APPENDIX C

With Special Help From

George William Whitmire, Sr., Jacksonville, Florida

William Arthur Speer, Jr., Atlanta, Georgia

Portraits By Edward Shanon Wood, Asheville, North Carolina

Published By

Wade Edward Speer

Marion, North Carolina

1998

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Ed Speer

34 Clear Creek Road

Marion, NC 28752-9423

(828) 724-4444

e-mail: [email protected]

Enlargements of Portraits By Shanon Wood Also Available Suitable for Framing

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NOTES FOR ONLINE BOOK VERSION

Original page numbers did not survive the file conversion to the Internet-ready html format.

Some editing of the original text has been done, such as correcting typos and eliminating unnecessary line spaces.

All images, including portraits, tombstone sketches, house sketches, and signature tracings have been omitted; however the text accompanying the images is retained.

The William Speer Descendent report (Chapter 1) has been omitted. A greatly updated version can be found at:

All cemeteries with Speer family graves are special. However, numerous cemeteries found during my research are particularly important to our family. Some of these are historic cemeteries. Others may be the final resting places of many Speer individuals, entire families, or our oldest ancestors.

All of these cemeteries are well worth visiting; the sooner the better. Most tombstones are made from relatively-soft marble or sandstone and their inscriptions seldom last more than 120 years. Many of our Speer tombstones are no longer readable. Some cemeteries and/or graves are no longer being maintained and will soon disappear.

This well-known historic cemetery is located near the abandoned communities of Bull Town and Church Hill, approximately 5.5 miles southeast of Lowndesville and 11 miles west of Abbeville. It lies on the east side of an unmarked and unpaved County Road about 1.8 miles north of County Highway 244 and 1.3 miles south of the junction of County Highways 55 and 140. It lies on the low ridge between Morrow Creek to the east and Gill Creek to the west. Nothing exists at the site except the heavily overgrown cemetery. The unmarked County Road is a surviving remnant of an historic late eighteenth and early nineteenth century well-traveled road through the Back County.

A fort against Indian attacks was built at a nearby spring in 1761. It was called Bull Fort in honor of William Bull, the Royal Governor of South Carolina. Governor Bull made peace with the Indians in 1761 and ended the French and Indian War. Peace brought great expansion and prosperity to the Back Country. Bull Fort was later used as protection against the British and the Tories during the Revolutionary War. Today it no longer exists.

The first Bull Town church was organized in 1772; but it was later moved to the site of the present graveyard and renamed Rocky River Presbyterian Church. The celebrated educator and preacher, Dr. Moses Waddel was pastor here for nine years. The church was subsequently moved to its present site two miles to the southeast.

William Speer, Sr. and his family were members of the Rocky River Presbyterian Church. William Speer, Jr.'s homestead at Monterey was located only 1.7 miles to the east and this family also attended the church.

The map accompanying the 1820 Mills' Atlas identifies the site as "R River M. H." Early churches were called Meeting Houses. The "Church Hill School" is shown nearby on the map. Church Hill was a US Post Office from 1820 to 1850. An 1830 letter from South Carolina Representative George McDuffie to State Comptroller General Alexander Speer², who apparently lived in the community, was addressed to Church Hill. In addition, Alexander Speer's famous report to the State Legislature, also in 1830, was mailed from the Church Hill Post Office.

Grier's 1894 Official Topographic Map of Abbeville County identifies the site as "Rocky River P Ch." The map also shows that Elijah Hunt Speer³ lived nearby.

The cemetery has not been maintained for many years and today is heavily overgrown.

Many pioneers, including the following Speer individuals are buried here:

William Speer, Sr. 1747-1830

Eleanor Little Norris Speer 1749-1795

Elijah Hunt Speer 1828-1908

Sarah C. Robertson Speer 1835-1885

Lilla May Speer 1873-1874

William Speer, Jr. 1788-1877

Mary Sue Gill Speer 1793-1879

George Washington Speer, Sr. 1835-1915

George Mason Speer 1873-1898

Caroline Giles Speer 1876-1878

The Smyrna Methodist Church Cemetery is located on County Highway 529 Spur about 1.4 miles northwest of Lowndesville, Abbeville County, South Carolina. It lies immediately east of the junction of County Highways 79 and 64 and is 1.7 miles southeast of the Anderson-Abbeville County line. Two sections of the cemetery exist; the larger section lies east of Highway 79 while the smaller section lies to the west of the highway. The Smyrna Methodist Church is located in Lowndesville.

