Restoration of the
John Laird Cemetery
And Burial List

John and Mary Laird are buried in what has been known as the Laird/McLaurine Cemetery, which is located on a small hill about halfway between John Laird's house and Waco, Tennessee. The cemetery is two-thirds of an acre and contains approximately sixty graves. The earliest marker was erected in 1819, and the last in 1910. Six of John and Mary Laird's children and some of their descendants are buried there.

The cemetery was not tended for a number of years, and fallen trees, weeds and underbrush took their toll on the markers. There is no longer a fence around the cemetery, and cattle belonging to the owner of the adjacent property roamed freely through it. Some of the monuments were tilted and some had fallen off their bases. All of them needed to be reset and cleaned, and some that were cracked needed repairing. The original deed to the land reserves the cemetery and a right-of-way for its maintenance and preservation by the descendants, but the road is not paved or graveled.

In the spring of 2004, the land around the cemetery was divided into lots and sold at auction. At this time, a group of concerned descendants decided the time had come for restoration and preservation of this historic site. They met and formed the John Laird Cemetery Association for this purpose. The Association adopted a charter and by-laws, elected officers, and adopted an estimated budget for the restoration process.

With help from a work-crew, members have cleared the fallen trees and underbrush from the cemetery site. They have installed two culverts under the road, and now the cemetery is accessible in all but inclement weather.

The Association has signed a contract with Dan Sumner Allen, IV, with the Cumberland Research Group, Inc., to perform the archaeological exploration and conservation work of the cemetery. During the exploration phase, Mr. Allen will probe the cemetery to determine the number and locations of both marked and unmarked graves. The conservation work includes: cleaning all markers with a special solution; resetting any markers recovered during the first phase; repair/resetting of any markers that are canted; and repairing all fractured markers. Finally, he will generate a precise map of the cemetery and outline a boundary around the cemetery marked at the corners by wooden stakes to establish a recommended fence orientation. Mr. Allen has performed a considerable amount of work on the first phase of the project.

The Association has actively contacted by mail other descendants for whom it had addresses to ask them to join in support of this worthwhile endeavor. The members are pleased with the resulting enthusiasm and generosity many have demonstrated.


The John Laird Cemetery

Name

Birth

Death

Comment or Other Inscriptions

John Laird 17 Mar 1770 27 Dec 1861 Born in Belfast, Ireland
came to Lynn Creek in 1808
Mary Laird 20 Sep 1768 16 Dec 1846 Wife of John Laird
Age 78 yrs, 9 mos, 26 days
Sarah Leverette
McLaurine Gordon
1835 9 Apr 1888 Wife of Thomas Martin Lane Gordon
Beulah Gordon   1879 dau. of Thomas Martin Lane Gordon
Buford Gordon 1856 1886 son of Thomas Martin Lane Gordon
Lee Gordon 1865 1886 son of Thomas Martin Lane Gordon
Robert Malone Bugg 20 Jan 1805 18 Feb 1887  
Martha (Patsy) Laird Bugg 16 Mar 1807 29 Apr 1893 wife of Robert Bugg
Robert Montgomery 9 Nov 1814 24 Nov 1885  
James Hampton Evans 17 Aug 1792 22 Jan 1837  
Nancy Laird Evans 31 May 1793 28 Jul 1884  
Sarah Jane Cochran Evans   1839 First Wife of John Evans
Sarah Jane Cochran Evans 25 Dec 1838 13 Jan 1901 Dau. of John and Sarah Jane Evans
Henry Evans 22 Mar 1822 27 Nov 1884  
Mary Ann Dodson Evans 1830 21 Feb 1910 Wife of Henry Evans
Polly Ann Unknown     (Last person buried in cemetery)
John Franklin Evans 17 Mar 1851 15 Nov 1854 Son of John and Elizabeth Evans
James B. Evans 26 Dec 1856 7 Jan 1857 Infant son of James H. Evans, Jr.
and Zina C. Evans
Zina E. Evans 20 Jul 1867 31 Aug 1867 Infant daughter of
James H. and Zina C. Evans
Houston Evans 5 Aug 1861 18 Aug 1865 Child of William and Eliza Evans
Sarah (Susan) Frances Evans 18 Dec 1860 9 Feb 1887 Dau. of Robert Laird Evans
Hortense McLaurine   ca. 1860 11 year old Daughter of
Franklin and Ann Laird McLaurine
Buford Gordon McLaurine 29 Oct 1875 4 Mar 1876 Infant son of George Taylor and
Edmonda Hewlett McLaurine
George Edward McLaurine,
Hortense Scott McLaurine
22 Aug 1880 One Died
9 Sep 1880
The other
a few
days later.
Twins of George Taylor and
Edmonda Hewlett McLaurine
Thomas Martin Dickerson 22 Dec 1877 13 Oct 1878 Infant son of Jones W. and
Vashti Gordon Dickerson
Infant Dickerson 30 Aug 1879 7 Nov 1879 Infant son of Jones W. and
Vashti Gordon Dickerson
Mary M. Moore 25 Oct 1801 8 Mar 1855 Wife of Albert Moore
Anna Maria Bugg 23 Jun 1830 5 Jul 1844  
Infant Bugg 2 Aug 1844 2 Aug 1844 dau of R. M. and Martha Bugg
George B. Malone 1 Dec 1827 11 Sep 1844  
James H. Evans, Jr. 12 Dec 1820 4 Oct 1906  
Zina Louise Callahan Evans 28 Feb 1827 7 Apr 1888  
William Moore     Died at age 77 (no dates)
Polly Ann Moore     Died at age 63 (no dates)
Martin Laird 14 Feb 1800 30 Dec 1856  
Nancy Compton Willeford 15 Aug 1798 17 Jul 1878 Wife of Hardy Willeford
Knowlie Shaw Willeford 30 Jan 1875 19 Sep ____ Son of H. G. and N. J. Willeford
(Dates uncertain)
Sallie M. Willeford 14 Sep 1837 4 Oct 1869  
Nicholas S. Fain 10 May 1785 24 Feb 1830  
John J. Laird 25 Sep 1797 17 Oct 1819  
Sarah Tuttle Hamrick 23 May 1788 7 Dec 1833 Consort of John Hamrick
Catherine Laird 20 Oct 1795 18 Nov 1833  
Hortense Scott McLaurine 16 Sep 1841 10 Feb 1844 Dau. of Franklin and
Ann Laird McLaurine
George T. Malone 30 Sep 1805 21 Dec 1862  
J. G. Caldwell 9 Dec 1857
or 1837
11 Feb 1865  
Fannie S. Bugg 25 Mar 1843 23 Jul 1871 Wife of Robert M. Bugg, Jr.
Bessie May Evans 21 Dec 1887 3 Oct 1892 Dau. of John Robert Evans
Elmira Fitzpatrick 1821 5 Feb 1908 aged 87 yrs.
M. P. Fleming 15 Oct 1849 22 Jan 1876  
Sarah McQuigg 28 Feb 1859 5 Mar 1856  
Sarah B. Laird 27 Feb 1829 16 Mar 1829  
Ellen McQuigg 7 Aug 1861 29 Aug 1863 Dau. of Abner T. and Martha A. McQuigg
Margaret B. Laird 14 Feb 1833 10 Oct 1833  
Mary Dorothy Laird Malone 11 Jan 1805 20 Jun 1856  
George M. Laird 26 Jul 1836 22 Sep 1838  

Submitted by: Betty Long