Friday, May 20, 2011

Forgotten Pioneers

I recently came across this sad sight. Strange thing is that half this cemetery was well maintained. I spotted this marker about 20 feet from the cleared section. I wonder why they maintained part of this cemetery but not all of it.

Located at Shelton Cemetery in Mount Vernon, MO.
I could also see the tops of about 3 other markers. I wasn't brave enough to risk getting snake bit, or chiggers, or poison ivy or whatever else lurked there to get any closer. I was able to zoom in with my camera and get this much of  the marker.
Buried here are Moses
Hurt Shelton (1804 - 1869)
& wife Nancy Clark Shelton
(1813 - 1869), Vineyard TWP
pioneer settlers who left
Pittsylvania Co., Va in 1836,
lived ?0 years in Todd Co.,
Kansas and moved to  Lawrence
Co. Mo.

It says something about owning a farm nearby but I can't make out enough to tell any more. The rest is sadly hidden by the weeds.

Here is the information I could find on http://www.ancestry.com/.

U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 about Moses Hurt Shelton
Name: Moses Hurt Shelton
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1801
Spouse Name: Nancy Clark
Spouse Birth Year: 1813
Marriage Year: 1828
Number Pages: 1

Virginia Marriages, 1740-1850 about Nancy C. Shelton
Groom Name: Moses H. Shelton
Bride Name: Nancy C. Shelton
Marriage Date: 20 Oct 1828
County: Pittsylvania
State: Virginia


1860 United States Federal Census

1860 United States Federal Census about Moses H Shelton
Name: Moses H Shelton
Age in 1860: 56
Birth Year: abt 1804
Birthplace: Virginia
Home in 1860: Vineyard, Lawrence, Missouri
Gender: Male
Post Office: Gilbert Station
Household Members: Name Age
Moses H Shelton 56
Nancy C Shelton 47
Chas C Shelton 29
Virginia Shelton 21
Giddion F Shelton 19
John D Shelton 17
Letcy F Shelton 10
Jas B Shelton 3
Posted by Tammi Thiele
Labels: , ,

4 comments:

  1. Taphophilia CatafalqueMay 21, 2011 at 3:02 PM

    Hi Tammi,
    Great post.....
    I think it's strange too, when they clear some parts of a cemetery and not all of it. Looks like a winter visit when the weeds have died back might be a good idea.
    And what on earth are chiggers?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tammi ThieleMay 21, 2011 at 3:41 PM

    Chiggers are annoying little bugs (and they are actual bugs many think they are a myth) that like to bite around ankles and any other warm areas. They itch like crazy and take forever to go away.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cara ReaNovember 9, 2014 at 12:58 PM

    This is my family's cemetery. Moses Hurt Shelton was the grandfather of my grandmother. Sadly, most descendants have either died, moved away, or are no longer capable of maintaining this small family plot. I don't even know who owns the land its on these days. Thank you for your interest in it. It is a beautiful little "forgotten" cemetery.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cara ReaNovember 10, 2014 at 2:01 PM

    A NOTE FROM MY UNCLE, DAVID MASON:
    I worked with the Boy Scouts in 1975 to clean up this cemetery and believe it was called the Lower Hoshaw Cemetery. Moses Hurt Shelton was one of my ancesters. One of the grave stones we found was dated 1754 for the birth of the man burried there. The Lawrence County Record ran an article about his stone and the cemetery. Fred Mieswinkle (now deceased) also documented lots of cemeteries and their history in Lawrence County, Missouri. I believe Lawrence County owns this land.

    I think it would be best to let it grow up and cover with trees, plants, etc. This way they will rest in peace and vandals will not know it exists.

    ReplyDelete

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