Locality:
Realty Map: 707-0207 Cultural Affiliation: Euro-American
USGS Map:
Grid Locus: I-10/J-10 Elevation: 1000 feet
UTM Easting: 597000 Aspect: Southwest
UTM Northing: 4127340
Site Dimensions: 112.5 by 170 feet
Survey Description:
Site consists of a large cemetery with a minimum of 91 interments. About half of the cemetery is maintained and
covered with grass while the other part is wooded with a thick carpet of
periwinkle and dense briars near the site perimeters. The Short family is in the process of
clearing vegetation. Dense ground cover prohibited an accurate count of
graves. Observed graves included: 34
marked with granite or marble markers, 38 marked with uninscribed fieldstone
markers, at least 12 unmarked graves, and seven marked by remnants of original
markers or modern replacement stones that were not inscribed. According to family histories, many other
interments are present and the cemetery has no vacant areas. All of the observed graves were oriented to
the east. Yucca and periwinkle
groundcover are present. The cemetery
contains a broad range of headstones from plain and uninscribed fieldstones to
ornate, well-crafted soapstone markers to modern granite and marble stones.
Site was field inspected, photographed, and headstone inscriptions were
transcribed and compared to previous site documentation. Site size was derived by inspection of local
realty maps.
Survey Date: 11/97
Field Notes: _x_Yes ___No
Photographs: _x_Yes ___No
Reference(s):
1986
Works Progress Administration of
Document #126.
Additional Comments: Assigned temporal period was derived
from death dates on observed headstones.
However, the presence of uninscribed fieldstone markers and unmarked
graves may indicate an earlier use of the site.
Members of the Short family are clearing the vegetated areas of the
cemetery and placing small, uninscribed
marble markers on unmarked graves.
Ownership of the site is unclear but the Short family has traditionally
provided periodic maintenance of the site.
Cemetery is marked on local realty maps.
This cemetery was initially surveyed by the WPA in 1936 and
designated “the Thrasher Graveyard.”
The survey form listed biographical information pertaining to eight interments. Of note, the WPA survey form stated, “this
old graveyard may have been started as early as 1775 . . . the condition is
very poor. Tombstones are broken down,
some scattered, others are leaning, and some lying out in the field. There must be a hundred graves with no
markers other than bare stones, and others with none.”
The RVHS also surveyed the cemetery and documented
biographical information from 17 headstones which predate 1920 (1986: 229-230)..
The following information was transcribed from headstones observed
during the 1997 survey.
Thrasher-Short
Cemetery (continued)
Marker inscriptions:
____________ Francis
L. Sanders I.
L. S.
Born Born (footstone
only
May 10, 1810 Nov.
19, 1806 headstone
is
Died Died missing)
Jan. 5, 1881
(stone broken - (Stone
has broken
top part missing) and
fallen)
In Memory of Florence Viola
Miss. M. Galaspy Aged Aged
Died April 26th 1883. 10
months 3
years
Aged 16 years (footstone:
F.E.G.) (footstone:
V.A.G.)
and
Florence.E & Viola.
Children of
J.E. & F.F. Gates
(footstone: M.V.G.)
Dave W. Short Uninscribed J. W.
K.
Apr. 17, 1875 formal (footstone
only
Sept. 11, 1945 headstone headstone
is
&
footstone)
missing)
Our mother James
Calvin Short Lewis
Edward
Annie L. Short June
7, 1870 Short
Sept. 3, 1844 Nov.
18, 1927
Sept. 29, 1933
Nannie Louise Susan
Wilda Short Sarah
Maggie Short
Short Beloved
mother of
Aug. 14, 1918 Cecil
Edward Short
Sept. 8, 1940 May
10, 1904 -
Steven Paul Short Carrie
Belle John
Thrasher
July 4, 1881X Short Short
Nov. 16, 1935X Mar.
1, 1927
Aug. 12, 1927
At rest
Edith Austin David
Lynn Raymond
Nelson
Feb. 22, 1886 infant
son of infant
son of
Sept. 4, 1947 Geo.
& Dorothy Short Geo.
& Dorothy Short
Feb. 13, 1947