This cemetery is on a farm once owned by Robert and Rhoda (Long) Ground by land grant May 19, 1818, at Three Forks in Warren County, Kentucky. Robert Ground was the son of Robert and Margaret (Cockeral) Ground of Thorney, Cambridshire, England. Rhoda Long was the daughter of John Long and Jane Conway. Rhoda was a small child when Indians, incited by the British, overran Ruddle’s Fort in Kentucky and took the occupants, including members of the Long and Conway families captive. Details of this incident can be read in the Draper Manuscripts, Volume 29, Series Jp 18, and 24s169. The old Ground homestead was in 1984 still owned by Ground family members.

Click to leave this site and see the Ground Lineage.

A photo of the cemetery taken in the early 1930s shows considerable "aging" – i.e. tilted tombstones, tall weeds. In the mid-1980s, the Ground Family Association, under the direction of descendant, Wesley Mulleneix, organized the replacement of some of the older family stones. Wes is the author of "Plymouth Rock to the Pacific," an extensive history of the Ground(s) family in America.

Of interest to Ground and related family researchers: Wes Mulleneix describes the location: "The Ground family graveyard lies in a grove of trees surrounded by a green meadow. It is well fenced with a good gate, and very well kept. You must walk in as there does not appear to be a road. I talked to the Beckhams across the road before going through the fence. I also talked to one of the Lawrences just up the hill, and he told me to take the left fork in the road at his place up the hill about a half a mile to the old Goodnight family graveyard. This old cemetery lies right next to the road and an old barn is on the other side of this road. At the time I did not know it, but Isaac Goodnight’s big brick home had been on the other side of the road also."

The following survey was conducted beginning on the east side. Rows are numbered A through K, from East to West, graves being numbered South to North, 1-16 on each row. It was susrveyed first August 12, 1936 by Roberta Dukes Richardson, then her list was compared to a later one compiled by Mrs. Dan Stone, of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Mrs. Stone obviously followed the same route to record the graves. Finally, some annotations and additional entries have been made by various family members.

Beckham, Billy 28 Jul 1913 - 28 Jul 1913, {son of Isaac & Betty}
Ground, Donard, 1941 -1946
Brown, Winnie Mae, 17 Apr 1904 - 13 Oct 1905
Brown, Carl, 7 Jul 1922 - 3 Aug 1922
Brown, Annie May Ground, 20 Jun 1884 - 28 Apr 1925
Ground, Pleasant, 25 Aug 1889 - 2 Aug 1948
Ground, Vadie Howell, 8 Jan 1897 - 20 Mar 1953
Jackson, Carlos, 22 May 1905 - 13 Jun 1905, {son of Ethel (Ground) Jackson}
Cates, James Leroy, 31 Oct 1946 - 1 Nov 1946
Ground, James Henry, 22 Nov 1887 - 18 Oct 1889
Ground, Infant (no dates)
Ground, Infant, 1892 - 1892
Ground, Luther, 1 Sep 1857 - 25 Aug 1901
Ground, Eliza B. Beckham, 25 Dec 1859 - 8 Jan 1949
Ground, Roy, 2 May 1882 - 21 Jan 1963
Ground, Mary Wood, 11 Jun 1894 - 3 Aug 1964
Ground, Henry Earl, 10 Feb 1895 - 22 Feb 1952
Ground, Helen Louise, 23 Jan 1934 - 14 Dec 1935
Ground, Mildred, 15 Sep 1882 - 15 Sep 1882
Ground, Steve, 7 Dec 1885 - 17 Sep 1891
Ground, Yatsey, 31 May 1887 - 1 Oct 1891
Ground, Melvina Lowery, 27 Dec 1864 - 18 Jan 1931
Ground, Robert, 30 Jun 1859 - 3 Jun 1922
Ground, Phoebe Esther, 11 Nov 1904 - 14 Sep 1962
Wheatley, Edmon, 27 Nov 1823 - (date open)
Wheatley, Sarah A. 11 Sep 1826 - 23 Oct 1899
Wheatley, Infant (no dates)
Ground, Nancy A. Wheatley, 11 May 1825 - 21 Jun 1907
Ground, William, 29 Jul 1819 - 15 Oct 1891
Ground, Infant (no dates)
Ground, Infants 16 Sep 1855 - 16 Sep 1855
(unknown adult) R. E. died 22 Sep 1864, (only initials on stone)
Ground, Robert, Born England 31 Mar 1768 - Feb 1850
Ground, Rhoda Long, Born in Mercer Co., 29 Jul 1779 - 17 Nov 1863
(unknown adult) headstone missing
Butler, J. H. Bradford, d. 7 Apr 1888
Butler, Minnie J., 1 Jun 1886 - Dec 1886
Butler, Ed C., d. 21 Oct 1888
(unknown) G. B. (only initials on stone)
(unknown adult) no headstone
(unknown infant) no headstone
(unknown adult) D. H. d. 2 Aug 1864, (only initials on stone)
Greer, Rhoda Ground, 25 Apr 1815 - 18 Jul 1902
Lowe, Hannah (no dates)
Beckham, Artemisis Lowe, 19 Feb 1844 - 14 Apr 1932
Lawrence, Infant (no dates) child of Ned & Betty
Wheatley, Infant (no dates) child of Tom & …
Whtealey, Infant (no dates) child of Tom & …
Chapman, Toy Thomason, (no dates), {2nd wife of Sanford Chapman)
Chapman, Sanford, (no dates), {b. 26 Jun 1855 - d. }
Chapman, Pernie Annie, 16 Sep 1881 - 8 Oct 1901
Chapman, Mary Plumley, d. 1 Nov 1918, {wife of Sanford Chumley}
Several unmarked graves
Additional burials:
Moulder, Eula, b. & d. 1913, dau of J.V. & Elizabeth

The Ground Cemetery has always been maintained. Maxie Ground & his children keep it mowed and cleaned up. Nancy Stacker says, "To my knowledge it has never been in bad condition."

It's rare that someone is dedicated to giving an old cemetery such loving care. Wes Mullenneix, who did so much to unite the descendants of Robert Ground and Rhoda Long, is gone now, but I can imagine him sitting on a cloud smiling with pure pleasure at the beautifully kept resting place of his ancestors.
Margaret Bates

Images courtesy of Nancy Stacker, July 2006