ------------------- These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, or presentation by any other organization, or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, 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. Paul M Kankula - nn8nn Seneca, SC, USA Oconee County SC GenWeb Coordinator **************************************************************** DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Mar-2002 HISTORY WRITE-UP : Mountain Rest Community Club in 1984 IMAGES ......... : Gary Flynn at (visit above website) in Mar-2002 LIBRARY REFERENCE: ____________ at ____________ in _______ MAP ............ : ____________ at ____________ in _______ TRANSCRIPTION .. : Gary Flynn at (visit above website) in Mar-2002 Terry, Mary, Marie, & Dwaine Cawthon at awthoni@bellsouth.net in Jul-2002 CEMETERY LOCATION: ------------------ Locate intersection of Highways 28 & 107. Drive 1.4 miles south on Highway 28. Turn right on Whetstone Road (To Long Creek). Drive 0.7 miles to Cassidy Bridge Road. Turn left and drive 0.9 miles to Rich Mountain Road (dirt). Drive 3.1 miles until you come to a "Y" in the road. Bear right and drive 0.1 miles until you come to a "Y" in the road. Bear left and drive 3.4 miles. Cemetery is on right side of road. Latitude N34 45.805 x Longitude W83 09.609 CHURCH/CEMETERY HISTORY: ------------------------ The story of Rich Mountain School and neighborhood dates back to the early 1860's. The George Wadkins family lived at the foot of Rich Mountain; the Jerry Moore family lived near the Chauga River; and a few other families lived for short spans as sawmill workers. Elisha Collins, who moved here from Hickory, NC, married Jerry Moore's daughter, Louvena, first settled on Well Mountain, but later bought land near Rich Mountain where he lived until shortly before his death in 1940 at age 103. All the children of Elisha and Louvena moved into nearby areas - Belmont Community and Westminster area - except one son, John Engram, who lived on top of Rich Mountain. John married Josephine Wadkins, daughter of George and Lena Bowers Wadkins, and bought up their family here. Later, after Elisha's wife and Lena's husband had both died, they were married. The Collins cemetery is the location of the first church and school; a log building was used for both purposes. In the early 1900's a new church was built a short distance away. This building served both purposes until 1944, when the school was discontinued. A daughter of Jerry and Nancy Moore, Hazella, known as "Sugg," was burned to death on New Year's Day 1926 in a log house just across the road from the cemetery, where a number of these families are buried. Three sons of John and Josie Collins remained in the community, along with Phil and Carrie Davidson. These sons were Henry, Louis and John. During the last years of the school the pupils were children of Henry and Louis. The last years three years of the school, pupils and teacher were all Collins since John's wife Edna was the teacher. As these familes moved away, the members of the church all met fo dinner at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Davidson in 1945 and dissolved Mt. Zion Church, granting their members church letters to be transferred to other places. The last three preachers remembered were Revs. Clifton Cobb, Clem Wilbanks and Will Collins, a son of Elisha. The last child to be born in the community was Hughie DeWitt Collins, son of John and Edna. They moved from Rich Mountain to Mountain Rest in Feb-1946, ending the Rich Mountain community of people. TOMBSTONE TRANSCRIPTION NOTES: ------------------------------ a. = age at death b. = date-of-birth d. = date-of-death h. = husband m. = married p. = parents w. = wife By: Gary Flynn at (visit above website) in Mar-2002 (12) Unknown graves marked with slab stones COLLINS, Charles, b. 10-aug-1883, d. 27-sep-1913 COLLINS, E.L., b. 26-jul-1843, d. 11-oct-1940 COLLINS, John E., b. 15-jan-1879, d. 27-aug-1924 COLLINS, Josephine Watkins, b. 17-jan-1883, d. 24-dec-1939, h. john e. collins COLLINS, Lena Mae, b. 16-feb-1937, d. 4-sep-1941 COLLINS, Louvenia, b. 15-may-1854, d. 22-feb-1908, h. e.l. collins COLLINS, Lucy, b. 11-apr-1917, d. 11-apr-1917 COLLINS, Maud, b. 15-dec-1904, d. 12-apr-1905 MOORE, Hazela, d. 1-jan-1926, a. 85y, p. jerry & nancy moore MOORE, Jerry MOORE, Nancy, b. 17-jun-1889, a. 78y, h. jerry moore ROACH, Fred, b. 6-dec-1917, d. 10-feb-1918 By: Terry, Mary, Marie, & Dwaine Cawthon at awthoni@bellsouth.net in Jul-2002 *there are 14 stones in this cemetery that cannot be read. There are also a few unmarked graves. BRIGHT, Sarah C., b. 1875, d. 1912 COLLINS, Charles, b. 10-aug-1833, d. 24-sep-1913, w. lena v collins, m. 16-jun- 1879 COLLINS, E. L., b. 26-jul-1843, d. 11-oct-1940, w. louvenia collins COLLINS, inf son of john & edna collins, september 1939, only date COLLINS, John E., b. 15-jan-1879, d. 27-aug-1924, w. josephine wadkins collins COLLINS, Josephine Wadkins, b. 17-jan-1883, d. 24-dec-1939, h. john e collins COLLINS, Lena Mae, b. 16-feb-1937, d. 14-sep-1941 COLLINS, Louvenia, b. 15-may-1854, d. 22-feb-1909, h. e l collins COLLINS, Lucy, b. & d. 11-apr-1917 COLLINS, Magdaline Bowers Watkins, "Lena", b. 24-sep-1862, d. 20-mar-1935 COLLINS, Maud, b. 15-dec-1904, d. 12-apr-1905 MOORE, Hazelia, b. C1841, d. 1-jan-1926, a. 85 yrs, p. jerry moore ROACH, Fred, b. 6-dec-1917, d. 10-feb-1918