O’Kelley Cemetery

O’KELLEY CEMETERY
Buncombe County, NC
Other names are: Stony Fork Cemetery
DIRECTIONS: From Candler, NC take Pisgah Highway South (Rt 151) about 7.5 until it enters Federal property (The park signs about camping are the giveaway).  Within .2 miles a sign will indicate a left to Stony Fork Church.  This will be Ballard Cove Road (not always marked).  Take this about a half mile to Stony Fork Missionary Baptist Church on the left.
LATITUDE/LONGITUDE: 352734N 0824341W (Per USGS)
FIELD NOTES: 9/23/98: The cemetery is laid out on a NW – SE axis and the headstones are all
facing NW and the survey began in the southern corner.  The grounds are part of the Church and are well-maintained. 
SURNAME LIST; BUGG, GIBSON, MULWEE, O’KELLEY, PALMER, SHARP, WARREN, WILLIS.
CEMETARY LISTING: (For an explanation of the format, scroll to the bottom)

[01] WARREN
CECIL VAN
Nov 26 1923
May 19, 1987
   married Sept. 19, 1941
GRACE BROCK
Apr 17, 1922
Jan 24 1996
[Footstone to Cecil’s marked:] CECIL VAN WARREN SR.  US Army, WW II
[Footstone to Grace marked:] Mother
[02] SHARP
VAN W. 
Jan 1 1940
BETTY L. 
Oct 23, 1938 
July 16, 1987
“Rest In Peace”
[Footstones Father and Mother]
[03]
Baby MARTHA 
KAY 
SHARPE
Nov 9, 1963
[Note name as indicated with the final ‘e’]
[04]
RALPH W. SHARP
May 23, 1958
Dec 22, 1960
[05] [Unmarked stone]
[06]
TERRIE WARREN
Mar 5, 1892
June 15, 1976
[07]
ROXIE O’KELLEY
Oct 22, 1902
May 25, 1957
[8]
MARTHA FOSTER
Wife of PINK O’KELLEY
1855 – 1948
[Footstone: M.F.O.]
[9]
NINA O’KELLEY
May 10, 1877
June 10, 1946
[10]
ELIZA ANN O’KELLEY 
1827 
Jan 1929
[11]
BILL O’KELLEY 
 1854 
Mar 14 1929
[Native rock footstone, or possibly original headstone]
[12] SHARP   Thy Kingdom Come
RALPH L. 
Aug 29, 1904 
July 15, 1994
ORA O. 
Nov 9, 1907 
Jan 26, 1986
[13]
VINSON B SHARP 
North Carolina 
PFC US Marine Corps 
Korea 
Dec 11 1933 Jan 5 1964
[Veteran stone marked with cross]
[14]
MILLARD 
O’KELLEY 
Born: Au / g. 15 183 
DC Au. 15
[This is a native stone well-selected and very well worked.  It is partly
unreadable and the known portions are transcribed.  The designs and workmanship are excellent, even though the lines are broken up mid-word and weathering has taken its payment.]
[15] 
[Unmarked or overly-worn local stone]
[16] 
[Unmarked or overly-worn local stone laid flat with footstone of
quartz]
[17]
B. N. H WAS
 Born Apr 26 
1838 . DC March 1840
[Native footstone]
[18]
U. G. H. WAS 
Born Apr 26 / 1838 DC March  Twins . 1840
[Markers #17 & this one seem to be of the same mold as #14, very
well-worked native stone with designs on the top.
[19]
[Uncut marble stone.  The back even shows the drill holes.  No
markings found anywhere]
[20] [Native stone, unmarked]
[21]
NOVELLA ISAM 
WILLIS 
Jan 11, 1916 
Jan 11, 1938
[22]
JOHN 
WILLIS JR. 
Dec 27, 1936 
Dec 27, 1936
[23]
MARY O’KELLEY 
WILLIS 
1882 – 1933
[24]
PINK O’KELLEY 
1882 – 1933
[25]
MARY PALMER 
Wife of 
PINK O’KELLEY
[No dates.  Also, since this marker seems to have been part of the
grouping of official “O’Kelleys” the other ‘wife of Pink O’Kelley’ may
not have been the one that bore his children.]
[26]
BENJAMIN O’KELLEY 
1879 – 1912
[27]
EARL
O’KELLEY
1881 – 1913
[28] Father
RALPH F.
WILLIS
Sept 2, 1910
June 1, 1987
[Footstone: R.W.}
[29] Mother
LEONA PAYNE
WILLIS
Oct 18, 1921
Dec 19, 1997
[Footstone: L.P.W.]
[30]
WILLIS
[This marker is a large headstone indicating that this is the WILLIS
section of the cemetery.]
[31]
The Family of / PINK O’KELLEY
[This stone is the generalized headstone to markers #21 – #27, which are
actually footstones.]
[32] MULWEE
ELLA W. 
Nov 11, 1905 
Apr 30, 1988 
[ Footstone: Granny]
EDD M. 
June 10, 1891
Sept 16, 1985
[33]
JAMES T. GIBSON 
Dec 24, 1941
Apr. 11, 1965
[34] [Completely unmarked, but discoloration in the soil indicates a burial.  There are also fairly new floral arrangement at the head. Makes you wish someone who knows would put something, but it also feels
very private and personal.]
[35] [Unmarked, but recent floral arrangement.]
[36] BUGG
BESSIE M. 
May 9 1891  [no date]
OSCAR T. 
Mar 9, 1881
May 31, 1962
[37]
CARL EUGENE WILSON 
Died June 30, 196(5?) Aged 0 Yrs 0 Mo 0 Day 6 hours
[Slightly worked native stone with just the name crudely scratched.  The
information is from the original funeral home metal plaque.]

RESEARCHER’S ADDENDUM : Down the road I located and spoke to Harry and Emma O’Kelley who were in their late ‘80s and very pleasant but didn’t have a mind for remembering such things.  I did ascertain that NINA is Harry’s Mother’s Sister; that his grandfather was a FOSTER; that Roxy was ‘slow’ or mildly retarded; and that they were going to be buried at the Mt. Pigsah Church Cemetary which they both referred to as ‘the O’KELLEY/FOSTER cemetery’ up the road.  I got directions, thanked them and headed for there.
FORMAT
An attempt is copy down the grave marker’s information in the order and using the same punctuation in which it appears. Names always appear IN UPPER CASE.  Every stone is numbered.  If more than one name is underneath the numbering, then all those names appeared on one stone.  If there is wording before the name, it appears on the same line as the number.  Also, if the last name spans the stone above the individuals, it also appears on the
numbered line.

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