Members of the Andrew Jackson Speer³ and William Mark Speer⁴ families are buried in the large section of the cemetery:

Andrew Jackson Speer, MD 1833-1918

Sophia Lola Williamson

Verdel Speer 1839-1895

Jonnie Verdel Speer 1858-1894

Lola Jackson Speer 1866-1886

William Mark Speer 1868-1966

Eula May Kay Speer 1882-1967

William Mark Speer, Jr 1922-1931

Ethel May Speer 1922-1985

Kittie Kay Speer 1914-1945

Benjamin Caldwell Kay 1849-1905

Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Abbeville Co., SC

The Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery is located in the center of Lowndesville, Abbeville County, South Carolina. The church and cemetery lie on the west side of State Highway 71 at the ninety-degree bend in that road. The church was formerly called Lowndesville Presbyterian.

Many Speer families attended this church and several are current members. John Speer² joined the church in 1809 and was ordained a Ruling Elder in 1816. In addition to John's family, most of the other Speer family members buried here were descendants of William, Jr.², Elijah Hunt³ and Lawrence Orr Speer⁴. They include:

John Speer 1784-1866

Elizabeth Ann Harris

Caldwell Speer 1789-1851

Sarah M. Speer 1829-1851

Sarah Elenor Speer d. @ 11 mos

Bolivar Speer d. @ 10 mos & 26 days

Wilma Belle Speer 1896-1981

Lindsay Baker Speer 1890-1949

Nellie Martin Speer 1898-1921

Lawrence Thomas Speer 1919-1920

Ida Cook Speer 1897-1980

Eugenia Kennedy Speer 1861-1948

Lawrence Orr Speer 1856-1915

Georgia Caroline Baker Speer 1859-1926

Robert Ligon Speer 1892-1954

Beverly Henry Speer 1894-1957

Hazel Speer 1924-1926

Martin Orr Speer 1879-1947

Ella Ree Brown Speer 1886-1918

James Emral Speer 1912-1912

Minnie Leeola Speer 1914-1959

Gordon Verdel Speer 1880-1963

Jessie Clinkscales Speer 1886-1964

L. D. Speer 1837-1895

The Old Silverbrook Cemetery is the City Cemetery and is located on the southeast side of Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina. It lies west of the intersection of US Highways 76-178 and 29. This large cemetery is bounded by White Street on the west and Shockley Ferry Road (US 29) on the east. The entrance is from White Street.

The many family members buried here include:

Baby Girl Speer 1965-1965

Arthur Jackson Speer 1881-1970

Vera Nettie Allen Speer 1884-1974

Allen Watson Speer 1909-1910

Eleanor Carolyn Speer Bush 1920-1990

John Fleetwood Speer 1902-1994

Una Mae Burriss Speer 1905-1993

William Andrew Speer 1878-1959

Henrietta Seel Speer 1877-1963

George William Speer 1886-1961

Jane Cunningham Gibert Speer 1887-1920

Mary Hamilton Speer Burton 1917-1989

Juliet Foster Speer 1898-1979

Richard Williamson Speer, Sr 1871-1962

Alice Clinkscales Speer 1876-1937

Caroline Fleetwood Speer 1908-1990

Richard Williamson Speer, Jr 1900-1975

Kate Ballard Speer 1909-

Thomas Cater Speer 1883-1973

Irene Murphy Cater Speer 1875-1957

McDuffie Miller Cater 1861-1905

David Speer Shillinglaw 1968-1968

Mary Sue Giles Speer 1852-1927

The Plumb Branch City Cemetery is located on the northeast edge of Plumb Branch, McCormick County, South Carolina. It lies on the east side of County Highway 101 between County Highways 139 and 283. It is approximately 0.4 miles from the center of town.

