Posted By:	Matt Wallace
	Email:
	Subject:	Forsyth Co., NC Crews Family cemetery location
	Post Date:	March 21, 2009 at 17:50:37
	Message URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/crews/messages/2220.html
	Forum:	Crews Family Genealogy Forum
	Forum URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/crews/

To whom it may concern: As the info in the reproduced e-mail below seems to be less than common knowledge, I figure I should post it here so my ancestors' graves won't be lost again. Actually, I should probably check on the site as I haven't been there since 2001! Hope this is useful. -- Matt Wallace ********************************************************** Subject: Crews Family cemetery located! Date: Monday, February 12, 2001 4:56 PM From: "Matt Wallace" <compleatheretic@yahoo.com> To: [my assorted relatives] Howdy all, As some of you know, I've been trying to locate the old Crews Family cemetery for a bit over a month now. This cemetery contains the graves of Joseph Peace Crews, Sr. (19 Apr 1782 - 9 May 1874) and Elizabeth Robinson Crews (19 Nov 1787 - 12 Aug 1861) who were Rosa Crews Whicker's great-grandparents. After more than twenty years of wanting to do so, I've finally found it. Thanks to everyone who tried to help earlier. Thanks to Otis Crews, I made contact with cousin Wade Tuttle (grandson of Rosa's brother Joseph Martin "Joe" Crews). Apparently, Wade is the only person in the family who knew the location of the cemetery. I finally got with him last Friday so he could show me where it was. From Wade's earlier description, I had figured that the graves were on a wooded lot at northwest corner of the intersection of Chelmsford Drive and Kitterling Lane in the Castleshire Woods subdivision at the end of Parrish Road. Wade led the way into the woodline on the southern edge of 3214 Kitterling. He stopped momentarily at a spot until he realized that he hadn't gone far enough; it had been awhile since he'd been there. We moved to a spot about 15 or 20 feet from the house at 3214. Wade was certain that we were in the right place, but the markers, which are laid flat Moravian style, weren't readily visible. We shuffled amongst the leaf litter until Wade found Joseph's marker. I noticed a tell-tale depression (indicative of the rotting and collapse of a wooden coffin) nearby and found the marker for W[illiam]. J[ehu]. Crews (24 Jan 1857 - 10 Feb 1866) after brushing away at least an inch of humus; he was Rosa's uncle and Joseph and Elizabeth's grandson. The graves aren't laid out in an orderly manner which made locating each of them somewhat problematic. Wade knew that Elizabeth was buried to Joseph's left but no amount of shuffling and prodding could uncover her stone. I noticed a depression in about the right location and started digging into the humus at the end of it until my fingers struck the marker. I pushed away a two or three inch layer of humus from about two-thirds of the marker leaving the rest for when I have a tool more substantial than my bare hands. Yes, the debris is that heavy. Wade said that there are at least two other unmarked graves which are outlined with bricks. I'm still trying to figure out who currently owns the land on which the cemetery lies. My mom and I met Curtis and Thelma Hatton, the owners of 3214, yesterday. According to Mr. Hatton, the easement for the cemetery partially lies on his land though the graves are in the neighboring lot. I'll have to go to the Forsyth Co. Register of Deeds to determine the actual terms of the easement. As you've probably gathered, the site is a bit overgrown and requires some reclamation. Once I've clarified the legal aspects, perhaps we could assemble a clean-up detail. --Matt Wallace ********************************************************** ========================================================== James Matthew Wallace Institute for Genealogical Research URL: http://www.JMWallaceIGR.com The genealogy web site of a severely disturbed individual E-mail: JMWallaceIGR@yahoo.com