Old Henry Cemetery

A while ago, I got a photo request from Find-A-Grave for pictures of the Old Henry Cemetery in Benton County. According to Find-A-Grave, Old Henry Cemetery was not far from my home. And the graves there are just a few of the same family and 100-150 years old. I was intrigued so I loaded up the reluctant 12 year old and headed out in search of the Old Henry Cemetery.

I googled Old Henry Cemetery and found http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~arnwags/cem/AR/benton/Old_Henry.htm

OLD HENRY CEMETERY
CEMETERIES of BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS - Volume 4, Page 46
Copyright 1975-2003 Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society
Located about 2 1/2 miles SW of Bentonville off the Cave Springs Rd. in front of the Earl Bright Residence.
Copied by Clara Blankenship in 1974.
LAST FIRST BORN DIED NOTES
HENRY JOSEPH Feb 1811 Aug 13, 1863 husb of Mary
HENRY J. W. Sep 16, 1868 Aug 22, 1872
HENRY WM. I. May 3, 1842 Nov 18, 1883
This was an army encampment during the Civil War. Many soldiers were buried over the fields but no noticeable trace remains to be seen."

Well, this will be interesting and historical!

The instructions for finding the graves were in typical Arkansas direction-giving language.

"Located about 2 1/2 miles South West of Bentonville off the Cave Springs Road in front of the Earl Bright Residence."

Ok, so I can figure out that Cave Springs Road is what we locals still call it even though it's official name is Hwy 112 or SW "H" Street. But who is Earl Bright?

I decided to go off in search of it anyway. How hard can it be to find a graveyard on a main road? Right. So, I set my mile marker once I turned on to 112. We drove 2 1/2 miles to....a new subdivision. Hmmm. I looked at the directions. 2 1/2 miles SW of Bentonville OFF the Cave Springs Road. I spent the next 30 minutes driving back and forth - trying to figure out which road would be the "off Cave Springs Road" road. Ok. Time for some more research.

I went home and googled again. Earl Bright, Old Henry Cemetery, Joseph Henry. I finally found an old article from a newspaper about the cemetery. It said it was on Bright Road. Ahhh obviously named after the aforementioned Earl Bright.

But, I didn't see a Bright Road in all of my driving back and forth on Hwy 112. I decided it was time to get into the 21st century and get a GPS. I needed one anyway as I am so directionally challenged in the best of circumstances.

So fast forward a few hours, GPS in car, on the search for Bright Road. GPS takes me to Bright Road which is off of Airport Road (or Hwy 12). It is very close to Cave Springs Rd/Hwy 112. I run up and down this road looking for a cemetery.Ughhh. After a frustrating search I take a left on a SW Gator Rd which is more like a curve to the left. And something on the left just around the corner catches my eye - I realize it's a gravestone next to a barbed wire fence. How I saw it I couldn't tell you. It was the Old Henry Cemetery. Which should just be called the Old Henry gravesite.

We parked across the road and ran over to the barbed wire fence. I had to lean over to get a good look. It was gravestones being held up by some metal contracption with trees and vines growing up through it.

Wow. I looked out over the field the gravestones were in. This was the site of a Civil War encampment - and probably looked very similar to this then except for roofs of the houses in the new subdivisions beyond the trees. According to some, soldiers were also buried in the field. A slight breeze was blowing and except for the occasional bird song, it was quiet. I thought about those have been here in this spot looking over this same field. Their sacrifices, their lives, the families they left behind. Then, a car came down the road, and we had to move closer to the fence.

You can't read the stones, at least not from my vantage point in front of the fence. I didn't feel it would be appropriate to climb it.

So, after a few pictures, I went back home to do some research on Joseph Henry.
I plug in his name and dates into Ancestry.com and the first record found is the 1860 census

Anderson Township, Osage Mills post office, Benton County, Arkansas. Lists Joseph Henry, a farmer, born in Tennessee. He had a large family including wife Mary and 9 children listed at home.

Joseph Henry, 48
Mary Henry, 45
Matilda Henry, 24
Wilson Henry, 21
William Henry, 18
Martha Henry 14
Susan Henry, 12
Sarah Henry, 9
Joseph Henry, 7
Thomas Henry, 5
Asaph Henry, 2

We have the father, Joseph. William is probably his son. And perhaps a grandson or daughter - J.W. - who died at 4 years old. Buried in this little family plot in a field that was probably once his farm. Where are the rest of the family? I'll save that bit of research for a rainy day.