The following family members are buried here:

Foster Pierce Speer, Rev 1874-1971

Henrietta Augusta Pooser Speer 1877-1972

Oscar Lee Sturkey 1899-1953

Ethel Elizabeth Speer 1907-1953

Marion Benjamin Sturkey 1837-1920

Annie Laura Collier Sturkey 1858-1935

Milledge Napoleon Sturkey 1892-1935

The Melrose Cemetery is located on the northwest side of Abbeville, Abbeville County, South Carolina. It lies between and immediately north of the intersection of State Highways 28 and 71. This is approximately 1.4 miles northwest of the town square.

Buried here are:

George Mason Speer, Sr. 1901-1980

Mary Shaw Gilliam 1906-1987

Samuella Speer Brown 1940-1989

The Oakland Cemetery is the Gaffney City Cemetery and is located near Limestone College in Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina. It is to the west of College Drive and is bounded by College Drive, Thompson Street, Church Street and Rest Street.

Buried here are:

Governor Wade Speer, Sr 1876-1951

Medora L. Scott Speer 1883-1941

Meatrice Hicks Speer 1914-1974

Benjamin F. Scott 1842-1895

Agnes Lipscomb Scott McArthur 1849-1933

The Riverside Cemetery is located along the west side of the Ocmulgee River in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia. It lies between Riverside Drive and the river just north of town center.

Buried here are:

Emory Speer 1848-1918

Eleanora D. Morgan Speer 1858-1919

Sally Dearing Speer Signor 1876-1959

Andrew Hasell Heyward 1883-1953

Marion Sherwood Speer Heyward 1874-1970

Emory Speer Heyward 1904-1990

Eugenia Louise Powell Heyward 1904-1980

Anne Middleton Speer Anderson 1872-1940

Eleanor Burr 1898-1932

The Oconee Hill Cemetery is located between the Oconee River and the University of Georgia Football Stadium in Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. The entrance is from East Campus Drive immediately east of the stadium.

Buried here are:

Eustace Willhouby Speer, DD 1826-1899

Ann Elizabeth King Speer 1827-1910

Laura Speer 1855-1920

Lula Ann Speer Thomas 1850-1874

Sallie Dearing Speer 1851-1879

The Bethlehem Methodist Church and Cemetery are located on the south side of State Highway 72 in southeast Elbert County, Georgia. They lie about 2.5 miles west of the Savannah River and 2 miles east of the intersection of State Highways 72 and 79. This church was organized in 1788.

Buried here are:

Sarah Chandler Williamson Verdel 1795-1846

Infant Son of Dr. A.J. and S.L. Speer 1863-1863

Infant Daughter of Dr. A.J. and S.L. Speer 1861-1861

The Hillview Cemetery is located on the east side of US Highway 27 in LaGrange, Troup County, Georgia.

Buried here are:

John F. Moreland, Dr 1817-1878

Sarah Anne Amoss Moreland 1822-1877

Geraldine Z. Moreland Speer 1846-1909

J. A. Speer d. @ 27 yrs

The Ruckersville United Methodist Church and Cemetery are located in the Ruckersville Community about 6.5 miles northeast of Elberton, Elbert County, Georgia. They lie on the south side of the Ruckersville Road just west of the Community center. This church was organized in 1796.

Buried here are:

Joseph W. Rucker 1859-1907

Addie V. Nash 1863-1912

Beatrice Rucker 1886-1888

Joe W. Rucker 1902-1948

Joseph Lamar Rucker 1930-1933

Marvin W. Rucker 1897-1957

Harley W. Rucker 1892-1967

Infant dau of Harley W. Rucker

Infant Joan Rucker

Kenelm Earle Rucker 1888-1958

Willie Vickery 1891-1976

The Van's Creek Baptist Church and Cemetery are located in the Community of Ruckersville, about 6.5 miles northeast of Elberton, Elbert County, Georgia. They lie along a short loop road north of the Ruckersville Road. This church was organized in 1785.

Buried here are:

Joseph Rucker 1788-1864

Margaret Houston Speer 1792-1864

William S. Rucker 1820-1850

Martha E. Rucker Durrett 1815-1847

Guy Whitner Rucker 1898-1981

Odella Melissa Shirley Rucker 1903-1988

Ella Francis Rucker 1888-1939

Guy Glover Rucker 1868-1940

Lucia Herndon Hicks Rucker 1872-1945

The Westview Cemetery is located in southwest Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. It lies immediately north of Interstate 20 between exits 17 and 18. The address is 1680 Westview Drive, S.W. which is approximately 2.8 miles from downtown.

