Sacred Ground: Abner Thomas Cemetery
Located on Dexter Laxton Road connecting Oneida to Pine Hill is the Abner Thomas Cemetery. It dates back to the era of secession, just before the onset of the Civil War, when a young girl named Amanda Terry was buried there. She had a brother buried there the following year, and the cemetery has since grown to include more than 120 burials.
The Terry family
Amanda and Joseph Terry were two of the 10 children of Milton Terry (1834-1904) and Jane Thomas (1830-1908) — the grandchildren of Abner Wiley Thomas (1799-1884), for whom the cemetery would eventually be named.
Amanda was born April 12, 1855 and died in 1860. Joseph was born on Sept. 9, 1860 and died on July 25, 1861. They were buried on a knoll on the Thomas farm little more than a stone’s throw from where the Cincinnati-Southern Railroad would be built less than 20 years later. Their graves were soon surrounded by the graves of their parents, grandparents, and many other members of the Thomas and Terry families.
Milton Terry was one of the children of Josiah Terry (1760-1842), the first white settler of Oneida. The son of John Terry (1760-1842) and Esther Brown (1765-1848), Josiah Terry was born in Botetourt County, Va., and married Nancy Thomas in 1806 in Tennessee. Following her death, he married Nancy Stevens in 1820. Milton Terry was their third child, and the fifth child of Josiah Terry overall.
Today, there is a monument outside the Oneida Municipal Services Building that honors Josiah Terry as the town’s first settler.
Milton Terry married Jane Thomas — who went by “Jennie” — on July 15, 1854. They were married by David Acres, who was a justice of the peace. Amanda — or “Manda,” as she was called — was their oldest child.
Milton Terry served in the Civil War. He was one of the many Scott Countians who enlisted in the Union army when Gen. Ambrose Burnside marched his massive army through Scott County in the Fall of 1863. Terry also served with the Independent Scouts of “Tinker” Dave Beaty, a notorious Fentress Countian who was a Union loyalist.
Following the war, Terry was elected sheriff of Scott County in 1872. He was also an active member of Bethlehem Baptist Church, which was originally located not far from his home, near where Oneida City Park is now located. He was a clerk and moderator pro tem within the church.
The youngest of Milton and Jane’s 10 children, William Abner (1873-1967), served as Scott County Judge from 1934 to 1942.
Another of their children, Alvin (1866-1957) married Nancy Davis. One of their sons was William Claude Terry (1893-1954), who served as the third mayor of Oneida (his brother-in-law, Leland Carson, served as the town’s first mayor). He was a prominent figure in the town, serving as a school board member, city alderman, and director of First Trust & Savings Bank. He was also the founder of the Oneida Water Company and founded Terry Motor Company.
Besides Amanda and Joseph, the only of the Terry children to be buried at Abner Thomas Cemetery was Rebecca (1856-1949). Most of her siblings are buried at Litton Cemetery on the other side of town.
Rebecca Terry married Riley Jeffers (1859-1931), who is also buried at Abner Thomas Cemetery. He was the son of William Jeffers and Lathia Chambers. One of their children, Cora Lee Jeffers (1887-1969) was buried at Abner Thomas Cemetery.
Rebecca Terry, who went by “Becky,” owned a boarding house at Bear Creek with her husband. Late in life she lived on the Four Lane section of Alberta Street, across from where Walmart is now located. Even as America was fighting World War II, she could recall the Union soldiers marching past her home in the Fall of 1863 — the same event that prompted her father to join the army.
The Thomas family
Abner Wiley Thomas was born in Lee County, Va. On July 10, 1799. It’s not clear when he moved to present-day Scott County, but he appeared on the census in Campbell County (which much of Scott County was a part of prior to 1849) in 1830.
Not a lot is known about Abner Thomas’s early life, but it’s likely that he was the son of William Thomas, and that his parents moved to Tennessee with him — and, in fact, were living next-door to him when the 1830 census was taken.
Writing for the Scott County Historical Society in 1990, Louise Carson wrote that Thomas originally settled near the Ewell Duncan farm on Paint Rock Creek, and that he had two sisters who married and raised families in Scott County.
Thomas was appointed to a committee in 1850 to help lay out school districts after Scott County was formed the previous year. By that point, he and his wife, Rebecca Brown, had raised most of their 11 children (but not all; there were still several young Thomas children living at home in 1850).
The fourth of those 11 children was Jane, who was born in 1830 and later married Milton Terry. Their oldest child, John B., was born in 1824 and eventually left Scott County. The second, Sarah, was born in 1825 and married Alfred Laxton of the expansive Laxton family that lived on Buffalo Creek. Next was Mary “Polly” who married Moses Lay.
After Jane, Ruth was born in 1834. She married Henry Duncan of the Paint Rock Duncan family. Rebekah was born in 1836 and married Elizah Spradlin before settling in McCreary County. Nancy was born in 1838 and married Hamilton Brown.
