Moore Presbyterian Church Cemetery

Moore Presbyterian Church Cemetery Flag Pond, Unicoi County, Tennessee Documented by Beth Bradford-Pytel last update 03/31/13	HOME

The Moore Presbyterian Church Cemetery is currently named after Jennie Moore* and the Presbyterian Memorial Church adjacent to the graveyard. According to Unicoi Co. death certificates of the early 1900's, this cemetery had many names to include: Lawing Cemetery, Gentry Cemetery, Rocky Fork Cemetery, Allison Cemetery and President Madison Cemetery. DIRECTIONS: Located on Jennie Moore Road off Flag Pond Road (TN23/81) in the Rocky Fork community 2 miles south of Flag Pond in southern Unicoi Co. From the town of Erwin, take I-26 towards Asheville, NC and exit 50 at Flag Pond. The exit ramp will take you under the interstate and come to a "T" stop at Upper Higgins Creek Road. Make a left on Upper Higgins Creek road which will swing back around under the highway and intersect at Flag Pond Road. Make a right at the stop sign. Proceed on Flag Pond Road for about 2 miles which parallels the South Indian Creek River. Make a left onto Jennie Moore Rd. and you will see the Memorial Presbyterian Church, established in 1901 and Frederic Lee Webb was its first minister [current address: 284 Jennie Moore Rd., Flag Pond, TN 37657]. There are numerous unmarked graves indicated with field stones. The cemetery is 14 miles outside of Erwin. MAP PHOTO: Owned by the Unicoi Co. Historical Society: Jennie Moore was a missionary for the Board of National Missions of the Presbyterian Church. She came to this remote part of the Appalachian around 1903 to establish a day school on behalf of the Rock Fork Community Center which served the entire southern end of Unicoi County. She leaves behind a legacy of commitment to education. With her tutelage, she prepared about 400 students to advance their education to colleges such as Tusculum, George Peabody, Chicago University, Yale and Columbia; 70 students became teachers, while others became lawyers, ministers, nurses and school superintendents. She was born in Tennessee and spent a good portion of her adult life as an educator in the Rocky Fork area. Later in life, she moved to Birmingham Alabama to live with her sister. She on December 14, 1950. The Assembly Herald,* Vol. 12, No. 12, December 1906, "Cross Country To Presbytery --And An After Thought" by Rev. Frederic Lee Webb, pages 609-613. Rev. Webb provides an overview of the Flag Pond area, the missions established, the people and a female teacher sent by the Women's Mission but unfortunately never mentioned Ms. Moore by name. Her classes were as large as 90 students. Please contact me for corrections or additions/links to make this listing accurate and valuable for all to enjoy. I give a special thanks to Liz Harris for her efforts in personally touring the cemetery.
Surnames: BARNES [#6-7; 16], DEWEESE [#15], GENTRY [#9-14], GILLIS [#2-5], GUINN [#9; 13], HARRIS [#17-20], LAWING [#18], RANDOLPH [#6], VROMAN [#1], WATTS [#8]
1. VROMAN, David William b. September 7, 1920 - d. September 11, 1920 [s/o William A. Vroman and Elsie]
2. GILLIS, Orville b. January 12, 1919* - d. October 17, 1920* [s/o William Lattie Gillis and Vivian Barnes] NOTE: *Per the Unicoi Co. death record #470-1920, his registered date of birth is January 12, 1920 and death October 24, 1920 which is different than the tombstone; cause of death "diphtheria"; parents mentioned in record.
3. GILLIS, Leonard Ezekial b. June 11, 1914 - d. August 1, 1915 [s/o William Lattie Gillis and Vivian Barnes] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #510-1915 cause of death "ate washing powder"; informant J.B. Lawing of Flag Pond; parents mentioned in record; noted as being buried at "Lawing Cemetery."
4. GILLIS, David Lewis b. October 7, 1922 - d. January 19, 1923 [s/o William Lattie Gillis and Vivian Barnes] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #312-1923; cause of death unknown; informant W. Lattie Gillis (father) of Flag Pond; parents mentioned in record; noted as being buried at "President Madison Cemetery."
5. GILLIS, James Brown b. October 7, 1922 - d. November 20, 1929* [s/o William Lattie Gillis and Vivian Barnes] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #2179-1930; death record indicates he *died January 25, 1930; cause of death "nephritis"; informant is father of Flag Pond; parents mentioned in record; noted as being buried in Rocky Fork.
