Sacred Ground: Lone Mountain
There are larger cemeteries in Scott County. There are older cemeteries here, too. But there may not be any that are any more beautiful or peaceful than Brimstone’s Lone Mountain Cemetery.
Maybe it’s the expansive view of the Brimstone Creek valley that spreads out before the cemetery. Maybe it’s the giant oak trees that shade the graves. Maybe it’s the well-manicured nature of the cemetery or the way so many of the graves are so carefully decorated by descendants and loved ones.
Most likely, it’s a combination of all of the above. But one way or another, you can sit on a bench beneath the shade of the huge white oaks as a gentle breeze breaks through the heat of a summer afternoon and feel at peace with the world.
Perhaps that’s a macabre thought for a cemetery. But it’s true. If you were making a list of Scott County’s most pastoral cemeteries, Lone Mountain Cemetery — which dates back to 1889 — would have to rank at or near the top.
Beginnings
Unlike most 19th century cemeteries, the cemetery at Lone Mountain didn’t necessarily begin as a family cemetery. It was a community graveyard from the beginning, and several different surnames are among the earliest graves found within the cemetery, all of them families that settled the fertile farmlands around Brimstone Creek.
When you drive up to the cemetery, which sits on a knoll adjacent to the Lone Mountain Baptist Church, and park beneath one of the giant oaks that are characteristic there, the first name you’ll likely notice is Griffith. By far, the Griffith surname dominates the cemetery. These are the descendants of Joseph Griffith, the Revolutionary War veteran who is buried at the Goad Cemetery just a couple of miles down the road; who may have been the very first white man to put down roots on Brimstone Creek.
But the first Griffith wasn’t buried at Lone Mountain until 1901, when Loransy Griffith died five days after his 26thbirthday. By that point, the cemetery there was at least 12 years old.
It’s difficult to date Lone Mountain with certainty. There are dozens of graves that are marked only by flat stones that resemble cap blocks. Some are identified by plates that are screwed into the stone; many are not. The first verifiable grave there was that of Parazidda Robbins Gosnell, who died on Jan. 15, 1889.
Parazidda Gosnell (the stone is spelled “Gasnell”) was just 18 when she died. Her husband, William Gosnell is purported to also be buried at Lone Mountain, but there isn’t a stone to mark his grave.
Parazidda and William married on March 5, 1887. She was only 16 at the time. She was a member of the Robbins family that was prominent at Brimstone at the time. Her father was Jonathan Robbins and her mother was Malinda Lauton (likely Lawson) Robbins. She was the eighth of 10 children.
The following year, in 1890, Parazidda’s brother — Michael Robbins — died at age 33 and was the second person buried at Lone Mountain. He married Orlena (probably Arlena) Sexton in 1878. The Sexton family was also quite prominent on Brimstone Creek at the time. In the 1880 census they had one child: son Solomon. (Sol Robbins married Mary Edith Asher and they had at least 11 children. Both are buried at Slick Rock Cemetery, along with Sol’s mother, Arlena Sexton Brown, who remarried to Thomas Brown after Michael’s death.
Michael and Arlena had several other children before his death in 1890. A daughter, Olive, was born in 1881 and married Calvin Griffith. Both are buried at Lone Mountain along with her father. A son, Jonathan, was born in 1883 and married Julia Sexton. A daughter, Lily Mae, was born in 1887 and married David Sexton. They’re both buried at Lone Mountain, along with a son, U.S. Army veteran Crawford Sexton, who died at age 21.
In 1892, two years after Michael Robbins’ death, baby Arthur Robbins died at the age of about five weeks. He was the first-born son of Melton James “Mitt” Robbins Sr. and Etta Hughett Robbins. His father would go on to be a Scott County Judge. He was the third person buried at Lone Mountain.
The Shannon family
In August 1893, 25-year-old James Shannon died and was buried at Lone Mountain. He was the first person outside the Robbins family to be buried there, and is buried inside a partition that is enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. Several other members of his family are buried in the partition.
James Shannon was the son of Eldridge and Eliza Rich Shannon. Both of his parents were buried at Lone Mountain, also inside the partition with their son. Eldridge died of chronic cystitis — an infection of the urinary system caused by e. Coli — in 1917. His wife died of pneumonia in 1925.
