Notes
from entries above:
John & Nancy Coulter's graves: According
to "Mason Co., W.Va. Cemetery Inscriptions", Nancy Kimberling
Coulter was buried at Arbuckle Cemetery, and this tombstone was not
present at this cemetery at the time of publication of that work - it is
obvious that the stone has been brought to this cemetery (noting the
newer cement base on this stone), though the reasons for the move are
unknown by WVCPA. In one of the overview photos of the cemetery at
the top of this page, Nancy's tombstone is the only one visible from a
distance (being the only one that remains upright) - it was what caught
my eye the first time Joel & I drove past, giving indication that
this was indeed a cemetery. The note, as it is recorded in the above
text, is as follows: "COULTER, John died July 24, 1892, age 74
yrs., a monument to this man stands in the Craig Cemetery at Arbuckle
where his wife Nancy Kimberling Coulter lies."
Lewis Tillis' grave: Not
certain that this headstone is Lewis', but if you look on the lower left
corner of the stone as it is in the photo, the hand-carved date appears
to be 1889 or 1881. According to the research of Violette Machir,
as published in "Mason Co., W.Va. Cemetery Inscriptions", the
person in this family cemetery with a death date of 1889 or 1881 is
Lewis Tillis. There is some mystery in this too, however, as
according to her research in the late 1960's, the only remaining
tombstone in this cemetery at the time was that of Emily Jane Sayre
Tillis, born in 1862 and died in 1944. Neither of those dates match what
is clearly visible on this very old stone. This may also be the
stone of Ella Pontsler Tillis, if her death date was actually
1881. According to Violette's research, her death date was about
1883 - it might be possible that she died as early as 1881, and this is
her stone. Any Tillis or Pontsler family researchers have any
information that would help identify this stone positively? Emily
Jane Tillis' grave: Though a monument was know to be present in 1969
when this cemetery was last recorded, it was no longer present in April
2004. Either it has fallen down and been covered by the soil and
moss, or it has been removed. We have yet to explore this cemetery
with any type of probes to locate stones buried by a shallow covering of
soil. When this is done, it is possible that Emily's stone will
again be found and placed upright to mark her burial place. Richard
& Elizabeth Tillis' graves: Notes from Violette Machir:
"Richard and wife, known as Grandpa and Grandma Tillis, in all
probability Richard 1809-1891 and wife Elizabeth Greenlee Van Bibber,
dau. of Rachel Greenlee and Jesse Van Bibber, born 1802 died 1883.
Death records 2nd Dist. page 576, line 53, 'Elizabeth Tillis, May 15,
1883 age 81 dau. of Jesse and R. Van Bibber, Richard Tillis hb. giving
info.' " |