As this was developing I was thinking that this cemetery was adjacent to Providence Church and now I do not think so, but more like a family cemetery.
Providence Church and DeMoss Cemetery Time Line
TIMELINE of Providence Church Cemetery- Or DeMoss Cemetery |
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| Bellevue, Nashville, TN | ||
| Research Records of Charlie Doggett | ||
| Event Date | Event | Sources |
| 5-Mar-1745 | Birth of Francis Hargrave, VA | Hardgrave Family History |
| Oct-1753 | Birth of Abraham Louis DeMoss | Gravestone in cemetery |
| 7-May-1792 | Birth of Skelton Hardgrave, NC | Hardgrave Family History |
| 1770’s | Francis Hardgrave & Louis DeMoss serve in the Revolutionary War together in the same N.C. regiment and were most likely neighbors | Hardgrave Family History |
| ca 1794-95 | Elder John Dillahunty came to Middle TN and organized Richland Creek Church “at General Harding’s” | Edythe Whitley, Providence Park Dedication paper, 1976 |
| 1798-1799 | In 1798 Francis Hardgrave and wife Sarah Skielton Hardgrave moved from NC first to Lincoln Co., TN then in less than a year to Davidson Co., TN where they purchased 100 acres on the Harpeth River January 20, 1799 near his old friend and neighbor from N.C., Louis DeMoss. | (1) The Westview “Early Trails,” Oct. 1980 (2) Davidson County Land Deed (3) Edythe Whitley papers 1941 and 1976 (4) Hardgrave Family History |
| 1804 | Francis Hardgrave elected to Coroner of Davidson County | Edythe Whitley, Providence Park Dedication paper, 1976 |
| 1807 | Francis Hardgrave’s son John marries Mary “Polly” Robertson, neice of James Robertson, the founder of Nashville. | Davidson County Tennessee Marriage Book I, page 105 |
| April 1810 | H. DeMoss buried here | Gravestone |
| 1811 | ? DeMoss, age 16 buried here | Gravestone |
| 6-Jan-1812 | Francis’ son Skelton marries Susannah Loftin originally of Sussex Co. VA. Her family had moved to Davidson Co in 1795, living near the Hardgraves, Hardings and DeMosses. | The Westview, “Early Trails” October 1980 |
| 1812 | John Dillahunty died at age 96. Soon afterwards Elder Joe Anderson moved the Richland Creek Church a few miles west on the Hardgrave property and changed the name to Providence Church. “It was a Baptist Church.” | Edythe Whitley, Providence Park Dedication paper, 1976 |
| 11-Mar-1812 | Desa A? Delihute buried here | Gravestone |
| 20-Sep-1813 | Skelton enlisted in the War of 1812 in West TN Militia Infantry under Col. A. Lowry & Capt. Jos. Williamson. He was 20 yers old. | Edythe Whitley, Providence Park Dedication paper, 1976 |
| 20-Sep-1814 | Skelton promoted to 1st Lt. | Whitley’s 1941 paper |
| 1818 | Francis deeds a portion of his land to Skelton who buys additonal adjacent land at church/cemetery | Edythe Whitley, Providence Park Dedication paper, 1976, from Davidson Co. Land Deeds |
| 1820 | Louis DeMoss, founder of Bellevue, is buried here. He was the earliest settler here and built a log house overlooking the Harpeth River, calling it “Bellevue” which is French for “Beautiful View.” | (1) Gravestone, (2) Edythe Whitley papers, (3)Early TrailsOctober 10, 1980 |
| 1821
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An unreadable stone with 1821 date
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Gravestone
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| 25-Dec-1824 | Skelton Hardgrave “sells” part of his land for the New Providence Meeting House for sum of one dollar. The building and cemetery were already in existence prior to this date. The first frame building was built in 1812 on Joseph Hopkins propery. It burned and they moved here. Two frame buildings were built by cemetery and both burned before a brick building was erected. Dates not known. | Edythe Whitley papers + Fletch Coke transcript of 1824 Deed |
| 19 Oct 1825 | Deed mentioning church | 1825 Deed transcript by Coke |
| Sep 1826 or 1828 | ? DeMoss buried here | Gravestone |
| 19-Feb-1826 | Francis Hardgrave purchases adjacent land from John DeMoss | Edythe Whitley Marker Dedication papers 1941 |
| 3-Feb-1827 | Francis Hardgrave sells adjacent land to Skelton Hardgrave | The Westview, “Early Trails” October 1980 |
| 14 July 1827 | Deed mentioning church | 1827 Deed transcript by Coke |
| 1828 | Unknown DeMoss buried here | Fulcher’s 1979 stone listing |
| 1800s | Known as Providence Church or Hargrave Church and the cemetery as Hardgrave Cemetery. One writer called it “DeMoss Graveyard” but this was not the true name though possibly considered this by the DeMoss family. | Edythe Whitley papers |
| 2-Apr-1838 | Mrs. Zany Hardin buried here | Gravestone |
| 30-Aug-1844 | Lucinda Larkins buried here | Gravestone (Hodges list only) |
| 5-Oct-1847 | Martha Ann DeMoss buried here | Gravestone |
| 2-Jun-1849 | Hannah Greer buried here | Gravestone |
| 2-Oct-1855 | Green B. Greer buried here | Gravestone |
| 24-Apr-1856 | Elizabeth DeMoss buried here. Wife of Thomas DeMoss | Gravestone |
| 1859 | Listed in District No. Fourteen as: “Providence Church at Reynolds Mill.” | History of Davidson County by W.W. Clayton, page 372 |
| 17-Apr-1863 | Thomas DeMoss buried here | Gravestone (Fulcher list only) |
| 1865 | Providence Church’s fourth building was brick but was totally destroyed by Civil War activities in 1865. The small congregation ceased to exist after that. | Edythe Whitley 1941 papers |