James Shannon wasn’t a Robbins, but he did marry into the family. On Christmas Eve the year before his death, he married Miley Robbins.
Meanwhile, two of James Shannon’s siblings are also buried at Lone Mountain, including Julia Shannon Webb and her husband, John Henderson Webb; and Parthena Shannon Mumford and her husband, William Mumford.
The Sexton family
Already mentioned is that the Sexton family was especially prominent on Brimstone Creek in the late 19th century. The Slick Rock Cemetery, Brimstone’s second largest cemetery behind Lone Mountain, is also called Sexton Cemetery. And there is Rob Sexton Cemetery at the base of Round Mountain high above Brimstone Creek. Between 1896 and 1898, three members of the Sexton family were buried at Lone Mountain.
The first, in March 1896, was little Belle Sexton. She was only three years old at the time. Just nine days later, her six-year-old brother, Wright Shannon, was buried there, as well. They were the children of Barton Sexton and Betty Griffith Sexton. They had two older siblings: Sam and Louise.
Bart Sexton was the son of Wright and Rachel Sexton, the grandson of William Sexton and Rhoda Griffith Sexton. His great-grandfather was Revolutionary War veteran Timothy Sexton, who is buried at Rob Sexton Cemetery. Another great-grandfather was Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Griffith.
In April 1898, Betty Sexton died and was buried beside her children. She was only 29.
Many other Sextons would later be buried at Lone Mountain. Betty and her young children were the first three.
The cemetery grows
In September 1898, military veteran H.W. Dyer died two days before his 30th birthday and was buried at Lone Mountain.
Other burials at Lone Mountain between 1900 and 1902 would include 63-year-old Sallie Daugherty Bunch, 15-year-old Nancy A. Robbins, 17-year-old Martha Asher, 26-year-old Loransy Griffith, and 26-year-old Betty Webb Griffith.
Nancy Robbins was the daughter of William and Betty Robbins, a first cousin to baby Arthur Robbins who was buried at Lone Mountain.
Martha Asher’s mother, Rhoda Ann Asher, was buried at Lone Mountain 14 years later. Her father, Jim Asher, was buried there four years after her mother. Rhoda Asher was the oldest daughter of Elzie Thompson and Nancy Brown Thompson, who are buried at Keeton Cemetery. Other members of the Asher family buried at Lone Mountain include Willard Asher, Ernie Brown Asher, and two of their young children: newborn Virgie and eight-year-old Russel. Another son, Clyde Asher, was also buried at Lone Mountain.
The Griffith family
It’s already been mentioned that Loransy (also spelled Loranzo or Loranza) Griffith was the first Griffith to be buried at Lone Mountain, in 1901. He was the son of William Griffith and Catherine Sexton Griffith.
It has been well established that all the Griffiths of Brimstone descended from Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Griffith, who fought under Gen. George Washington and was present at the Siege of Yorktown when British Lord Gen. Charles Cornwallis surrendered to Washington and effectively ended the war.
Joseph Griffith was originally from Virginia. He married Phoebe Hudson and moved to Brimstone Creek after the war, accepting two land grants from the government that totaled nearly 300 acres.
Joseph and Phoebe’s children included Fielding, Keziah, Rhoda, Willie, Sarah and William.
Loransy Griffith was Joseph Griffith’s great-great-grandson. His grandfather was Daniel Griffith; his great-grandfather was Fielding Griffith, the oldest-born of Joseph and Phoebe Griffith.
Loransy Griffith married Vicy Hughett in 1895. She was the daughter of John Frank Hughett and Amanda Robbins. Following Loransy’s death six years later, she remarried to William Harrison Young, and they eventually moved to Clarksville, Tenn. She was a brother to Jasper Hughett, the first postmaster at Hughett, which was the post office near Slick Rock. Her father, John, was a justice of the peace in Scott County for 44 years. Several members of her family are buried at Brimstone’s Hughett Cemetery.
Later in 1901, Betty Webb Griffith was buried at Lone Mountain. She was also 26 when she died. She was the wife of Rufus Griffith. Rufus was the son of Armstead “Armp” Griffith and Lucy Ann Sexton Griffith. Like the rest of the Sextons, Lucy Ann was descended from Revolutionary War veteran William Sexton and his wife, Rhoda Griffith, the daughter of Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Griffith. Armp Griffith may have been a grandson of Joseph Griffith.
