Mount Tabor Indian Cemetery

Rusk Co. Cemeteries of TX

As researched by J.C. Thompson Txcherind@aol.com

Submitted by Gloria B. Mayfield

I am enclosing the research based upon various resources of those buried in the Mount Tabor Indian Cemetery in Rusk County, Texas.

The cemetery was destroyed by oil field workers in the early
70's. It is located about 6 miles south of Kilgore southeast of Laird Hill and northeast of Overton. Also note, that George Washington Harnage is buried in the Asbury (Indian-white side) Cemetery in Smith County, but I could not find his stone when I was last there in 98. I did find it as a teenager in the 70's. Additionally at Asbury, Archibald Thompson and another Archibald who was a Lt. in the civil war are different people. Archibald Thompson died in 1856. He is the husband of Anna. He is also the first person in the cemetery and a quarter blood Choctaw.! Hope this helps. J.C. Thompson Txcherind@aol.com

Mount Tabor Cemetery- Rusk County, Texas

6 miles south of Kilgore, Texas

(destroyed by oil field workers)

1.) Jesse Mayfield Adair-Cherokee b. 11/28/1841 d. 1/12/1864 Son of Judge John Thompson Adair and Penelope Mayfield. Killed in Civil War in Colonel William Penn Adair's unit. Was not married.

2.) Devereaux Jarrett Bell-Cherokee b. 1817 d. 1875 Son of John Bell and Charlotte Adair. Husband of Juliette Lewis Bell. Note: Devereaux was with the Texas Cherokees under Duwali and sought to purchase the land making up Mt. Tabor along with his brother Samuel in 1840. He is thought by some to have been known as Chicken Trotter. This would be the same Chicken Trotter that signed the treaties of 1843 and 1844. He briefly went to California in 1849 to seek gold but returned after the death of his brother Samuel. His eventual death was brought about by virtue of his mistreatment as a POW in the Civil War.

3.) James Foster Bell-Cherokee b. 11/2/1841 d. 10/14/1867 {questionable-may have been buried in the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory} Son of David Bell and Nancy "Nannie" Martin. Note: Ross Faction Cherokees killed David Bell because he was a brother to a signer of the Treaty of New Echota. He himself did not take part in the treaty.

4.) John Bell-Cherokee b. 5/1/1782 d. 7/12/1852 Son of John Bell of Scotland and a Full Blood Cherokee Woman of the Deer Clan. Husband of Charlotte Adair. Note: Charlotte Adair died in 1839 in the Flint District of the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory. She was the daughter of John Adair of Scotland and Gahoga a full blood Cherokee. Note: John Bell was a signer of the Treaty of New Echota.

5.) John Adair "Jack" Bell-Cherokee b. 1/1/1806 d. 1860 Son of John Bell and Charlotte Adair. Husband of Sabra Bell (nee Lynch)

6.) John Martin Bell-Cherokee b. 1838 d. 1/20/1858 Son of David Bell and Nancy "Nannie" Martin. Husband of Sarah Caroline Bell (nee Harnage)

7.) Juliette Lewis Bell-Cherokee (nee Vann) Wife of Devereaux Jarrett Bell

8.) Sabra Bell-Cherokee (nee Lynch) {questionable-may have been buried in the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory} Daughter of Jeter Lynch and Nancy "Nannie" Martin. Wife of John Adair Bell. Note: Jeter Lynch was an Irishman. Nancy Martin was the daughter of Susannah Emory, (the granddaughter of Ludovic Grant and Eughioote) and General Joseph Martin. She was the full sister of Judge John Martin and half sister of Texas Cherokee Chief Richard Fields. Further Note: General Joseph Martin was also married to Mary Emory, sister of Susannah and Elizabeth "Betsy" Ward the daughter of Bryan Ward a whiteman and Ghigau or Nancy Ward.

9.) Robert N. Berryhill-Creek b. 1825 d. February 1853, son of William Berryhill and Elizabeth Nixon

10.) William "Bill" Berryhill-Creek b. 1791 d. 1864, son of John Berryhill and Martha Elizabeth Derrisaw, husband of Elizabeth Nixon

11.) Nancy Ethel Boon-Cherokee (nee Harnage) b. 9/18/1858 d. 5/18/1887 Daughter of Jesse Mayfield and Emily Walker Starr. Wife of William Boon, son of Kitchen Porter Boon and Catherine. Nancy was the last person believed to be buried at Mt. Tabor.

12.) Elizabeth Candy-Cherokee (nee Watie) b. 1814 (questionable-may be buried in the Cherokee Nation) Daughter of Oowatee and Susannah Reese. Wife of George Washington Candy

 

13.) Elizabeth Hughes Candy-Cherokee (nee Bell) b. 1807 d. 7/28/1848 Daughter of John Bell and Charlotte Adair. Wife of George Washington Candy

14.) George Washington Candy-Cherokee b. 1805 d. 5/9/1856 Son of Samuel Candy & Elizabeth West. Husband of Elizabeth Hughes Candy (nee Bell) and Elizabeth Candy (nee Watie). Note: George Candy was the grandson of Catherine Kingfisher the daughter of Ghigau (Nancy Ward) and Tsu La Kingfisher

15.) Simeon Christie-Cherokee b. 1865 d. 1870 Son of John Francis Marion Christie and Jane Z. Starr

16.) Anacrion Bell Duncan-Cherokee {infant} Son of Dr. Walter Adair Duncan and Martha Jane Bell

17.) Martha Jane Duncan-Cherokee (nee Bell) b. 1827 d. 10/9/1857 Daughter of John Bell and Charlotte Adair. Wife of Dr. Walter Adair Duncan

18.) Sarah Emily Goss-Cherokee (nee Bean) b. 5/4/1830 d. 3/11/1863 Daughter of Captain John Bean and Ruth Starr. Wife of Benjamin Franklin Goss son of Thomas Goss and Mary Adair

19.) Jesse Mayfield Harnage-Cherokee b. 1849 d. 1858 Son of John Griffith Harnage and Emily Walker Mayfield. John Griffith Harnage was the son of Ambrose Harnage and Nancy Sanders. Emily Harnage was the daughter of Jesse Mayfield and Sarah "Sallie" Walker Starr.

