How many of you have fantasized about one area of your genealogy research?  Something that seems unattainable, but would give so much information for your family tree?  I have always felt drawn to the Linton family cemetery, located on North Hwy 555 just outside the small town of Springfield in Washington County, Kentucky.

My first experience with this cemetery was during my later high school years.  I specifically remember asking my grandmother, Alice Montgomery Carrico, where the cemetery was located.  She said it was on the road that she lived on as a child, perhaps a mile closer to town than their house.  I believe at the time Hwy 555 was that road – at the back of the cemetery.  Now the new Hwy 555 runs in front of the cemetery.  Grandmother said it could be seen from the road.  Armed with hoes, pruning sheers and other garden tools my parents and I went to find it.  It took time, but we did find it, and cut our way through the brush to find Captain John Linton’s gravestone.  At that time that was the primary goal – to locate and photograph his gravestone.  Other discoveries were left for another day.

Over the 50 years since then I have been numerous times – not quite so often when our children were small, but after Linton and Kate were in college, genealogy became my passion once again.  At the time Taylor Spalding owned the land, the cemetery was in pristine condition.  Only seven gravestones, but they could be seen from the road! 

Years later the land was sold, and the cemetery left to itself.  We were back to walking through weeds and small trees.  About 15 years ago Redemption Point Church of God bought the property, built a church and have beautifully maintained the cemetery.  Now they have added a fence for a cemetery for church members – between the Linton cemetery fence and their new one.

I’m sure many of you have read of the exciting adventures Ritchey and I experienced during our two trips to Kentucky last spring.  We visited so many cemeteries, traveled the entire state of Kentucky – from east to west and back again!  But if I had to name the number one experience it would be the day in May 2023 when Billy Wilkerson from the Simpson County Historical Society came and used ground penetrating radar at the Linton cemetery.  Captain John Hancock Linton, who fought in the Revolutionary War in the Loudoun County Virginia Militia is buried there.  Captain John purchased 2,000 acres of land in Washington County and in 1818 he brought his family 600 miles from Leesburg, Virginia, to the area.  A few of his children made the journey a few years before him.  One daughter and son-in-law moved back to Virginia after a few years – Elizabeth Rebecca Linton and her husband Richard Keene.  Two moved to Missouri – son Lewis Linton and wife Sarah Janes, and daughter Catherine Linton and husband Henry Taylor.  A couple of children or grandchildren moved to the neighboring counties of Nelson and Marion.  Of the ten children of Captain John and his wife Ann Mason, 7 remained in the tri-county area.

Back to May 2023.  There are seven gravestones in the Linton Cemetery.  In the 1900-1910 time period, an iron fence was erected around the perimeters of the cemetery – or at least what was thought at the time.  Billy Wilkerson found 32 unmarked graves – 9 outside the cemetery fence, 23 inside the fence.  This was always my fear that individuals were buried outside the fence.  In the very early 1900’s there may have been no one who remembered where the unmarked graves were located, making it a guess as to what boundaries the cemetery had.  If the cemetery was on farmland, it would be of no consequence.  But since Redemption Point Church of God have started burials in the area outside the cemetery, this was a true concern to me, and rightly so since we found 9 graves outside the cemetery.  One new burial is six inches from an older grave.

There are seven gravestones in the Linton cemetery – John Linton, William Moran, Eliza Linton, William Linton, Rev. Benjamin Franklin Linton, John L. Edwards, Millie N. Edwards.

In the last ten months I have pored over burials in Washington, Nelson and Marion counties, trying to find where Captain John and Ann’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are buried.  To narrow down who may be buried in the Linton Cemetery – and I think I am ready to share the list with you.  I do not know in which grave they are buried, of course, but just having a list puts my mind at rest – and maybe many of you who are related.  Let us start chronologically.