6. BARNES, Mary Magdaline RANDOLPH b. December 12, 1874 - September 7, 1957 [w/o James Berry Barnes] 7. BARNES, James Berry b. August 5, 1864 - d. March 9, 1937 [s/o William Barnes and Ellen Mays of England] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #32652-1936, he was born in Asheville; cause of death "paralysis"; informant W.C. Barnes of Clear Branch; buried at "Rocky Fork Cemetery."
8. BARNES, Earl b. March 9, 1909 - d. November 4, 1911 [s/o James Barnes and Mary Randolph]
9. WATTS, Mary Elizabeth b. August 25, 1933 - January 19, 1935 [d/o Fred Watts and Ethel Barnes] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #2150-1935, born in Greene Co., TN; lived for 17 mos.; cause of death "meningitis"; informant is father of Clear Branch; parents noted in record; buried in "Rocky Fork Cemetery."
10 GENTRY, Laura Alice GUINN b. October 5, 1877 - d. December 17, 1932 [d/o David Guinn and Malinda Runnion; wife of James Newton Guinn NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #27953-1932, cause of death "cerebral hemmorrhage"; informant Fred Gentry of Erwin; parents mentioned in record; buried "Rocky Fork Cemetery".
11. GENTRY, Newton James b. 1892 - d. 1929
12. GENTRY, Elizabeth b. 1841 - d. January 29, 1911 [children: Lewis G. #12, Laura A., James N.] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #91031-1911; cause of death "fever"; noted as single; born in Madison Co., NC, 1880 Unicoi Co., Census shows Elizabeth single [not widowed] with three children.
13. GENTRY, Lewis Gather b. February 22, 1860 - d. December 12, 1929 [s/o Elizabeth #12; married Sarah Katherine Guinn]] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #31148-1929, he was born near Mars Hill, NC; cause of death "acute indigestion"; informant wife of Flag Pond; father not stated in death record; noted as being buried in "Allison Cemetery."
14. GENTRY, Sarah Katherine [GUINN] b. 1872 - 1954 [w/o Lewis G. #12; children: Frank T., William Labe, Maude, Webb B.] NOTE: Son Frank T. Gentry graduated from Tusculum College, began his career in the education system serving as Principal of the Rocky Fork school in Flag Pond and later aspired as the Superintendent of Unicoi Co. Schools for many years
15. GENTRY, John Lewis b. November 11, 1926 - d. November 13, 1926 [s/o W. L. Gentry and Bonnie Higgins] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #28125-1926, cause of death "unknown'; informant Anna McDougall of Flag Pond; noted as being buried at the "Lawing Cemetery."
16. DEWEESE, Jack William b. 1931 - 1933 [s/o Roy DeWeese and Gertrude]
17. HARRIS, John Quillen b. February 19, 1886 - d. November 22, 1966 [s/o Jason Harris and Adeline Murray buried Bailey Cem. Flag Pond, TN] NOTE: Photo dated abt. 1895 of Jason Harris and Adeline Murray's family; John Q. is one of the boys in the front. sibings: Grant, Charles, Matilda. photos courtesy of Francis - [email protected] 18. HARRIS, Flossie LAWING b. February 26, 1895 - d. June 1, 1990 [d/o Daniel Lawing and Elsie Rice; w/o of John Q. Harris #17; children: Ethel Mae, Anice #19, Theodore] 19. HARRIS, Anice b. July 20, 1920 - d. January 12, 1921 [d/o John Q. Harris and Flossie Lawing] NOTE: Unicoi Co. Death Cert #305; cause of death "pertusis and pneumonia";
20. HARRIS, infant b/d June 20, 1922* [child of John Q. Harris and Flossie Lawing] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #298-1922, noted as born/died April 17, 1922; cause of death "stillborn'; died at Flag Pond; parents mentioned in record.
21. LAWING, Leonard [unmarked - suspected] b. November 26, 1911 - d. September 12, 1914 [s/o Daniel Lawing and Elise Rice] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #73-1914, cause of death "accident, log rolled and crushed skull"; informant was father of Flag Pond; parents mentioned in record; notes as being buried at "Lawing Cemetery."
22. GENTRY, Mary Louise [unmarked - suspected] b. April 1, 1917 - d. July 2, 1917 [d/o Newton Gentry and Laura Guinn] NOTE: Per the Unicoi Co. death record #485-1917, cause of death "acute indigestion"; informant Jennie Moore of Flag Pond; parents mentioned in record' noted as being buried "Gentry Cemetery."
plus several unmarked graves with fields stones
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