Rufus and Betty had two children: Mitchel Griffith, who is buried at Lone Mountain, and Leany Griffith, who married Lewis Landrum and moved to Morgan County. Following Betty’s death, Rufus remarried to Emeline Rich.
Today, there are at least 81 Griffiths buried at Lone Mountain. That number continues to grow. Just last week, Helen Griffith was laid to rest at the cemetery. She was the daughter of Sylvester and Bertha Reagan Griffith, and a fourth-great-granddaughter of Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Griffith.
Mine disaster
On May 24, 1965, an explosion rocked the C.L. Kline Mine at Brimstone, killing all five men inside in what was termed the second-worst mining disaster in Scott County’s history.
Among the dead were 57-year-old Lawrence Griffith and 20-year-old Clayton Griffith, both of whom were buried at Lone Mountain Cemetery following funeral services at Lone Mountain Church. Others killed in the blast included 45-year-old Russell Webb, 49-year-old Arthur Norris and 52-year-old Philip Davis.
The Kline Mine was located at Huntsville Branch, about half a mile from Brimstone Road. The explosion — which was caused by a cigarette lighter igniting methane gasses that had accumulated inside the mine — was realized when the day shift workers failed to emerge from the mine at 4:15pm and night shift workers who were waiting to go inside began investigating. The explosion occurred just six years after a March 1959 explosion at the Phillips-West Mine two miles away claimed the lives of nine Scott Countians.
Lawrence Griffith was the son of Calvin Griffith and Olive Robbins Griffith, and a third-great-grandson of Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Griffith. He was married to Oasie Hill Griffith. The year 1965 was a tragic one for his family. Just six weeks before the Brimstone mine disaster, his 33-year-old son, U.S. Army Pvt. Kenneth Griffith, was killed in a plane crash. He was the first husband of Helen Griffith. He is also buried at Lone Mountain.
Clayton Griffith was the son of Everett Griffith and Mary Ella Taylor Griffith. He was a fourth-great-grandson of Joseph Griffith.
In a twist of fate, Clayton’s father, Everett, had taken the day off work to take care of farm work that needed tending to.
The Harness family
In March 1916, a baby boy was buried at Lone Mountain Cemetery. He was the newborn son of James and Dora J. Harness. He was the first member of the Harness family to be buried at the cemetery.
Today, the Harness family is the second most prominent at Lone Mountain, behind the Griffiths. Many generations of the Harness family have lived at Brimstone through the years, along with families like Griffith, Bowling, Sexton and others.
James Harness was the son of John and Surrelda Harness. He is also buried at Lone Mountain. His wife, Dora, was buried at Black Creek Crossroads Cemetery. They have a son, Nelson Harness, who is buried at Lone Mountain. However, most of the family — including the baby’s twin sister, Albie, are buried at Black Creek Crossroads. Nelson’s newborn daughter, Mary Gwendelene, was buried at Lone Mountain in 1946.
The second Harness to be buried at Lone Mountain was Nora Bell Harness, who died in 1933 at the age of 26. She was the daughter of Dave and Ginnie Mason Harness, both of whom are buried at Lone Mountain, as well.
Between 1946 and 1949, Levi Harness — another of James and Dora’s children — buried four of his babies at Lone Mountain, including Opal in 1946, Ollie in 1947, Levi Jr. in 1948 and Mollie in 1949. All were newborn except Levi Jr., who was about seven weeks old when he died in July 1948.
Levi Harness was a Scott County Sheriff’s Department deputy who was one of two lawmen shot and killed while serving an arrest warrant in Winfield in 1962. He married Artincy Lawson. They are both buried at the Harness Cemetery in Robbins.
The Wilson family
Twenty-two-year-old Clyde Wilson was buried under one of the large oak trees at Lone Mountain in December 1932. He is tied to a cemetery previously featured in the Sacred Ground series, the nearby Overton Cemetery on Mill Creek. Wilson shot and killed twin sisters Carrie and Cassie Overton, one of whom he was engaged to, before killing himself.
More: The murder of the Overton girls
The Wilson family is one of the more prominent families at Lone Mountain Cemetery. Many of the flat stones belong to members of the Wilson family; several contain plates with names but no dates of birth or death.
