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WILLIS McKINNEY OLD CEMETERY

Located in No. 7 Township, Ceveland County, NC, one mile due West of Lattimore, NC, on an attractive hillside, with two large cedars and two large oaks completely shading it. The old rocks are appropriately placed at the graves, over which has been placed medium sized white flint rocks preserving a scene of beauty. The farm land has been carefully cultivated so as not to intrude upon the spacious graveyard. The cemetery is clean, free from undergrowth of all kinds and is a beautiful place. Date of Survey, Oct. 26, 1938.  Owner of Cemetery: Willie E. Fite.


                                                                      PHOTOS Courtesy of James E. McSwain and Kelly McSwain Campbell

Approximate number of marked graves: 13.
Before 1914: 13.
After 1914: None.
Unmarked graves: 45.
Earliest marked grave: Sallie Davis, d. Aug. 15, 1852. General condition of cemetery: Comparatively well kept.


Inscriptions:
Name
McKinney, James, b. July 22, 1818, d. Dec. 5, 1914.
McKinney, Elizabeth Horn, wife of James McKinney, b. June 22, 1822, d. Oct. 12, 1883. Father: Henry Horn.
McKinney, D. J., d. 1869.
Davis, Sallie, Aug. 15, 1852. Aged 29 years. (Death date I suppose).
McKinney, M.B. (No date given) Worker, A. G. Melton
McKinney, Willis, Capt. in the Revolutionary War and was active in service in the Battle of Kings Mountain.
McKinney, William Jr., Pvt. NC Troops Rev. War., 1832. (Letter from A.D. Miller, assistant to Veteran's
Administration, Washington DC, to P. Cleveland Gardner, Shelby, NC., dated Oct. 17, 1931 says: "William McKinney was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, his claim for pension S 90 17; he was born in Sussex County, Va., 1764, the son of Daniel McKinney and died in Rutherford County Oct. 31, 1857.")

(In 1859 he had a grandson named David McKinney; it is said that Willis McKinney and William McKinney are one and the same person. Information given by Hon. P. Cleveland Gardner, Cleveland County Historian.)
McKinney, Amy Duggar, wife of Willis McKinney. (No dates given on rock).

Horn, J. C. d. 1892. (Collis Jones said that this man died in the State Hospital at Morganton, that his full name was John Calvin Horn.)
McKinney, L. (No dates given).
McKinney, S. J. (No dates given).
McKinney, Sarah, b. 1847, d. 1909.
McKinney, Biddie, d. 1892.
McKinney, Nancy, b. 1848 d. 1867 (Dates on marker obscure, A. G. Melton).


James McKinney Headstone. Born July 22, 1818, died Dec. 5, 1914.



William McKinney grave stone. Veteran of Revolutionary War. William fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain


Sallie Davis b. 8/15/1852  d. ?  Wife of Nathan Davis,

 

Notes:
Note by Daniel McKinney (Descendant Lawson Quinton McKinney Line).
I have little to offer other than my wife, sons, Jim McSwain and I were there in late September 2002.
According to Mildred McKinney Gee, William's stone was replaced in the 1970's by the Daughters of the American Revolution.  His is the only really good stone to read.  There is also a James McKinney whose stone is able to be made out but fading fast. 
From what I can gather, William's wife Amy is also buried there with him.  It was his son Willis' plot, at least that is the name on it the owner of the current farm gave me.  I have to pull the grave list to see who all is there. 
One other thing for sure, Willis' son Joseph Buchanan McKinney is not buried there.  I don't know if the reference to Joseph in the above list is this Joseph or not.  JB McKinney is my and Tim's Gr Gr Gr Grandfather and he died December 12, 1863 in South Carolina near Columbia in the Civil War.
Okay, I grabbed the cemetery list:
Sallie Davis b. 8/15/1852  d. ?  Wife of Nathan Davis,
Dau. of Wm. Henry McKinney

Amy Dugger McKinney wife of William McKinney-no dates

Biddy McKinney, dau. of James d. 1892

E. McKinney  no dates.  I wonder if this was Joseph's
Wife Elanor Forbes McKinney????  I have a DOB for her
of 6/4/1813, she was 13 yrs older than Joseph.

Elizabeth Horn McKinney 6/22/1822-10/12/1883 wife of
James McKinney

James McKinney 7/2 or 7/22 1818 to 12/5/1914.  Son of
Wm. Henry McKinney

L. McKinney  no dates

M.B. McKinney  no dates

Nancy Susan McKinney 1848-1867(?) notes marker
obscured.  Dau of James

Sarah McKinney 1847-1909

William McKinney Sr.  1766- 10/31/1857

It then shows Capt. Willis McKinney denoted at Battle of Kings Mountain.  Problem:  Willis was born after battle was fought by almost 20 years.  William was too young to have made Captain at age 17 when he volunteered to replace his father Daniel Jr.  I have
to wonder if Willis might of been a Captain in the War of 1812, but again he was not yet 20 when that ended.

Interesting tidbit on Willis' line, go to http://www.familysearch.com and click on the father of Martha Buchanan, and so on each successive father.  You will be amazed
how far back that family goes and is traced.

McKinneyGenWeb