The following family members are buried here:

Daniel Norwood Speer 1836-1893

Aurelia Roberta Moreland Speer 1842-1905

John Moreland Speer 1873-1923

Robert Spalding Speer 1877-1942

Annie Baird Speer 1879-1968

George Alexander Speer, Sr. 1853-1931

Loudie N. Patterson Speer 1858-1932

George Alexander Speer, Jr 1893-1924

Loudie Speer Burgin 1900-1924

Aurelia Speer Corder 1913-1980

Silvey Speer McKenzie 1891-1989

Virginia Speer Daub 1907-1988

William James Speer 1846-1931

Annie Speer James 1870-1947

Louise Speer Arnold 1880-1959

The Culloden Cemetery is located in the Town of Culloden in the extreme southwest corner of Monroe County, Georgia. It lies on the northwest edge of the small town about a mile west of US Highway 341.

Buried here are:

Alexander Speer, Rev 1790-1856

Elizabeth Middleton ????-1838

Mary P. Baird Grant Speer ????-1840

The Oakhill Cemetery is located in Griffin, Spalding County, Georgia. It lies on both sides of State Highway 16 east of the center of town. Members of the Alexander Middleton Speer³ family are buried in the Old Section south of the highway.

Buried here are:

Alexander Middleton Speer, Judge 1820-1897

Mary Ann Battle Speer 1822-1878

Henry A. Speer , MD 1841-1864

Alice M. Speer 1857-1871

Charles Carroll Speer 1855-1873

Arthur Middleton Speer, MD 1862-1931

Trent Farley Speer 1865-1904

Annie Speer ????-1883

Charles R. Speer 1877-1882

The Isabella Methodist Church and Cemetery are located at Maplesville, Chilton County, Alabama. They lie along County Highway 29 (or 139?), approximately two miles north of State Highway 22.

Buried here are:

George Leard Speer 1853-1911

Sarah Evaline Jones Speer 1867-1918

Edgar Jerome Speer 1888-1910

Grady Briggs Speer 1891-1918

Wilbur Leard Speer 1892-1961

Gladyes Speer 1900-1929

Seaborn Alexander Speer 1902-1918

Lavinia Era Speer 1903-1918

Bessie Sula Groom 1894-1948

Infant Dau of W. L. Speer 1934

William Mont Whitmire, Jr. 1931

Jack Speer 1920-1938

Seaborn Jones 1828-1905

Penelope Jones 1842-1912

The Speer Family Cemetery is located on the west side of US Highway 231 and approximately 1,000 feet north of Little Weoka Creek in Elmore County (formerly part of Coosa County), Alabama. The cemetery lies on private property in a grove of trees atop a hill approximately 1,300 feet west of the highway. The map location is in Section 11, T.20, R. 18 and marks the former site of the small Speer Chapel (church). The property is owned by Mrs. Judson Waites.

Buried here are:

John Alexander Speer 1814-1910

Sarah A. Speer 1823-1905

Nina E. Speer 1879-1897

Sarah C. Speer Johnson 1851-1892

George Johnson 1847-1894

The Lakeview Cemetery is located on west 25th Street in Sanford. In Block 25 adjacent to the large gazebo in the center of the old section of the cemetery, the following Speer family members are buried:

Arthur Alexander Speer 1839-1891

Milton Alexander Speer 1877-1908

Algernon Sidney Speer, Jr. 1845-1917

Carrie W. Rider Speer 1859-1939

Oscar W. Speer 1885-1923

Nettie C. Speer Ingram 1880-1948

John L. Ingram 1875-1928

Algernon L. Ingram 1906-1907

Mary Caroline Ingram -1912

Mary Christiana Speer Doyle 1843-1920

Michael John Doyle 1837-1888

Ida Elly Doyle Lane 1866-1891

Mae Speer Doyle 1877-1924

Arthur John Doyle 1868-1944