1. The first to be buried in the cemetery was Edward Barber Edwards, my fourth great-grandfather.  He is the son-in-law of Captain John and Ann Linton, married to their daughter Ann.  Edward died in 1824, at the age of 56.  Edward Barber Edwards and Ann Linton, his wife, had 9 children – Susan Clark, John Linton, Ann Barber, Catherine Kitural, Jonathan Joseph, Benjamin Mason, Mary Jane and Sarah Barber Edwards.
2. Ann Barber Edwards, daughter of Edward Barber Edwards and Ann Linton, granddaughter of Captain John and Ann, died May 18, 1831, under the age of 10.
3. Ann Mason Linton, wife of Captain John, and daughter of Benjamin Mason and Elizabeth Berkeley, died November 14, 1832, aged 80.  Ann was my 4^th and 5^th great-grandmother, descending from two of her children, Ann and William.  The other children of Captain John and Ann Linton are – Elizabeth Rebecca, Moses, Catherine, Benjamin Franklin, Susan, Martha, John Hancock and Lewis Linton.
4. Martha Linton Powell Mudd died May 6, 1836, aged 42, the daughter of Captain John and Ann.  She was first married to Captain Charles E. Powell who died during the War of 1812.  The couple had one daughter, Mary.  Martha married Hezekiah Mudd in 1823; they had 5 children – Hezekiah, Mary Mildred, Charles William, Nicholas and Thomas.
5. Seven months later Susan Clark Edwards Taylor, wife of John Compton Taylor, my 3^rd great-grandparents, died December 2, 1836, at the young age of 39, leaving four children under 6 – Catherine Elizabeth, Edward Edwards, Benjamin Springer and Margaret Ann Taylor.  Susan was the daughter of Ann Linton and Edward Barber Edwards, the granddaughter of Captain John and Ann Linton.
6. Two days later, John Linton, my 4^th and 5^th great-grandfather, died December 4, 1836, aged 86.  He was the son of Moses Linton and Susannah Hancock.  Captain John and Ann had 10 children – Elizabeth Rebecca, Moses, Catherine, Benjamin Franklin, Ann, Susan, William, Martha, John Hancock and Lewis.  I descend from two children – Ann and William.
7. January 3, 1838, William Moran, husband of Jane, married secondly Susan Linton, son-in-law of Captain John and Ann, died, aged 65.  William and Jane, my 4^th great-grandparents, had two daughters – Elizabeth Lyon and Ann Rebecca.  William and Susan had seven children – Charles Fenton, Henry E., John Myvert, Young William, Linton Lewis, Martha and Susan Linton Moran.
8. October 18, 1838, Julia Green Linton, wife of John Hancock Linton, Jr., daughter-in-law of Captain John and Ann, died, aged, 38, leaving an infant son, John Francis Linton.
9. In 1838, about the same time as his wife, John Hancock Linton, Jr., son of Captain John and Ann, died, aged 43.  Their son John Francis Linton was raised by his aunts and uncles.
10. William Frost is the only known person buried in the Linton family cemetery that is not a relation.  When Captain John and family came to Kentucky from Virginia, he brought with him one of the inmates of the poor house for which he was overseer.  After the Captain’s death William Frost lived with William and Eliza Lyon Moran Linton until his death.  In the 1850 census he is listed in their household, aged 56.  And many years ago, I remember seeing a footstone with W. F. on it.  My great-grandmother wrote about William Frost.  William died between 1850 and 1860.
11. Susan Linton Moran died after the 1850 census, aged about 70.  Susan was married to William Moran; he preceded her in death by about 15 years.  Susan was the daughter of Captain John and Ann Linton.  Susan and William had seven children – Charles Fenton, Henry E., John Myvert, Young William, Linton Lewis, Martha and Susan Linton Moran.
12. Benjamin Mason Edwards, son of Edward Barber Edwards and Ann Linton, died August 2, 1852, at the age of 43.  He was the grandson of Captain John and Ann.  Ben was single and from something I read he must have been a very kind man.
13. On February 15, 1853, Frances Ann Linton Hagan died at the age of 33.  Frances was the daughter of Moses Linton and Ann Pead, making her a granddaughter of Captain John and Ann Linton.  Frances was married to James H. Hagan and left three children aged 9-14 – Elizabeth, Moses Linton and John William Hagan.
