Book-of-the-Dead

Tombstone Inscriptions

Compiled by: Paul M. Kankula NN8NN (non-copyrighted)

PICKENS Main Page

"Remember Youth as You pass by,

As You are now, so Once was I.

 As I am now, you must be,

Prepare for Death and follow me."

Rev. Roston "Ross" Miels Smith Sr.

 b. 23-Mar-1902 - d. 18-Oct-1974

Pond Branch Methodist Church Cemetery, Gilbert, Lexington County, SC

BOTD Tombstone Inscriptions Donated to the GenWeb Tombstone Project

by Roston Miels Smith Jr. on 10-Mar-2005

By:  Anderson Independent Newspaper Staff Writer, 12-Sep-1965

For four and a half years (1965) Ross M. Smith (Roston Meils Smith Sr.) has probed about the cemeteries of Anderson County carefully recording the names from more than 30,000 tombstones. Only the worst weather has driven him inside - to the musty archives of the Anderson Courthouse  where he has meticulously copied deeds to the land on which 248 churches stand. The retired (he is 63) teacher  who lives at 508 Milton Road  Anderson  has spent countless hours meticulously working the field-trip information into a unique book. Whether his book is published will depend entirely on whether sufficient demand for it can be determined.  It will have value for genealogists  historians and research libraries embracing those fields. His manuscript represents a fantastic labor of love. It is prefaced by a map of Anderson County on which the 148 cemeteries - Smith says he missed only a few family burial grounds - are numbered. The names  more than 30,000 of them of Anderson County's dead are compiled on page after page - in alphabetical order.  Each entry list birth date death date often notations from markers and monuments. The entries reach as far back as a 1630 birth date and include deaths into the first half of this decade. The research effort grows out of Smith's work to trace the origins of his own family.  And grew.  And grew. Armed sometimes with a heavy hickory cane, the tall  studious Smith attacked cemeteries plots head high with brambles.  "I found those easier to manage in the winter " he said. Generally  the church cemeteries were best kept.  Steadily  his card index files grew. Meanwhile  Smith has become rather an authority on Anderson County families.  His work,  in fact, has revealed bits of information unknown before to state historians - sons or daughters of prominent early figures not mentioned in works of broader scope. Retired after teaching at Williamston's Palmetto High School - and three years as principal at West Pelzer Elementary School - Smith said of his long work:  "Well  some people fish and some play golf..." Smith has prowled cemeteries. Veterans  Servicemen killed in action.  Great grandparents of a population spread across the state now.  Early settlers  Latecomers seeking the South's opportunity. "There are more Revolutionary War graves at the old Mount Carmel Presbyterian Church cemetery than any others I have recorded " Smith said.  The church now is the Pickens Chapel.  Other older burial sites were in cemeteries of the Old Stone Church at Pendleton and Anderson's First Baptist Church. "Killed by Runaway Horses."  "Killed In An Explosion Of An Engine."  "Called From Labors To Refreshment." The result of Smith's own labors is a massive volume, carefully compiled, alphabetized, cross-indexed, map-keyed. Whether it can be published will depend on some indication of the market for the product of those labors nearing five years now.

BOTD Tombstone Inscription Project

• BOTD cemetery reference numbers will proceed each surname and will indicate the person's place of burial. 

• BOTD cemetery reference numbers are different than those used by the GenWeb Tombstone Inscription Project.

• Several cemetery locations are in abutting counties.

• Obituary notices that were found in old newspapers, use a "???" reference number, if, the place-of-burial was not given. 

• A "EEE" reference number is used, if, a cemetery reference number could not be clearly read.

• Normally, only the names of adults have been recorded - no children. 

• The 049a GENEROSTEE BAPTIST, 061a HOLMES FAMILY, 091a Old MOUNT TABOR BAPTIST & 119b POOR FAMILY cemeteries were Indexed but never recorded.

• The husband & wife are listed together, if, the wife's maiden name was not shown. 

• The husband & wife are listed together, if, the wife's maiden name was shown with no dates given. 

• The husband & wife are listed separately, if, the wife's maiden name was shown with dates.   

• E-Mail typo corrections to Paul M Kankula at gcgenweb@bellsouth.net.

• PDF copy of actual 2nd Edition BOTD is on-line. 

• EXPECT TYPO ERRORS...

Link

Surname Range

Volunteer Typist  

 Posted

A

 Abbett   - - -   Ayers   

Vivian Parkman

B

 Baagoil   - - -   Bysum   

MaryClyde Mungo

C

 Cabe   - - -   Cuthbert

Jennie Boggs

D

 Dacus   - - -   Dyer

Vivian Parkman

E

 Eads   - - -   Ewing

"

F

Fagg   - - -   Furgason

"

G

Gabe   - - -   Guyton

"

H

Haas   - - -   Hyde

"

I

 Iberhardt   - - -   Izlar

Jennie Boggs

J

 Jackson   - - -   Jutice

"

K

Karr   - - -   Kyles

"

L

LaBoon   - - -   Lytton

"

M

Macizewski   - - -   Meyers

"

N

Nabors   - - -   Nugent

"

O

O'Bar   - - -   Ozmint

"

P

 Pace   - - -   Pruitt

MaryClyde Mungo

Q

 Quails   - - -   Quinn

"

R

Rackley   - - -   Rymer

"

S

Sadler   - - -   Symmons

"

T

Tabor   - - -   Tyus

"

U

Ulmer   - - -   Usery

"

V

Vanden   - - -   Voyles

"

W

 Waddell   - - -   Wynn

"

Y

Yancy   - - -   Young

"

Z

 Zachary   - - -   Zisnack

"

Included Supplements

1st Edition -  Jun-1966

Missed Inscriptions - 1 Page

Margaret Breazeale to Amelia Varnadore

  Corrections of Errors - 4 Pages - No Page #'s

  William Acker to Susie Yearbrough

  Additional Inscriptions - 2 Pages - No Page #'s

  Robert Adams to Mary Reves

2nd Edition - Aug-1967

Additional Cemeteries - Pages 435-442

F.A. Abercrombee to Mary Woods

002a-Anderson, 016c-Broadmouth Baptist & 115a-Payne

3rd Edition - Need to locate copy.

Additional Inscriptions? - Pages 446-447? 

J.Walton to Cleo Welborn     

4th Edition - Nov-1968

Additional Cemeteries - Page 442    

  Elijah Brown to Frank White 

  076a-Martin's  Grove Holiness, 030-Dean, 128-   

  Reid & 016d-Brown

  Names Missed - Page 442

  Chlor Spruell to Maude Todd

  1973 - Microfilmed by ?

PDF Copy of 2nd Edition BOTD

Cemetery Names, Reference #'s & Tombstone Inscriptions

BOTD tombstone inscriptions may differ from GenWeb - compare both recordings.

 016c   

 Broadmouth Baptist

 A028

 Broadmouth Baptist (1837)

 016d

 Brown Family

 A112

 Brown Family

 105

 A997

Roston (Ross) M. Smith, BOTD Author

( Ross's 1960-68 Cemetery Finding & Recording Assistance )

Joseph ADAMS     Lewis BROWN     Katie CAMPBELL     Danny DAVIS     Malcolm HAWKINS 

W.A. MILLER     Lewis MOREHEAD     Derral SCHLOOK     Bill SUTTLES     Clifford WALDROP

Paul M. Kankula (NN8NN), WebPage Compiling Author

( Paul's 2005 Typing, Cemetery Finding & Compiling Assistance )

Jennie BOGGS     Gary L FLYNN (KE8FD)    MaryClyde MUNGO     Vivian PARKMAN     Lowry WILSON