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Clay County preservation board schedules cemetery cleanups, installs veteran marker and seeks to identify unmarked graves
Summary
The Clay County Historical Preservation Board announced volunteer cleanups at Solder and McKendry cemeteries, reported installation of a Confederate veteran marker for James Cornelius West, and described efforts to locate and mark unmarked graves using dowsing rods; funding for small metal markers is donation‑based.
The Clay County Historical Preservation Board on [date not specified] outlined a series of cemetery maintenance and marking efforts across the county, including volunteer cleanups, newly placed veteran headstones and ongoing work to identify unmarked burials.
A board member said Keep Clay Beautiful will include Solder Cemetery in a cleanup on April 18 from 8:30 a.m. to noon and that volunteers are already lined up. “Jason says he's already got volunteers set up, so that's awesome,” the member said, asking residents to help remove storm debris and branches.
The board reported that a Confederate veteran stone for James Cornelius West was installed on March 20 with assistance from the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The same speaker said a proposed marker submission for James Keane remains under review pending documentary and family evidence that he is buried at the site.
Members described locating several unmarked burials in Slaughter Cemetery using divining (dowsing) rods. One board member cautioned, “We do not do any digging,” and said the rods are used only to identify soil disturbances in places where records indicate unmarked graves exist. The board plans to place small metal markers—offered as a $20 sponsorship option paid by donors or families—to help preserve memory where no formal stone exists.
Research updates included identifying a long‑mystery burial as Julia McMullen, who died in 1913 at age 22. The speaker characterized this as narrowing historical uncertainty: “We believe weve identified who that mystery person is.”
Volunteers also cleared storm damage at McKendry Cemetery after a recent storm; a workday was tentatively scheduled for April 12 from 9 a.m. to noon. The board said a "D" marker noting Revolutionary War veteran Lewis Wilford is missing from Old Hickory Grove and that outreach is ongoing to find a replacement marker.
A separate inquiry about an apparent burial on private land (near the Reinhold property) prompted contact with news organizations and law enforcement. A board member said homicide detectives excavated the site and that an autopsy for the remains was pending; the member described the remains as likely belonging to a pet and urged residents who find suspected burials to notify authorities rather than excavate themselves.
Why it matters: Clay County's volunteer preservation work and modest donor funding help maintain cemetery records and memorials for veterans and early residents, while the board's record‑checking and outreach aim to reduce errors in local GIS and archival records.
Next steps: volunteers will be mobilized for set workdays; the board will continue to research and pursue marker submissions where documentary or family evidence supports burial claims. The board encouraged residents with family information to contact staff and support marker sponsorships.
Sources and attribution: Quotes and details in this article are drawn from meeting remarks by board members and staff recorded in the Clay County Historical Preservation Board transcript (see provenance).
