Womack - Donnell Cemetery
Near Cherry Valley, Wilson County, Tennessee
submitted by Dorothy Donnell Steers

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These headstones were in a family burial ground on the old Womack-Donnell home place in Wilson Co TN, near Cherry Valley. My great grandfather George Fulton Donnell once owned what I assume was an adjoining farm, and my grandfather, John Calvin Donnell, and his family lived on the "back side" of the farm. I believe this was originally Womack land.

About 1952 my father, Val(entine) Donnell, and I first went there. It was in a grove of trees, on a hill, plowed field around it. When we returned in 1983 it was obvious that cattle had been in the cemetery; all the headstones were gone except that of J. W. Donnell which was inside a small rock wall, and that of Eligah Wamack which was broken and laying on the ground. I placed it on the rock wall. At the time of this 1983 visit I understood that the cemetery was on land owned by the "James Brothers", probably R. L. James and Roy James. It is such a shame that they turned cattle into it. I considered contacting the Wilson Co sheriff department, but actually it was already too late to do anything about it, and I was too far away. In addition to the following headstones which I copied in 1952 there were many stones with no markings:

In the center of the burial ground there was a low rock wall in which there were two graves. One headstone, professionally made, read:

J. W. Donnell
born Feb 16, 1811
died June the 5, 1948
[this is John William Donnell, son of George Donnell (1759-1839) & his 2nd wife Amelia (Williams) Shanks (1773-1852), and my great, great grandfather]

The other stone, within the rock wall, was "homemade", broken off and laying on the ground:

E.W.
born Nov. 26, 1785
1854
[This is bound to be Elizabeth Patterson, 1st wife of Elijah Womack. She was the daughter of Samuel Patterson. She was my 3rd great grandmother, the mother of Agnes Julian Womack (1821-1849) who married John William Donnell, the "J. W. Donnell" buried within the rock wall.]

Other graves and readings:

D.C. Nettles wife of E. J. Berry
born April 5, 1872
died Jan. 28, 1896

Richard Z. Nettles
born Dec 24, 1879
died Mar 4, 1899

Agnes Wamack departed this life
Feb 11, 1884
Age 51 years
[I believe her to be the wife of Amzi Wamack who was a son of Agnes (Smith) Wamack & Richard Wamack]

J. R. Wamack
Departed this life Aug 27, 1858, age 18 months
[believe to be Jimmy Richard]

Joel, infant son of S. D. and E. Wamack, Aged 3 days

Lucy Jones was born
the 2 of Sept 1799
Died Feb 15, 1836
[This is Lucy Wamack, sister of Eligah Wamack, the daughter of Richard Womack, the wife of William Jones, the mother of Calvin Jones. She was my 2nd great grandmother. ]

EEDWR [not too legible]
Born 1795
Died 1835

Mary Vantrease
Died August the ___
1850 - - Jan. 30 RJ

Eligah Wamack
son of RD and RL Wamack
Born May 22, 1794
Died Aug 5, 1865
[This is my 2nd great grandfather, the father of Agnes Julian Wammack, the husband of Elizabeth Patterson and the child of Richard Womack (1757-1819) and his wife Rachael. Richard died in Wilson Co in 1819.]

Benjamin F.
son of S. D. and E. Wamack
born Jan. 10, 1849
Died April 13, 1866

Bertie B.
Born Mar
Died Dec 24
(In Phillips Hist., p 154: Eden James Berry, b 20 Aug 1832, 1st m Elena (Dollie Womack), 2nd m Chissie Womack Nettles. Could be D. C. Nettles, above)

The above cemetery listings is copyrighted by Dorothy Donnell Steers. The cemetery listing information contained on this page is being made available by Dorothy Donnell Steers solely for the use of personal genealogical research, and it may not be used nor copied for any commercial purpose without the express written consent of the author. Dated 02 Jan 2000.