| 1865-67 | The congregation of Providence Church merged with Big Harpeth Baptist Church after the war. | Edythe Whitley 1941 papers |
| 11 Aug 1866 | Greer-Morton Deed mentioning the cemetery and deceased Thomas DeMoss referenced | 1866 Deed trascript by Fletch Coke Registered in 1892 |
| 5-Aug-1869 | James L. Greer buried here | Gravestone |
| 1871 | The church was marked in two places on this 1871 map: (1) As “Old Providence Church” at corner of Richland and Harding Turnpike and a smaller unmarked road. (2) As “Providence Church” on Flat Creek east of Big Harpeth River in Bellevue. | 1871 Nashville & Davidson County Political Mapfound in Nashville Public Library |
| 1880 | The county was redistricted and Providence Church site was then in District No. 14, but 1859 record above also says District 14 – So? | The Westview, “Early Trails” October 1980 |
| 1938 | The spot where the old Providence Church stood was now in District 9 & Edythe Whitley and the Gen. Francis Nash Chapter of D.A.R. “worked like everything” to get the stones pieced together and re-erected and to get the cemetery cleared of debris and try to preserve it and protect it from realtors who were trying to get it developed into a subdivision. | The Westview, “Early Trails” October 1980 |
| 1-Jul-1941 | D.A.R. unveil and dedicate new stones for Francis and Skelton Hardgrave. (NOTE: Whitley thought they must be buried here but they were not. Francis is in the Hardgrave Family Cemetery across the river in Horseshoe Bend Subdivision with his original stone intact and Skelton was killed and buried in New Orleans. In 1997 the Hardgrave family moved the two stones to the Hardgrave Family Cemetery across the river.) | Edythe Whitley 1941 papers NOTE from Charlie Doggett |
| 1-Oct-1975 | Girl Scout Troop 832 cleans up the Hardgrave Cemetery and plants bulbs around the trees. | The Tennesseannewspaper on 27 October 1975 |
| 18-Jul-1976 | D.A.R. and Girl Scouts hold a “Bicentennial Project Dedication” at the cemetery, calling it “Providence Park” and Mrs. Whitley reads a history of church and cemetery and the Hardgrave family. | Dedication program and Edythe Whitley’s 1976 papers |
| ca 1980-81 | Edythe Whitley writes to Mrs. Terrel W. “Nell” Hardgrave in Sunrise, FL (and others I would presume) to tell her about the Nashville Hardgrave Cemetery and beg the Hardgrave family to please try to save and preserve it. (NOTE: She was not aware that this line of Hardgraves had migrated west to Arkansas and a few to TX & OK. It was after her passing that the true descendents discover the Hardgrave prescence here and the true Hardgrave Cemetery. -CD) | Copy of the letter and NOTE by Charlie Doggett |
| Early Sep 1981 | Ferrell writes Illene J. Cornwell in Nashville | Based on her 9/21 response below |
| 21-Sep-1981 | Ilene writes Ferrell a two-page letter giving details of cemetery from her perspective and suggesting ways to preserve it, including the suggestion of a specific Tombstones & Perpetual Care company. | Copy of the letter in possession of Gene Hugh Hardgrave and Charlie Doggett research papers |
| 15-Apr-1983 | Gene Hugh Hardgrave of Fort Smith, AR writes his 1st cousin Charles Doggett of Nashville with copies of above letters and a request for him to take a look at the condition of the cemetery and the location of their mutual 5-Great Grandfather. | Charlie Doggett research papers |
| 1-Aug-1984 | Gene Hugh Hardgrave meets the following at the cemetery to discuss preserving: A rep of the TN Historical Commission, a rep of the Divison of Archaeology and a member of the River Plantation Residents Association. | Letter to Charles from Gene |
| Jan-May 1995 | Charles researches cemetery at: (1) Edythe Whitley papers in Williamson Co. Library, (2) Tennessee State Library & Archives, (3) SBC Historical Library and Archives, (4) Nashville Public Library | Charles Doggett research notes |
| 24-Jun-1995 | Cemetery Report to the annual Hardgrave Family Reunion in Hartman, AR | Charles Doggett research notes |
| 7-Oct-1995 | Eight members of the Hardgrave family, 3 from Arkansas, along with Robert Greer did a big clean up of the Providence Church Cemetery. See newspaper article about clean up. | Charles Doggett records |
| 1997 | Hardgrave family moves the two DAR stones for Francis and his son Skelton to the Hardgrave Family Cemetery across the river in Williamson County’s Horseshoe Bend Subdivision | Charles Doggett |
| 1998 | Boy Scout John Elliott’s Eagle Scout Project was scheduled to be him getting his troop to clean the cemetery and re-stack the stone wall by September of 1998 – I was moving and did not check on it. | Noted in Doggett’s 1998 Cemetery Report to the Hardgrave Family Reunion in Arkansas. |
| 2013 | Sanford Payton contacts Charlie Doggett for information and I start cleaning up my notes and preparing information to send him and at the same time begin this web page. He is beginning a “Friends of DeMoss Cemetery” group to work on preserving this cemetery I call Providence Church. Later Fletch Coke shares the 4 deeds referencing either the church or cemetery | Charles Doggett Research Files |
| See separate page titled “Bibliography” for list of sources. | ||