Clyde Wilson was the son of Riley and Tempa Wilson, who are buried nearby. Two of those flat stones with plates mark the graves of George W. Wilson and Nannie Bunch Wilson, the parents of Tempa Wilson.
Clyde’s siblings buried at Lone Mountain include sister Hettie, brother George and sister Lora, all of whom died as babies.
Cemetery census
LONE MOUNTAIN CEMETERY
GPS Coordinates: 36.260429382, – 84.488792419
First Burial: 1889
Last Burial: 2023
Burials since Robert Bailey’s 1994 cemetery census? Yes.
Cynthia E. Allen 1883-1960
Clyde Asher 1933-1989
Ernie B. Asher 1903-1984
Jim Asher 1852, 1918
Martha Asher 1883-1900
Roda A. Asher 1852-1914
Russel Asher 1922-1930
Virgie Asher 1923-1923
Willard Asher 1898-1950
Flara Berry 1916-1949
Edna J. Bowling 1952-2010
Elsie Bowling 1923-1925
Ezra Bowling 1901-1967
Flara G. Bowling 1903-1933
Harlie Bowling 1937-2006
Hegard Bowling N/A-N/A
Ida Bowling 1944-2011
James Bowling N/A-N/A
James A. Bowling N/A-N/A
Jessie Bowling 1908-1982
Juanita Bowling 1933-1938
Kermit Bowling 1939-1942
Lettie Bowling 1910-1994
Manul Bowling N/A-N/A
Olix Bowling N/A-N/A
Starling Bowling 1935-N/A
Syrelda Bowling N/A-N/A
Tempy Bowling 1949-1949
Thomas Bowling 1910-1976
Vinia Bowling 1948-1948
Wanda Bowling 1945-N/A
Betty G. Brady 1944-2005
Burnettia Brown 1865-1948
Howard Brown 1906-1922
Johnie Brown 1900-1922
Lydia Brown 1895-1978
Sallie C. Bunch N/A-1900
Alsa Chitwood 1919-2000
Woodrow Chitwood 1912-2002
Kim R. Cross 1965-2012
Infant Day N/A-N/A
Infant Day N/A-N/A
Carl E. Dickey 1932-2012
Jean A. Dickey 1930-N/A
Amandy Douglas 1871-1912
Alexander Dyer 1859-1920
Burl Dyer 1891-1918
Charles Dyer 1889-1920
Ernie Dyer 1898-1916
H.W. Dyer 1868-1898
Jane Dyer 1863-1912
Louise E. Francio 1920-1920
Rickey S. Francis 1974-2011
Hester French N/A-N/A
Flora J. Gainey 1921-2004
Larry D. Garrett 1956-2010
Parazidda Gasnell 1870-1889
William Gasnell N/A-N/A
Lorene S. Gilpin 1946-2009
Ezekial Goodman N/A-N/A
John Goodman 1896-1915
Evelyn H. Greene 1926-1998
Ada Griffith 1881-1959
Andrew Griffith 1860-1950
Arzo Griffith 1925-1976
Audrey Griffith 1921-1950
Benard Griffith 1914-1979
Bernice Griffith 1917-1917
Bertha M. Griffith 1913-2005
Betty Griffith 1875-1901
Beulah F. Griffith 1946-N/A
Bobby R. Griffith 1946-1946
Calvin Griffith 1880-1927
Carl Griffith 1911-1996
Carolyn S. Griffith 1952-1998
Carrie H. Griffith 1906-1996
Cassie Griffith 1895-1978
Charlie M. Griffith 1947-N/A
Clayton Griffith 1940-1940
Clayton Griffith 1945-1965
Clifford Griffith 1915-1988
Dealus Griffith 1906-1957
Earl Griffith 1892-1946
Elmar Griffith 1882-1968
Eloise Griffith 1936-1950
Everett Griffith 1911-1973
Florence Griffith 1912-1998
Florinda Griffith 1884-1938
Floyd J. Griffith 1946-1970
Frank Griffith 1939-2012
Gaither G. Griffith 1943-2009
George T. Griffith 1929-1948
Georgie E. Griffith 1916-2003
