The Family Cemetery as told by Helen Hutchinson
During the
advanced age of Alma Armstrong, she often related a story regarding our family
cemetery at Chinchuba that originally was the burial place of the early Spell
families, John and Thomas Spell Sr.,and their offspring, but in time it became
the property of Anna Marshon Calliot.
Alma here relates
when she was about eight or ten years of age, she and her mother (Serah) would
drive the horse and carriage out to the cemetery at Chinchuba to put flowers on
the graves of her parents(the Zach Sharps). In so doing they had to drive
through the property of Mrs. Calliot who always invited them in to have coffee
and honey sweeten cornbread. Serah
always accepted the invitation, feeling it would be an insult to refuse. This
always pleased Alma who looked forward to the treat of honey sweet cornbread.
Anna Calliot was
the owner of a herd of about a hundred head of brush goats that always caused Serah
displeasure when she found them playing on the brick tombs in the cemetery that
was not under fence. Serah realize the cemetery could easily be overlooked or
destroyed in the tall pine timber without a fence as it were in its present
condition.
One day while on
a visit to Mrs. Calliot she asked,"
Anna, how about selling me two acres of your land, with the cemetery as part of
it? Mrs. Calliot seem to take time to dwell on the question, the land being
worth only a few dollars when Serah volunteered, "I’ll give you a hundred
dollars for two acres.”
A few days later
the two acres was owned by the descendants of the two brothers John and Tom
spell Sr., the Sharps, Spells and Strains, a family grave site. Serah asked for
one stipulation, that the transaction be made for "one" dollar. She did not want the public to know she was
stupid enough to pay a hundred dollars for two acres of land! Mrs. Calliot, too, may have suffered a
feeling of guilt She insisted on adding a half acre to the sale making it the
2.6 acre cemetery we have today!
I heard this
story many times through the years of my upbringing, related to me by both my
aunt Alma and often by my grandma Serah Hutchinson!
Helen Hutchinson
Footnote
Shortly after the
cemetery's purchase Serah persuaded her brothers to erect a fence around the
gravesites that fenced in a half acre. In 1980 the cemetery was incorporated through
the efforts of Edgar Sharp. A a new page fence was erected completely around
the 2.6 acre tract which was all paid for through the efforts of the descendants
of John and Tom Spell Sr.
Hugh Spell
purchased a parcel of 40 acres of land from his uncle Hugh, who married Julia Waters
Later sold a part of his land to Steven Marshan. Later on Hugh's death he
purchased the remainings of his property and married Hugh's widow and raised
one child, a daughter, who inherited their holdings- the Hugh Spell estate that
contains our cemetery. She, Anna Marshon
Calliot, was the seller of the cemetery to Serah Sharp Hutchinson as you can
read above!