Among the youngest of the Thomas children, William was born in 1840 and left Scott County, settling in Arkansas. Martha was born in 1843 and married Joshua J. Duncan, who was also of the Paint Rock Duncan family. Finally, Abner Wiley Jr. was born in 1846 and married Sarah Ann Worley. He is the only of the Thomas children who is buried at Abner Thomas Cemetery.
There were several Thomas children born in the 1860s who are buried at the cemetery. Celia Thomas, James L. Thomas (born 1869) and Mary A. Thomas (1866) are among them. Their death dates are unknown.
The cemetery grows
Following the deaths of Amanda Terry and Joseph Terry, and their maternal grandparents, Abner Wiley and Rebecca Thomas, the next person to be buried at the family cemetery was Elizabeth Phillips Watters in 1895. She was the young wife of William Gillson Watters, who would also be buried at the cemetery many years later.
Young William Wesley Owens was buried at the cemetery in November 1896, after dying at the age of two. He was the son of Gideon Senter Owens and Martha Jane Norris Owens. His parents would be buried at the cemetery many years later.
William also had several siblings who were buried at the Abner Thomas Cemetery: Jesse Lee (1891-1946), Ida Florence (1893-1941), Bertha (1900-1991), and Nell Jo (1905-1984).
The small cemetery continued to be frequently used around the turn of the 20th century. Infant Hattie Ross was buried there in 1898. Infant Benton D. Terry was buried there in 1899, and infant Anna May Norris was buried there in 1900.
Thomas Phillips, who had married Ester Terry, was buried at the cemetery in 1901, after dying at age 75.
The Stanley family
Besides the Terry family, the name that appears the most at Abner Thomas Cemetery is the Stanley family.
The oldest member of the Stanley family buried at the cemetery was Rev. John Wesley Stanley, who died on Feb. 11, 1946 at the age of 82. He was the son of Farrell and Mahulda Carson Stanley, of the Stanley Creek area off Buffalo Creek. He had two siblings buried at the cemetery: Robert Stanley in 1926, and Silas Stanley in 1946.
It was 11-year-old Beatrice Stanley, the daughter of Silas Stanley and Etta Reed, who was the first Stanley buried at Abner Thomas Cemetery in 1921 (like her father, her mother is also buried at the cemetery). And her 12-year-old brother, Conward, was buried there when he died in 1926 after being struck by a train.
Conward Stanley and his uncle Robert Stanley were both killed in the train accident in 1926. Tragically and ironically, Conward’s cousin — 14-year-old Harold Stanley — was with them and witnessed the accident. Two years later he was killed by a train in almost the same spot. He was the son of John Wesley Stanley, and was buried at the Abner Thomas Cemetery.
Infant F.G. Stanley, a grandson of John Wesley Stanley, died in 1928 and was buried at the cemetery. His mother, Gertrude Pauline Phillips, was buried there in 1979, and his father, Hester Stanley, was buried there in 1997.
Buck Stanley, another of Silas and Etta Reed Stanley’s children, was buried at the cemetery in 1991.
In more recent years, Raymond Levi Stanley, a son of Hester and Gertrude Stanley, was buried at the cemetery in 2006; Calvin R. Stanley, a grandson of Silas and Etta Reed Stanley, was buried there in 2009; and his father, Duard Stanley, was buried there in 2011, and his wife, Gussie R. Anderson, in 2012.
The cemetery today
Abner Thomas Cemetery remains active, with total burials there recently surpassing 130. The most recent burial was Karen Byrge Terry, who died on Dec. 30, 2022. She was the daughter of Dan and Doris Byrge of Brimstone, and was married to Randal Terry.
Prior to that, David G. Miller was buried at the cemetery in June 2021. He was the grandson of Nelson and Pauline Terry, who are also buried at the cemetery.