14. In August of 1854, Moses Linton, son of Captain John and Ann, died, aged 82.  He was married to Ann Pead.  The couple had 5 children – Benjamin Clark, Nancy Millie, William Yerby, Moses Filmore and Frances Ann.
15. Rev. Benjamin Franklin Linton, son of Captain John and Ann died February 22, 1861, aged 84.  He was married to Lucy Crewdson.  Lucy is buried in Logan County, where the couple lived until her death.  Benjamin moved to Washington County in his later years to be near his daughter Mildred Lucy Linton who married John Linton Edwards.  Ben and Lucy had 12 children – Mildred Lucy, Moses Lewis, Nancy Mason, John, Thomas Crewdson, William Crewdson, Elizabeth, Benjamin Burkett, John Newman, Lucy Crewdson, Burkette Lewis and George Thomas Linton.  Several of Benjamin and Lucy’s children moved out of state – Moses Lewis Linton lived in St. Louis, Missouri; John Linton lived in Garnavillo, Iowa; Thomas Crewdson Linton lived in Fillmore County, Minnesota; William Crewdson Linton lived in Los Angeles, California.
16. July 2, 1861, Ann Linton Edwards died, aged 83.  She was the wife of Edward Barber Edwards and had been a widow for 37 years.  Ann was the daughter of Captain John and Ann.  She was my 4^th great-grandmother.  Edward and Ann had 9 children – Susan Clark, John Linton, Catherine Kitural, Jonathan Joseph, Benjamin Mason, Mary Jane, Martha Linton, Sara Barber and Ann Barber Edwards.
17. Ann Pead Linton died in 1861, the wife of Moses Linton, aged 78.  She was the daughter-in-law of Captain John and Ann.  Moses and Ann Linton had 5 children – Benjamin Clark, Nancy Millie, William Yerby, Moses Filmore and Frances Ann.
18. Benjamin Clark Linton died in 1862 in Marion County, aged 56.  Benjamin was the son of Moses Linton and Nancy Pead, a grandson of Captain John and Ann.  Ben first married Martha Eleanor Hayes and with her had three children – William L., James Fenton and an infant that died shortly after birth, as did his mother.  Eleanor is buried in St. Rose Cemetery.  Secondly Ben married Ann Caroline Newton and had 12 children – Frank, Benjamin Clark, Moses, John Wilfred, Martha Jane, John Thomas, John Edgar, Rolland T., Francis P., Martin, John, John M. Linton.
19. William Linton, son of Captain John and Ann, died about 1864, aged 70.  He was listed in the 1860 census, but not the 1870.  William married Eliza Lyons Moran; they were my 3^rd great-grandparents.  William and Eliza had seven children – Susan, Elizabeth Jane, Edward Edwards, Bushrod, Margaret, George Mason and Mary Rebecca.
20. Elizabeth Lyons Moran, wife of William Linton, daughter-in-law of Captain John and Ann, died about 1865, aged 65.  She was the daughter of William and Jane Moran, and my 3^rd great-grandmother.
21. Margaret Gordon Linton, daughter of Edward Edwards Linton and Catherine Elizabeth Taylor, great-grandchild of Captain John and Ann, died May 17, 1865, at the age of one year.
22. Susan Linton Mock, daughter of William Linton and Eliza Lyon Moran, granddaughter of Captain John and Ann, died in 1866, aged 45.  She was the wife of Daniel Mock.  The couple had 10 children – Charles F., Eliza J., George M., Edward, Elizabeth, Margaret, Harriet, Franklin P., Kate and Elizabeth Mock. 
23. Nancy Mildred Linton Edwards, wife of Jonathan Joseph Edwards, daughter of Moses Linton and Ann Pead, granddaughter of Captain John and Ann, died before 1869m aged 62.  Nancy and Jonathan had 7 children – Alfred, Lucretia, John L., Susan, Edward, William and Ben Edwards.
24. Bushrod Linton, son of William Linton and Eliza Lyon Moran, grandson of Captain John and Ann, died after the 1860 census was taken, was not in the 1870 census, aged 33.  Bushrod was single.
25. Ann Caroline Newton, wife of Benjamin Clark Linton, died after 1870, aged 48.  She was a Granddaughter-In-Law of Captain John and Ann.
26. Martha Susan Linton, daughter of Edward Edwards Linton and Catharine Elizabeth Taylor, died January 25, 1876, at the age of almost 3 years.  Martha was a great-grandchild of Captain John and Ann.
27. Moses Filmore Linton, son of Moses Linton and Ann Pead, grandson of Captain John and Ann, died April 4, 1876, in Nelson County, aged 57.  Moses and his family lived adjoining Gethsemani Abbey.  Moses first married Ann Hagan Kennedy, a young widow who died shortly after marriage, leaving no children.  Secondly Moses married Margaret Willett.  The couple had 10 children – William Franklin, Mary Louisa Ann, John Kennedy, Joseph Charles Fenton, Susan Jane, Moses Filmore Jr., Regina, James Curtis, Ruth Ann and Margaret.  Margaret Willett Linton is buried at Gethsemani Abbey.