Gerald C. Griffith 1970-1971
Gilbert Griffith 1898-1981
Glenn Griffith 1927-2009
Harold D. Griffith 1946-N/A
Helen Griffith 1934-2023
Ila J. Griffith 1947-2002
Ina M. Griffith 1944-1944
Infant Griffith N/A-1933
J.C. Griffith 1939-2007
Jessie H. Griffith 1916-1993
Jimmy R. Griffith 1947-1947
Kansas Griffith 1894-1975
Kenneth Griffith 1932-1965
Lawrence E. Griffith 1907-1965
Lizzie Griffith 1920-2001
Lola M. Griffith 1929-2002
Lones Griffith 1933-1934
Lonzie D. Griffith 1947-1985
Loransy Griffith 1875-1901
Lucy Griffith 1875-1943
Madlene Griffith 1946-1946
Margie E. Griffith 1948-1965
Martha L. Griffith 1932-2003
Martha M. Griffith 1864-1933
Mary T. Griffith 1915-1993
Mildred Griffith 1954-1954
Mitchell Griffith 1903-1954
Neva J. Griffith 1942-2024
Oasie H. Griffith 1911-1979
Oda Griffith 1881-1949
Odessie Griffith 1906-2005
Olive Griffith 1881-1959
Paul Griffith 1942-2023
Pearl M. Griffith 1942-1942
Richard Griffith 1939-1989
Sylvania Griffith N/A-1950
Sylvester Griffith 1905-1971
Teresa Hamby Griffith, 1961-2024
Vicie Griffith 1917-1966
Vinadean Griffith 1947-N/A
Virginia Griffith N/A-1941
Bertha G. Hamby 1896-1944
California S. Hamby 1862-1925
Elbert Hamby 1900-1993
Esau Hamby 1882-1968
Frances Hamby 1886-1956
James H. Hamby 1873-1941
James M. Hamby 1962-1962
Jim Hamby 1897-1967
Karen L. Hamby 1960-2002
Louis Hamby 1863-1934
Mary Hamby 1900-1970
Minnie Hamby 1887-1911
Sylvina Hamby 1871-1960
William F. Hamby 1890-1973
Beatrice Harness 1941-N/A
Branda S. Harness N/A-1952
Crawford Harness 1938-2003
Darie Harness N/A-N/A
Dave Harness N/A-1939
David Harness N/A-1972
Dora J. Harness N/A-1960
Elmer Harness 1921-1965
Ginnie Harness N/A-1966
Glen Harness N/A-1936
Hester Harness N/A-1933
Hildred Harness 1936-1958
Infant Harness 1916-1916
James Harness 1886-1962
Joyce F. Harness 1952-1953
Levie Harness N/A-1948
Mary E. Harness 1926-1980
Mary G. Harness 1946-1946
Mollie Harness N/A-1949
Nelson Harness 1920-1978
Nora B. Harness N/A-1933
Norman Harness N/A-1950
Ollie Harness N/A-1947
Opal Harness N/A-1946
Patricia Harness N/A-1979
Anna J. Hatmaker 1943-2004
Mynatt Hatmaker 1885-1966
Velta K. Hatmaker 1949-1950
Bay Hembree N/A-N/A
Hamilton Hembree 1843-1937
Rebecca Hembree 1856-1933
Bessie R. Henry 1891-1961
Earl Henry N/A-1947
Emma B. Henry 1912-1989
J.C. Henry 1846-1927
Joe Henry 1886-1950
Joseph W. Henry 1935-1935
Oakley L. Henry 1937-1974
Oakley L. Henry N/A-N/A
Rebecca Henry 1845-1922
Tim Henry 1943-1943
Harley Hill 1909-1982
Hurstle Hill 1932-2009
Lassie Hill 1922-2002
Loretta Hill 1936-1982
Mae M. Hill 1917-1987
Rona K. Hill 1947-1947
Melissa D. Jolly 1967-1996
Ronald M. Jones 1950-2005
Christine A. Kidd 1938-N/A
Amber M. Kyle 1979-1998
Arnold Lawson 1937-1986
Dock Lawson 1906-1954
Caldwell Long 1876-1918
Fred Lowe N/A-N/A
Hilda G. Lowe 1955-2011
