by Bettye Wooten Sherwood
Hubbard’s Cove, an old and prosperous community in Grundy County, is located at the foot of Cumberland Mountain and at the headwaters of Hickory Creek. This community was recognized in deeds as early as 1819. Many pioneers of Grundy County lived, died, and are buried in Hubbard’s Cove. Among the most recognized are James Winton I, who was a holder of one of the first land grants in Hubbard’s Cove and his son, James “Juber” Winton, at whose home in Hubbard’s Cove the first election was held for the purpose of establishing the county of Grundy. At the same time another noted pioneer, Jesse Wooton, held the election on the mountain at the home of Robert Tate. Jesse Wooton’s house became the first Grundy County Court House in August 1844. Among the first Justices of the Peace in Grundy County were Alfred Braley and Daniel Sain from Hubbard’s Cove. For many years Isaac Garretson served as a Justice of the Peace in Grundy County and was chairman of the court for 10 years. Other Justices of the Peace from Hubbard’s Cove were Michael Hoover, William Guest, Edmond Martin, Greek Braley, and Samuel J. Christian.
During the past two years, my husband, Bob, and I have been searching for information about the people, many of them ancestors, buried in cemeteries in the Hubbard’s Cove area. As we have learned about these people, it has become increasingly important to us to preserve their memory by safeguarding the places where they are buried. As we complete the task of restoring these old cemeteries, we are rewarded with a feeling of joy and satisfaction. We are very pleased with the increasing community interest and participation in these projects.The Winton Cemetery is located in the head of Hubbard’s Cove. It is the final resting-place for my gr. gr. grandparents, Jesse and Caroline Northcutt Winton, and for my gr. grandparents, Jesse Alfred and Malissa Ann Winton Wooton, as well as Jesse Alfred and Malissa’s children, Ruby and Lou. Bob put up a new fence to surround and protects this cemetery. Betty Meadows and Tammy Barrett help keep the cemetery cleared. Each year about Halloween, Tammy and her family have a hayride for the children in their family and other children in the area. It is a tradition that the hayride route goes past the Winton Cemetery.Our second project was to restore the Antioch Wooton Cemetery located on Jewel Murphy’s farm on the Viola Hillsboro Road in Coffee County. A new sign for the Antioch Wooton Cemetery marks the final resting place of several early pioneers including my gr. gr. gr. uncle Jonathan Wooton, a Revolutionary War soldier, Nancy Hampton Wooton, and their son, William Howard Wooton, a Civil War soldier who was killed at Perryville. This cemetery had been invaded by groundhogs. As the groundhogs had dug their holes, the earth had shifted and tombstones fell. Several stones were completely covered with dirt. The part that I enjoyed most was finding buried stones and digging them up. Five stones were dug up and reset including stones for Jonathan A. and Nancy A. Bonner Winton; Lacy and Lizzie Hittson, twin daughters of Langston and Sarah Jane Waggner Hittson; Lina Martin, daughter of Jesse and Amanda Martin; Infant Smart, child of Euclid Waterhouse and Nannie E. Davis Smartt, and the footstone for Alexander B. Davis. Sarah Wooton’s tombstone, which weighed about 400 lbs., had fallen and was partially covered with dirt. A tractor was used to raise this stone, and place it upright. Stones for A. B. Davis and his wife, Martha Wooton Davis, had fallen off their bases. The bases were leveled and set in concrete. Then the stones were placed on the bases. Mary Wooton Davis’ stone was leaning and had to be set upright, straightened and leveled. The tombstone for Cyrus Brown was broken into three pieces. Bob repaired it. All the stones were cleaned. A wrought iron fence, which surrounds the Wooton family stones, was also straightened and some repairs were made to it. Sod was donated by Carl Bouldin and placed on the graves. A new sign was placed at the cemetery. Tommy Murphy, James and Jared Qualls and Bob put up the sign. Tommy was at the cemetery every time that we worked and was a tremendous helper. Tommy also helps Bob keep the cemetery looking good. They mow about every two weeks.Marvin Chapel Wooton Cemetery is on the land owned by Lavern Stotts on Sherwood Road in Hubbard’s Cove. For many years Mr. Stotts has maintained this cemetery. This is a very old cemetery and until recently had no tombstones. Graves were marked by fieldstones only. Recently three tombstones have been placed in the cemetery. One tombstone was place by the family of Hence Winton and his daughter, Ida, as a remembrance of their burial there. We put up another stone that lists