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Located off of Badgett Road in West Knox County, the cemetery is on property belonging to the Knoxville Boat Club (1994). The cemetery is located in a copse of trees about one hundred feet from the banks of the Tennessee River (Ft. Loudon Lake). There are four graves on which stones were found with partially readable inscriptions and at least two others with unreadable stones. This cemetery may be connected to the Bethesda Methodist Church, for which the Bearden family deeded land. The existing stones are almost unreadable and, in a few more years, will be impossible to read. Copied by Robert McGinnis in May, 1979, and rechecked, mapped, and photographed in February, 1994. This cemetery is no longer open to the public; descendants may visit as provided by Tennessee's cemetery laws.
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| Map of burials at Bearden Cemetery (drawn by Robert McGinnis) |
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1) Richard Bear_en Decs 16th __y June 1_45
2) Ann consort of Ric_______ Bearden Born Oct_ber 17 1774 Decs June 24 1855
3) Pe_er Ben___t Decs A_ri_ 9 1_22
4) El_z___th Benn___ D______ July 7 1__5
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| Cemetery site | Example stone | |
| Photos by Robert McGinnis ©1994. | ||
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Quarterly Court for Knox County, Tennessee
January Session, 1846
I, Richard Bearden of the County
of Knox and State of Tennessee do make and ordain this to be my last Will and
Testament in form following to wit:
The tract of land on which I now live, I give
and devise to my son John P Bearden and to all the children
and heirs of Marcus D Bearden. The line of division between
said John Bearden and the children and heirs of Marcus D Bearden
is to begin on the creek at the farm of James Duncan above
his house running nearly due West on the top of the big ridge, until it strikes
the old five hundred acre survey thence with that line to or at the road near
the widow Beardens, thence along the path to the head of her
spring thence down the branch to Matthew_______(Thomas) line,
all the land on the North and West of said lines to be divided and hereby is
devised to the heirs and children of Marcus D Bearden. All
the balance of the land is hereby devised to my son John P Bearden.
The negro boy Lins
12 or 13 year of age now in my possession, I give and devise to the children
of Marcus D Bearden born of his first wife and the negro boy
Lewis twenty four or five years old, I devise to all the children
and heirs of my said son Marcus D Bearden.
I give and devise to my son Marcus D Bearden
the sum of one thousand dollars in money to be paid to him at the death of my
wife Ann Bearden and not before.
I give to my son John P Bearden
a negro man named Albert now in said John's possession.
The plantation and farm on which I now live which
includes the devises to Marcus D Bearden heirs and John P Bearden,
I hereby devise to my wife Ann Bearden to be held occupied
and enjoyed by her during her lifetime.
All the plantation utensils and everything the
horses ____ to necessary to carry on the farm I devise to my said wife during
her life.
All the negroes which I own except the ones in
the preceding part of this will I hereby divise and will to my said wife Ann
Bearden to be hers for and during her natural life.
If Barbara's family
of children should be disobedient or unruly then and in that case my Executors
herein after appointed shall have power during my wife's life to dispose of
any or all of said Barbara's family in the manner
they may think best or of any other negro belonging to my estate behaves badly
my Executors are to have the same power as to him or them so offending.
I hereby direct that after the death of my wife
Ann Bearden, all my estate not specifically devised to Marcus
D and John P Bearden be equally and fairly divided amongst
the heirs or children of my sons and daughters.
The stock of horses cows and everything connected
with appertaining to the farm after my wife's death I give to my sons John P
Bearden and Marcus D Bearden.
I hereby constitute and appoint my sons Marcus
D Bearden and John P Bearden, Executors of
this my last Will and Testament and having entire confidence in their integrity
I hereby release them from giving security as the law requires. After
my death and during my wife's lifetime if my Executors think it necessary, they
shall have power to dispose of any property that may not be necessary to carry
on the farm or in the way of their mother.
In testimony whereof I hereto set my hand and
affix my seal this 16th day of June in the year of our Lord 1841
The Knoxville Register
Wednesday, July 15, 1845
Departed this life the evening of the 7th inst.
at the residence of Richard Bearden, her son-in-law, Mrs. Ann
Bennett in the 93rd year of her age. The deceased was
born in Virginia in 1753 and having married Major Peter Bennett,
an officer in the Revolutionary struggle, removed to North Carolina at the close
of the war and from thence, in the year 1802, to this county. She was
amiable in her disposition and strictly moral in her demeanor. For many
years she was a member of the Presbyterian Church, during these years she endeavored
to live in conformity to the mandates of the Bible, and died in the hope of
receiving that reward which is promised to the faithful. She lived to
see the 5th generation growing up around her and went down to the grave at the
advanced age, leaving a numerous connection to cherish her virtues and imitate
her example.
All HTML code and graphics (except as noted) on this page were created by and copyrighted ©2000 to Billie R. McNamara. Please direct all questions and comments to Ms. McNamara. The photographs, map, and transcriptions on this page are copyrighted ©1994-2000 to Robert McGinnis. Except as noted on the individual pages, all remaining data in the URL path [http://www.knoxcotn.org/cemetery/] is copyright ©1975-2000 to Robert McGinnis and used here with his express permission. All international rights are reserved by all parties. Tombstone graphics found on-line, but location not noted. Please advise if you know the artist we should credit!