Cemetery Census
ABNER THOMAS CEMETERY
GPS Coordinates: 36.51364, -84.48787
First Burial: 1860
Last Burial: 2022
Solomon Abbott, 1857 – 1906
Infant Son Acres, 1907 – 1907
Laura Duncan Acres, 1884 – 1915
Brenda Pike Adams, 1955 – 2012
Irene Marcum Alexander, 1937 – 2011
Wayne M. Alexander, 1925 – 1995
L. C. Angel, 1935 – 1994
Bertie Stanley Baker, 1920 – 1990
Lawrence P. Baker, 1920 – 2004
Martin D. Braden, 1963 – 2011
Rachel Bray, 1884 – 1975
Nellie Terry Chambers, 1917 – 1998
Silas L. Chambers, 1894 – 1968
Bertha Miller Chitwood, 1944 – 2005
James H. Chitwood Jr., 1938 – 2012
James T. Chitwood, 1970 – 2012
Johnny S. Chitwood, 1974 – 2019
James Crabtree, 1950 – 1989
James Crabtree Jr., 1971 – 2011
Lue Duncan Crabtree, 1918 – 1981
William M. Crabtree, 1893 – 1982
Richard K. Ellis, 1958 – 2004
Sherry Hughett Hamblin, 1955 – 2012
Kathy Hughett, 1960 – 2011
Lois Pike Hughett, 1935 – 2001
Wilbur E. Hughett, 1932 – 1987
Cora L. Jeffers, 1887 – 1969
Rebecca Terry Jeffers, 1856 – 1949
Riley Jeffers, 1859 – 1931
Gideon S. Jones, 1921 – 1931
Ida Owens Jones, 1893 – 1941
Thomas M. Jones, 1882 – 1951
Gertrude Stanley Lentz, 1927 – 1987
Hubert Lentz, 1927 – 2009
James D. Lentz, 1948 – 2017
James H. Lentz, 1927 – 2009
Sylvester L. Litton, 1895 – N/A
Anna Keeton Marcum, 1909 – 1986
James Marcum, 1905 – 1985
Larry G. Marcum Sr., 1946 – 2017
Robert H. Marcum Sr., 1930 – 2004
David G. Miller, 1965 – 2021
Naomi Terry Miller, 1944 – 2015
Celia Thomas Mills, 1877 – 1948
Charlie E. Mills, 1883 – 1975
Henry Mills, 1913 – 1913
Minnie Whitter Newby, 1889 – 1956
Anna Norris, 1900 – 1900
Cal Norris Jr., 1902 – 1936
Jesse C. Norris, 1834 – 1918
Mary Norris, 1868 – N/A
A.V. Owens, 1890 – 1964
A.Y. Owens, 1899 – 1941
Bertha Owens, 1900 – 1991
Burnettie Goodman Owens, 1880 – 1937
Elizabeth Owens, 1831 – 1917
Felix Owens, 1926 – 1926
Frank Owens, 1903 – 1904
Gideon Owens, 1865 – 1956
Jesse L. Owens, 1891 – 1946
Mattie Norris Owens, 1867 – 1934
Nell J. Owens, 1905 – 1984
Wesley Owens, 1878 – 1940
William W. Owens, 1894 – 1896
Izilla Laxton Phillips, 1888 – 1937
Thomas L. Phillips, 1826 – 1901
Hobert D. Pike, 1942 – 2002
Robert L. Pike, 1940 – 2002
Edgar Price, 1907 – 1910
Floyed Price, 1903 – 1922
Lawerence Price, 1908 – 1910
Earl G. Reynolds, 1938 – 2007
Hattie Ross, 1897 – 1898
Nancy Smith, N/A – N/A
John W. Stahl, 1881 – 1971
Nevada Owens Stahl, 1897 – 1971
Beatrice Stanley, 1909 – 1921
Calvin R. Stanley, 1950 – 2009
Conward Stanley, 1914 – 1926
Duard R. Stanley, 1922 – 2011
Eldridge Stanley, 1916 – 1991
Etta Reed Stanley, 1889 – 1980
F.G. Stanley Jr., 1927 – 1928
Gertrude Phillips Stanley, 1908 – 1979
Gussie Anderson Stanley, 1930 – 2012
Harold Stanley, 1912 – 1928
Hester H. Stanley, 1900 – 1997
John Wesley Stanley, 1864 – 1946
Raymond L. Stanley, 1943 – 2006
Robert Stanley, 1873 – 1926
Silas L. Stanley, 1878 – 1946
Bobby D. Tackett, 1932 – 1992
Alton Terry, 1947 – 2007
Amanda Terry, 1855 – 1860
Benton D. Terry, 1899 – 1899
Bonnie Stephens Terry, 1961 – 2021
Craig Terry, 1952 – 1953
Estle Martin Terry, 1960 – 1989
Fred C. Terry, 1928 – 1991
Goldie Honeycutt Terry, 1926 – 2013
Jane Thomas Terry, 1830 – 1908
John R. Terry, 1907 – 1935
Joseph Terry, 1860 – 1861
Karen Byrge Terry, 1965 – 2022
Larry W. Terry, 1958 – 2019
Lewis M. Terry, 1921 – 1985
Louie J. Terry, 1952 – 1977
Milton Terry, 1834 – 1904
Nelson E. Terry, 1919 – 1997
Pauline C. Terry, 1923 – 1993
Ralph Terry, 1948 – 2016
Rosie Moore Terry, 1891 – 1973
Sie Terry, 1875 – 1928
Silas C. Terry, 1939 – 1940
W.J. Terry, 1859 – 1928
William Terry, 1908 – 1989
Abner W. Thomas Jr., 1846 – 1920
Abner W. Thomas Sr., 1799 – 1884
Andy Thomas, 1874 – 1909
Celia Thomas, N/A – N/A
James L Thomas, 1869 – N/A
Mary A Thomas, 1866 – N/A
Rebecca Brown Thomas, 1799 – 1894
Elizabeth Phillips Watters, 1857 – 1895
William G. Watters, 1850 – 1945
Howard P. West, 1933 – 2012
This story is part of the Scott County Cemetery Project.