others buried in this cemetery. This stone lists those buried in Marvin Chapel Wooton Cemetery as: William Wooton, Rancy Braley Wooton, Elsbery Wooten, Stephen B. Winton, Sarah Wooton Winton, Henry Winton, Jr., Mamie Winton Harpole, Daisy Winton Cunningham, and Infant Sanders. We put up a third stone in memory of Jesse Wooton and family. Since this was at one time Jesse Wooton’s land and his son, William, is buried there, I feel certain that Jesse and other members of his family are also buried in this cemetery. Listed on the tombstone are the following: Jesse Wooton, Sarah Winton Wooton, Jonathan Wooton, Elizabeth Rhea Wooton, James Wooton, Susannah Berry Wooton, Nancy Wooton Winton and William Winton. Bob, James and Jared Qualls have also put a new sign up at this cemetery. The last cemetery, which we have restored, is the Braley Cemetery located in Hubbard’s Cove on Highway 108. This cemetery is the Alfred Braley family cemetery. Two large stones were already off their bases. Vandals pushed the upper section of the bases off and also had pushed large rocks off a wall that surrounds three graves belonging to Alfred Braley, Mary, his wife, and their son, Navigator. The tombstones including their upper bases are now upright, and the rocks have been put back on the wall. Eliza Braley Ramsey’s tombstone was broken in two pieces. Bob has repaired it. All the stones have been cleaned. A few small trees, which were growing inside the rock wall, have been cut. Many limbs and branches were removed. James and Jared Qualls were very helpful with this project. They brought a skid loader to use for raising the tombstones and for replacing the rocks on the wall. Bill Hobbs also helped with this project. An old cemetery, which we call Tennessee Winton Cemetery, is located on the Earth Sod Farm owned by Carl Bouldin. Years ago many tombstones were broken and carried away. The two remaining stones belong to Sarah Ann Hawk and Tennessee Winton. Tennessee Winton who died at the age of three was the daughter of Jesse and Caroline Northcutt Winton. Tennessee’s stone was broken into 8 pieces. It has been repair. Sarah’s stone is also broken into five pieces and has not yet been repaired. I wish that I knew who she was. There are also a few box graves with no visible writing.The Sain Cemetery is located on Dickerson Road in Hubbard’s Cove. At one time there were several tombstones in this family graveyard. Now there is only one stone remaining, and it is the stone belonging to the early pioneers Daniel Sain and his wife Martha.Coulson Cemetery is located just past Wesley Chapel Cemetery on the land belonging to Hoover Hancock. This old cemetery is the burial place of Isaac Garretson’s first wife, Fannie, and two of their children, Mary and Robert. Also buried here are early pioneers, James Parks and his wife, Margaret, as well as Sarah Coulson Herriford, wife of John Herriford, and Margaret Lee Harris, daughter of S. J. and Jane Harris. There are at least two unmarked stones in this cemetery, and there were two stones moved to Wesley Chapel Cemetery. The stones, which were moved, belong to Amzi Anthony and his mother, Nancy, and Vinela and Harriet Anthony. Vinela and Harriet are the daughters of Amzi and Amanda Parks Anthony.There are three additional cemeteries in Hubbard’s Cove. One is located near Mike Hawkins’ house on Garretson Road. At one time there were a few fieldstone to mark graves in this cemetery. There is another cemetery somewhere behind James Rhea’s house. There are no tombstones. A third small family cemetery is located on Raymond McCormick’s farm on Hugh Wooten Road. This is the burial place for Emery Braley. Emery’s tombstone is broken, but easy to read. Since the Braley’s home was located just down the hill from Emery’s grave, we believe that Emery’s wife, Elizabeth Wooton Braley, is also buried next to Emery and that her tombstone is covered with dirt. This spring we hope to find and dig up Elizabeth’s stone, repair Emery’s stone, and possibly put a fence around the graves.Of course the largest cemetery in Hubbard’s Cove is Wesley Chapel Cemetery. This cemetery is located on Highway 108 in Coffee County. It is just across the road from the community center, which is in Grundy County. Wesley Chapel is a large, beautiful cemetery, which is maintained by the efforts of the families of those buried in the cemetery. Many important pioneers are buried at Wesley Chapel and among those pioneers buried there are James “Juber” Winton, Gentile Braley, Isaac Garretson, John Wooton, Nimrod Sain, Sarah Lusk, William Rhea, Samuel J. Christian and Michael Hoover. If anyone has any information about the people mentioned in this article, I would like to hear form you. My e-mail address is bsherwood@blomand.net. 