The Hopper Cemetery
(This cemetery has been listed as the Hooper Cemetery in error)
Transcribed and submitted by Diane Hopmann
The Hopper Cemetery is on the site of the old Absolom Hopper farm. To get there today, you go south out of Rutherford on the Hwy that leads to Trenton. About two miles out of Rutherford you make a left onto Gravett Crossing. Soon the roads become unpaved and unmarked. Next you make a right on Old Dyer Rutherford Rd., and very shortly after that make a left on Dr. Potter Rd. The cemetery will be on your left, and is on private farm property inside of a grove of trees located in the middle of a bean field.
Those buried there:
Absolom Clark Hopper (husband)
Ollie B. Moore Hopper (wife)
James L. C. Hopper (grandson)
Gulliam Hopper (Ab's brother)
The stones of Absolom Clark Hopper and his wife, Ollie B. Moore Hopper are
buried someplace underground in the grove of trees. Absolom's stone was
unearthed at one time and photographed and then reburied. The photograph
shows:
A Masonic symbol at the top of the headstone.
"A. C.
The husband of O. B. Hopper
born
Oct. 22 1808
died
Sept. 15, 1851"
From Vol. 1 of the Walker book "Cemetery Records of Northern Gibson County,
TN"
There is a footstone that reads:
A. C. H.
Also from the Walker book....
Another stone which was partially broken read:
"A. C. ?
Jan. 13, 1878
aged 70 ys. 9ms. 7 ds.
Footstone reads:
O. B. H.
The only stone I saw and photographed was the stone of their grandson:
Lamb at the top of the stone
"James L.C.
son of
H. C. & M. S. Hopper
born
Dec. 5, 1874
died
Sept. 4 1883
The parents of James would be Harrison Carter Hopper and Mary Martin.
Also buried in an unmarked grave is Absolom's younger brother, Gulliam Hopper
Jr. born about 1818 and died Sept. 15, 1851.
It is written in the book "Rutherford Revisited" in an article entitled
"The
Hopper Chair" and submitted by Mr. Joe Bone, that Absolom's outlaw brother,
Gillum/Gilliam Hopper Jr., alias Dock Brown was buried in the Hopper family
burial plot. According to the above mentioned article and the book "Dock
Brown The Outlaw of Grayson County (Kentucky), 1876 by Colonel Wm. R. Haynes,
Absolom and his brother, Gulliam died on the same day in a gun battle with
each other. As quoted from "The Hopper Chair", "He (Gulliam Hopper)
had been
suspected of robbing and killing several people in Kentucky, including his
own father and brother." Gilliam had been jailed. The article goes on to say
that Gilliam's slaves had been sold to Absolom to help pay for court costs.
Somehow Gilliam had gotten out of jail and Absolom had found his brother
hiding outside of his farm in an attempt to steal back his slaves. A few
hours after the gunbattle that had left Gilliam Hopper dead, Absolom died of
his wounds in his home.
Link to Photos of Hopper Tombstones