Sacred Ground: Chambers Cemetery

HUNTSVILLE  |  When the Sacred Ground series profiled the Potter Cemetery last week, it was pointed out that the cemetery — which is located next-door to the former First Baptist Church in Huntsville — is more or less three family cemeteries that have morphed into one over the years.

There are a lot of cemeteries on this small flat in Huntsville’s downtown area. Within eyesight of the Potter Cemetery is the Huntsville Cemetery. And in between the two is the Chambers Cemetery.

Chambers Cemetery is located just across the street from Potter Cemetery, though it’s much smaller. And it, too, consists of two separate cemeteries. There are two graves on the west side of the cemetery, a short distance apart from the rest. This is actually the Rector Cemetery. A few years ago, there was a chain-link fence around the Chambers Cemetery, separating it from the Rector graves. That fence has since been removed.

While these are two separate stories, we’ll cover them both here — starting with the smaller Rector Cemetery.

 The Rector family

Buried at the Rector Cemetery, on the edge of the property that remains in the Rector family today, are Carl Rector and his wife, Chloe Woodward.

Carl Rector (1911-1980) was the son of George Washington Rector (1879-1953) and Sarah “Sallie” Chambers (1875-1954). His parents are buried at another Rector Cemetery, located at Norma.

The Rector family is tied to the Potter family in ways besides the fact that both are among the most recognizable families in Huntsville. Carl Rector’s brother, Cordia Ann, married Joseph Ray Potter, the son of Julian Frazier Potter. Julian Potter was the son of John Potter Sr., and a brother to Judge Willian Henry “W.H.” Potter. Among Joseph and Cordia’s several children were twin brothers George Potter and Rev. Jim Potter. Cordia and her husband are buried at the Potter Cemetery.

Carl and Cordia were just two of many children of George and Sallie Rector. Among their siblings was Porter Benjamin “Ben” Rector Sr. He was a long-time clerk and master in Scott County, and was the father of Porter “Benjie” Rector Jr., long-time Register of Deeds in Scott County.

Carl Rector married Chloe Woodward (1913-1997) in 1933. She was the daughter of Dr. David Woodward and Mary Jane “Mamie” Davis. The Woodward family was a large family from the Buffalo community. Chloe had eight brothers, along with two sisters who died in infancy.

Carl Rector served as Scott County Road Superintendent for two four-year terms in the 1960s. He also owned Huntsville Hardware, located just a stone’s throw from where he was buried. The couple also owned a restaurant in Huntsville.

Carl and Chloe Rector had four children: daughters Jo Ann, Henrietta and Nancy, and son George. Jo Ann married Curt Sexton. Henrietta married Donald Sexton. Nancy married Jerry Murley. And Morgan married Edith Phillips. George, who took over the operations of Huntsville Hardware, died in Abingdon, Va. In 2004.

At the time of Chloe Rector’s death in 1997, she had 12 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

The Chambers family

The Chambers Cemetery adjacent to the Rector Cemetery began in 1920, with the death of Polly West Chambers, who was the wife of Daniel Claude “D.C.” Chambers.

D.C. Chambers, who died in 1929 at the age of 76, was elected to several offices in the county, including register of deeds, road superintendent and the board of education.

D.C. Chambers was the son of Daniel Chambers and Phoebe Phillips. His father had died by 1860, when he was still a child. His mother would later remarry to John Wesley West.

D.C., meanwhile, married one of Wesley West’s granddaughters. Polly’s father was Reuben West, one of Wesley West’s sons with his first wife, Gracie Bauswell.

D.C. and Polly had five children: Erye, Artemie, Vanella, Gatliff and George.

Their oldest child, Erye, died at age 19 and was buried at Helenwood Cut Cemetery.

Artemie married William Laxton, and was buried at Chambers Cemetery in 1970. He was buried there in 1932. They also had a daughter buried there in 1958: Violet Laxton married Fred Barthell Toomey, the son of John Samuel Toomey and Bettie Phillips, who are buried across the road at Potter Cemetery. Fred Toomey is buried in Sunbright.

Vanella married James Pryor Hughett, and was buried at Chambers Cemetery in 1970. Her husband, who died young in 1934, was buried across the field at Huntsville Cemetery. They had two children who died in infancy and were also buried at Huntsville Cemetery: Arthur in 1913 and Garfield in 1914.

Gatliff died at just three years old in 1890 and was buried at Helenwood Cut, where his older brother was also buried.

George married Virginia McQuigg and was buried at Chambers Cemetery in 1957. His wife was later buried there in 1983.

Following Polly West Chambers’ death in 1920, her husband, D.C., was the second person to be buried at the cemetery when he died in 1929.

It should be noted that while the FindAGrave website lists 15 burials at the Chambers Cemetery in Huntsville, this is incorrect. Both Robert Bailey in 1994 and Tim West in 2004 documented just eight graves at the cemetery. Each of the graves at the cemetery has a single headstone.

Cemetery census

CHAMBERS CEMETERY (HUNTSVILLE)
GPS Coordinates: 36.41093, -84.48823
First Burial: 1920
Last Burial: 1970

D.C. Chambers, 1853-1929

George G. Chambers, 1897-1957

Polly West Chambers, 1854-1920

Virginia McQuigg Chambers, 1898-1983

Vanella Chambers Hughett, 1882-1970

Artemie Chambers Laxton, 1878-1970

William Laxton, 1875-1932

Violet Laxton Toomey, 1902-1958

This story is part of the Scott County Cemetery Project.