Clements E. Marciniak 1973-2008
Stephen C. Marciniak 1945-2009
Infant Mason 1942-1942
Angela K. Massengale 1955-2008
Reba R. McBroom 1925-2005
Casey W. McCulloch 1947-2007
Parenthia Mumford 1874-1912
William Mumford 1857-1917
Aletha G. Overton N/A-N/A
Andrew R. Overton 1982-2007
Arlie Overton 1928-2000
Arvil Overton 1921-2005
Columbus B. Overton 1909-1995
Earl Overton 1946-2009
Ervie E. Bowling 1919-2009
Franklin Overton 1914-1984
Freeman Overton N/A-N/A
Horace Overton 1916-2002
Infant Overton 1927-1927
John Overton 1879-1928
Johnie Overton N/A-N/A
Laura Overton 1902-1996
Maxie G. Overton 1931-N/A
Novella H. Overton 1931-2008
Sherman Overton 1893-1980
Alton B. Payne 1912-2001
Glennis E. Payne 1925-2013
Stephen F. Phillips 1953-1998
Thomas C. Phillips 1923-1972
Vesta J. Phillilps 1929-2006
Gregory A. Reagan 1966-2003
Macel R. Reagan 1922-2009
Madlyn H. Reagan 1940-N/A
Tom Reagan N/A-1936
Elizabeth Rich N/A-1916
J.N. Rich 1865-1939
Arthur Robbins 1891-1892
Ella F. Robbins 1953-2004
Ida Robbins 1893-1957
James W. Robbins 1936-2010
Lilly Robbins 1906-1908
Michael Robbins 1857-1890
Mike Robbins 1919-1965
Sherman Robbins 1891-1949
Thelma J. Robbins N/A-N/A
Tommy Robbins 1910-1917
Walter Robbins 1915-1958
Nancy A. Robins 1895-1900
Arlene Sexton 1913-2001
Belle Sexton 1892-1896
Bettie Sexton 1868-1898
Brenda sexton 1958-1958
Burnetta Sexton N/A-N/A
Charlie B. Sexton 1940-1988
Charlie B. Sexton 1907-1993
Crawford Sexton 1909-1930
David Sexton 1880-1938
Elizabeth G. Sexton 1846-1928
Infant Sexton 1940-1940
James S. Sexton 1937-1959
Lillian Sexton 1934-1935
Lillie M. Sexton 1887-1914
Minda Sexton 1906-1927
R.B. Sexton 1856-1928
Rebeca Sexton N/A-N/A
Rebecca Sexton 1929-1931
Wilbert Sexton N/A-N/A
Will W. Sexton 1899-1955
Wright Sexton 1890-1896
Eldridge Shannon 1835-1917
Eliza Shannon 1839-1925
James Shannon 1867-1893
Charlie V. Slaven 1913-1970
Allit Z. Smithers N/A-1968
Sondra L. Smithers 1974-N/A
Unknown Smithers 1967-N/A
Luther Sowards 1919-1988
Venus R. Sowards 1927-1968
Jim Underwood 1900-1922
Rosetta Underwood 1903-1924
D.E. Webb 1875-1948
Eugene Webb 1916-1916
Hobert Webb 1900-1926
Homer Webb 1903-1923
John H. Webb 1872-1950
Julia Webb 1871-1945
Mary S. Webb N/A-1962
Phoebe A. Webb 1847-1917
Barney Wilson N/A-N/A
Billie Wilson N/A-N/A
Charlie Wilson 1887-1965
Clyde Wilson 1910-1932
Dins Wilson N/A-N/A
G.W. Wilson 1860-1910
George Wilson 1914-1914
Harvy Wilson N/A-N/A
Hattie Wilson 1912-1913
Hazel Wilson N/A-N/A
Hettie Wilson 1912-1913
Hiram Wilson 1920-1963
Infant Wilson N/A-N/A
John Wilson 1854-1926
Jossie Wilson N/A-N/A
Lonnie Wilson N/A-N/A
Lora Wilson 1933-1934
Lydia Wilson N/A-N/A
Mary Wilson 1854-1926
Nan Wilson N/A-N/A
Riley Wilson 1885-1969
Sherman Wilson N/A-N/A
Tempa Wilson 1892-1978
Tobias Wilson 1874-1909
This story is part of the Scott County Cemetery Project.