28. February 25, 1878, Mildred Nancy Linton Edwards died, aged 72.  She was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Linton and Lucy Crewdson, and a granddaughter of Captain John and Ann.  Mildred married John Linton Edwards.  The couple had one daughter, Lucretia Edwards, who married her cousin Benjamin Edwards.
29. Daniel Mock, husband of Susan Linton and Mary Rebecca Linton, daughters of William Linton and Eliza Lyon Moran, died in December 1879, aged 70.  Daniel and Susan had 10 children – Charles F., Eliza J., George M., Edward, Elizabeth, Margaret, Harriet, Franklin P., Kate and Elizabeth Mock.  Daniel and Mary had one child, Susan Hill Mock.  Daniel was a grandson-in-law of Captain John and Ann.
30. Infant twins, children of Edward Edwards Linton and Catherine Elizabeth Taylor.  Probably died about 1880.  Were twins since it looked like two children in one grave.  Great-grandchildren of Captain John and Ann.
31. George Mason Linton, son of William Linton and Eliza Lyon Moran, grandson of Captain John and Ann, died after the 1880 census was taken, aged 49.  At the time he lived with his sister Mary Rebecca Linton Mock.  George Mason was single.
32. Mary Rebecca Linton Mock, second wife of Daniel Mock, died after the 1880 census was taken, aged 36.  She had one daughter, Susan Hill Mock, and also raised her sister Susan’s children after Susan’s death in 1866.  She was a granddaughter of Captain John and Ann.
33. Martha Linton Edwards Clarkson died December 10, 1880, the daughter of Edward Barber Edwards and Ann Linton, granddaughter of Captain John and Ann.  She was 63.  She married Stephen Theodore Clarkson.  The couple had 5 children – Edwin Barber, Francis Polin, Annie, Margaret Mason and Sidney Albertus Clarkson.
34. Stephen Theodore Clarkson died after June 1880 after the census was taken, aged 63.  He married Martha L. Edwards, daughter of Edward Barber Edwards and Ann Linton.  He was the grandson-in-law of Captain John and Ann.  Stephen and Martha had 5 children – Edwin Barber, Francis Polin, Annie, Margaret Mason and Stephen Albertus Clarkson.
35. Catherine Kitural Edwards, daughter of Edward Barber Edwards and Ann Linton, and granddaughter of Captain John and Ann, died July 23, 1883, at the age of 78.  She never married.
36. John Linton Edwards died December 23, 1883, aged 83, the son of Edward Barber Edwards and Ann Linton, the grandson of Captain John and Ann.  John married Mildred Lucy Linton, his cousin.  The couple had one daughter, Lucretia Edwards, who married her cousin Benjamin Edwards.
37. Jonthan Joseph Edwards died February 5, 1884, aged 81, the son of Edward Barber Edwards and Ann Linton, the grandson of Captain John and Ann.  Jonathan married Nancy Mildred Linton, his cousin.  The couple had 7 children – – Alfred, Lucretia, John L., Susan, Edward, William and Ben Edwards.
38. William Yerby Linton, son of Moses Linton and Ann Pead, grandson of Captain John and Ann, died May 26, 1892, aged 74.  He first married Mary Hagan, and had six children – Mary Ann, John E., Nancy, Maria Jane, Moses F. and Miles Hancock Linton.  After the death of Mary, William married secondly Louise Mary Willett and had 5 children – James Monroe, Marie Sophronia, Vienna Fanny, William Francis and Joseph Charles Linton.  He lived next to his brother Moses Linton, adjoining Gethsemani Abbey.
39. The last to be buried in the Linton Cemetery was Sarah Barber Edwards, youngest child of Edward Barber Edwards and Ann Linton, granddaughter of Captain John and Ann.  Sarah Barber Edwards died in 1903.  She remained single and was 79 years at the time of her death.

Relationship to Captain John and Ann Linton:

Daughters – 3

Sons – 4

Granddaughters – 10

Grandsons – 8

Daughters-In-Law – 3

Sons-In-Law – 2

Granddaughter-In-Law – 1

Grandson-In-Law – 2

Great-Granddaughters – 2

Great-Grandchildren – 2 (sex unknown)

Poorhouse Inmate – 1

I would like to hear from all who are related to Captain John Linton and Ann Mason Linton, who may have relatives buried in this cemetery.  Do you concur with my findings?