20.) Elizabeth Horton-Cherokee, Chickasaw (nee Hicks) b. 1810 d. 1869 Daughter of Rueben Hicks and Chomoctay a full blood Chickasaw. Wife of J.R. Horton sometimes spelled Houghton. Note: Rueben was the son of Nathan Hicks Jr. and Mary Mason. Further he was the grandson of Nathan Hicks Sr. and Nayehi a full blood Cherokee. Nathan Hicks Jr. was the brother of Cherokee Chiefs Charles R. Hicks and William Hicks.

21.) Cornelia Mayfield-Cherokee b. 1848 d. 1849 Daughter of Jesse Mayfield and Sarah "Sallie" Walker Starr

22.) Jesse Mayfield-Cherokee b. 5/18/1793 d. 12/14/1857 Son of Jesse Mayfield and Penelope Broucher. (non-Indian). Husband of Sarah "Sallie" Walker Starr the daughter of Caleb Starr and Nancy "Nannie" Harlan

23.) Susannah McNair-Cherokee (nee Martin) b. 1815 d. 9/1864 Daughter of Judge John Martin and Eleanor "Nellie" McDaniel. Wife of Clement Vann McNair. Note: Judge John Martin was the first Chief Justice of the Cherokee Nation.

24.) Marianne Celeste Oaks-Cherokee (nee Duncan) {questionable-may be buried in the

Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory} Daughter of Dr. Walter Adair Duncan and Martha Jane Bell

25.) Caleb Starr Rider-Cherokee b. 1815 d. ca. 1855 {questionable as this is rumor only, no specific data on his place of burial} Son of Austin Rider of Virginia and Mary "Polly" Pauline Starr. Husband of Elsie Price. Note: grandson of Caleb Starr and Nancy "Nannie" Harlan

26.) Elsie Rider-Cherokee (nee Price) Wife of Caleb Starr Rider {questionable}

27.) Charlotte Starr-Cherokee b. 12/28/1840 d. 9/28/1845 Daughter of George Harlan Starr and Nancy "Nannie" Bell

28.) Ellis Harlan Starr-Cherokee b. 1822 d. 1848 Son of Thomas Starr and Nannie Wolf

29.) John Walker Starr {killed in Mississippi-CSA} b. 7/18/1842 d. 6/19/1862 Son of George Harlan Starr and Nancy "Nannie" Bell

30.) Nancy "Nannie" Starr-Cherokee (nee Bell) b. 7/14/1814 d. 9/14/1864 Daughter of John Bell and Charlotte Adair. Wife of George Harlan Starr

31.) William K. Starr-Cherokee b. 3/9/1835 d. 9/9/1858 Son of George Harlan Starr and Nancy "Nannie" Bell

32.) Puskush Thompson-Choctaw, Chickasaw b. 1860 d. 1860 {Infant} Son of Thomas Umphres Thompson and Martha Strong Thompson.

33.) Adelia Chukmasi Thompson-Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw b. 1870 d. 1871 {Infant} Daughter of Lemuel Turner Thompson and Sarah Jane Henson.

34.) Hugh McCoy "Mack" Thompson-Choctaw, Chickasaw b. 1831 d. 9/23/1858 Son of Archibald Thompson and Anna Strong Thompson. Husband of Nancy Slocum and Eliza A. Blackwell. Note: Archibald was the brother of William Thompson, who along with Devereaux and Samuel Bell attempted to secure title to lands near Mt. Tabor in 1840 from the Republic of Texas. Archibald was Choctaw & Chickasaw by blood the son of Henry Butt Thompson (of Cheraw descent) and Margaret McCoy (a half-blood Choctaw-Chickasaw). Anna was Cheraw by blood the daughter of John Thompson (brother of Henry Butt Thompson) and Mary Strong (both Cheraw descendants)

35.) Charles Avoy Vann-Cherokee b. 11/18/1842 d. 12/8/1858 Son of David Vann. Note: Pin Indians (pro-Union Cherokees) during the Civil War killed David Vann. He lived in the area under Duwali until the Cherokee War in 1839 at which time he returned to the Cherokee Nation for a period and then returned with Ridge Party members to Mt. Tabor where he remained until the Civil War broke out.

36.) Do Goo Goo Vann-Cherokee b. 10/15/1845 d. 12/29/1845 {Infant} Son of David Vann

37.) Nicholas Byers Vann-Cherokee b. 4/18/1832 d. 4/18/1859 Son of David Vann

38.) Sabina Wyche-Cherokee (nee Mayfield) b. 1840 d. 1877 Daughter of Jesse Mayfield and Sarah "Sallie" Walker Starr

39.) Lilla Wyche-Cherokee {Infant} Daughter of George William Wyche and Sabina Mayfield

40.) Starr Wyche-Cherokee {Infant} Daughter of George William Wyche and Sabina Mayfield