Cemetery Timeline
November 20, 1800
Francis Hardgrave of Davidson Co. from Robert Hulme for $600 tract of land on waters of the Big Harpeth River containing 200 acres – bounded by James Deane and William Purnal. It being a tract of land formerly belonging to Peter Stewart conveyed to Robert Hulme by Thomas Mulloy by deed. Witnesses: Lewis DeMoss, Abraham DeMoss, and James Hardgrave. Williamson County Deed Book A-1, page 122.
August 1801
James Hardgrave from Francis Hardgrave of Davidson Co. for $100 tract of land lying on the waters of Big Harpeth containing 200 acres – bounded by james Deane and William Purnal. Being a tract of land formerly belonging to Peter C. Stewart and convey to Francis Hardgrave by Robert Hulme by deed. Witnesses: R. Weakley and H. Rutherford. Williamson County Deed Book A-1, page 123.
1816-1836
Readable death dates in this time period:
- 1816 – ANS
- 1816 – HH
- 1825, April 22 – Johnson Hardgrave
- 1828, August 7 – Francis Hardgrave
- 1828, October 17 – John Hardgrave
- 1828 – Skelton Hardgrave (assumed to be buried in New Orleans)
- 1832, November 30 – Sarah Skelton Hardgrave
- 1836, September 28 – William Campbell
September 7, 1836
David M. Harding (original Devon Farm before Hicks) from James Hardgrave. Williamson County Deed Book N, page 446.
1836-1986
I have not established specific ownership of the graveyard during this time period. Thus no proof that a Sawyer every owned it, though in the 1986 collection by Sarah Hunter Hicks Green there appeared some land somewhere in the area from a Mary M. Sawyer et al and another from a Skelt Sawyer.
1960s – 1986
Land in this area accumulated by Sarah Hunter Hicks Green with RCM Realty involved at some point.
April 9, 1986
Devonmeade Associates from RCM Realty a large collection of land including this cemetery.
November 10, 1986
Horseshoe Bend Ltd. From Devonmeade Associates.
1990’s & 2000’s
Charlie Doggett discovers the cemetery after talking with two ladies in the Bellevue Branch of the Nashville Public Library. Prior to this time Gene Hugh Hardgrave had assumed our 5 Great Grandfather Francis Hardgrave was buried in the Providence Church Cemetery based on writings by Edythe Whitley. The library ladies told me Edythe Whitley had a long history of wrong and assumed information in print and that she did not research well. (They knew her personally before her death.) After finding the long lost cemetery, I recorded the information found on these web pages and have tried to maintain the cemetery with a brush cutter and cleaning a couple of times a year. I have also installed a sign. A group from the Arkansas Hardgrave Family Association came and helped clean it and the Providence Church Cemetery one year and Gene Hugh Hardgrave has been here at least 3 times with the last time a week or two before this writing in June 2013.
2018 UPDATE: After my retirement move to Costa Rica in December 2014 the maintenance is now dependent on other family members and I hope it will be maintained. It is a very important place in the family history. But it is now up to other people and other generations. I did my little part in the process.
