You’re reading Friday Features, a weekly newsletter containing the Independent Herald’s feature stories — that is, stories that aren’t necessarily straight news but that provide an insightful look at our community and its people. If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so!
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by First National Bank. Since 1904, First National Bank has been a part of Scott County. First National is local people — just like you. Visit fnboneida.com or call (423) 569-8586.
Sacred Ground: Norma Baptist Church Cemetery
A stroll through the Norma Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery is a walk through the history of one of Scott County’s oldest communities. You’ll see stones bearing the names of some of the families that have been around Norma since the very beginning — when it was called Skull Bone, and then Norcross, before it was Norma — like Byrd, Lloyd, Hatfield, and Adkins. You’ll see the stones of some of the community’s most beloved citizens through the years, like Dr. D.T. Chambers. And you’ll be reminded that there was a time when Norma — not Oneida or Huntsville — was theplace to be in Scott County, back near the beginning of the 20th century when timber was king and the New River valley had plenty of it to offer.
The Baptist church cemetery at Norma dates back to 1895. It isn’t this community’s oldest cemetery, by any means. But it’s a true community cemetery, and was from the very beginning — a distinction from most Scott County cemeteries, which started as family burial plots. And back when this cemetery was “new,” Norma was in its prime as a bustling New River timber town.
Although named the Norma Baptist Church Cemetery, the cemetery actually predates the church, which was established in 1908.
Beginnings: The Hatfield family
The first burial at Norma came in September 1895, when Mary Hatfield Thompson died at age 69. She was the wife of Henry Thompson, and a member of one of Norma’s first families — the Hatfields.
Born in Kentucky, Mary was the daughter of Joseph Hatfield and Elizabeth Gibson. (This is not the same Joseph Hatfield who was a Revolutionary War veteran and later moved to present-day Scott County.)
Not a lot is known about Henry and Mary. In 1850, 25-year-old Mary lived with her parents in Campbell County, along with siblings Keziah, George, James, Joseph, Louisa, Elizabeth, Andrew and William, ranging in age from 27 to 4.
Mary and Henry were married on July 11, 1853 in Campbell County. She was listed as “Polly” in the marriage records.
After that, she next showed up in census records in 1870 Scott County, when she and Henry lived with her older sister, Keziah (or Kissiah), and two children, John Parton (age 10) and Mary Parton (7). By 1880, the family had moved to Clinton in Anderson County, with Keziah still living with Henry and Mary. It appears Henry and Mary never had children.
Whatever became of Henry, he was not buried at Norma.
As previously mentioned, the Hatfield family was one of Norma’s earliest families. A bit deeper into Norma is the Hatfield Cemetery, where many of them are buried. Joseph Fowler Hatfield, Mary Thompson’s father, was originally from Kentucky before moving to Norma in the 1830s. Joseph “Fowler” Hatfield Jr., Mary’s brother, was Scott County’s sixth sheriff, serving from 1874 to 1876. A Joseph F. Hatfield — likely the same Fowler Hatfield who served as sheriff — was the first postmaster at Skull Bone when the post office was established in December 1878.
Another of Mary’s brothers was James Hatfield (1834-1929). He married Lucretia Low (1839-1925) in 1854. She was the granddaughter of Mikel Low, the first settler of Scott County. One of their grandchildren — an infant boy — was the second person buried at Norma in July 1897. He was the son of John Franklin Latfield (1859-1917) and Kissiah Jane Boshears (1866-1937), who were married in 1884. Like many other members of the Hatfield family, the infant boy’s parents are buried at Hatfield Cemetery.
John and Kissiah — “Kizzie,” as she was known — had a number of children who lived long lives: Ulysses, Narcissus, Cynthia, John, Lucretia, Elizabeth, Cora Lee, and George.
But the birth of their ninth child in 1897 began a string of hardships for the family. Their 10th child was Clifford Odell Hatfield, but he died in 1902 just before his second birthday and was buried at Norma. They had another infant child buried at Norma in 1903 (and more buried at Hatfield Cemetery in 1908, 1909 and 1912).
The Byrd family
The Byrd family was another of Norma’s first families. In fact, when the New River Lumber Co. came to Norma in the late 19th century, the land holdings it purchased were referred to as “The Byrd Lands” (or “Bird Lands”).
Scott County’s Byrd family dates back to William M. Byrd Sr., born in 1804 in Buncombe County, N.C. He is buried at Fairview Cemetery. He was the son of Jordan Delk (1756-1810) and Martha “Patsy” Bird (1775-1831). He had a brother, Joseph Bird (1807-1894) who also moved to Scott County and is buried at Fairview. So did Jesse Byrd (1802-1882). Still another brother, John Byrd (born 1799) made the move to Scott County, as well. A sister, Isabella Bird Cook (1811-1861) moved to Scott County for a time, as well.
William Byrd married Elizabeth Shoopman (1806-1871). Their children included Martha Adkins, Farrell “Bratcher” Byrd, William Byrd Jr., Jesse “Baldy” Byrd, Riley Byrd, Elizabeth Adkins, Oliver Perry Byrd, and Zachariah Byrd.
Jesse Byrd married Nancy Shoopman (1803-1888). Their children included John Byrd, Joseph Byrd, Thomas Byrd, Peter Byrd, Mary Ann Byrd, Burton Byrd, Mary Jane Riseden and Nancy Epperson.
Joseph Bird married Mourning Cross (1807-1872). Among their children were Mary Pickard, John Bird, Wiley Bird, and others. However, Joseph did not move to Scott County until after his children were grown and his wife died.
John Byrd did not marry.
One of the earliest burials at Norma Cemetery was an infant who was born and died in November 1900. The child’s parents were Eddie Byrd (1875-1957) and Louisa Hatfield (1876-1958). Eddie was the son of Zachariah Byrd and Sintha Marcum, making him William Byrd’s grandson. Louisa was the daughter of James Hatfield and Lucretia Low, making her the niece of Mary Hatfield Thompson, the first person buried at the cemetery.
“Shird” Byrd was buried at the cemetery in December 1902, at age 38. It is thought that his real name was Sherwood. He was the son of William Byrd Jr. and Sarah “Linda” Adkins. He married Rachel Phillips in 1883. She was the granddaughter of Joseph Phillips (1787-1881), who made the move to Scott County as a teenager in the early 1800s with his brother (Thomas Phillips) and the family of Revolutionary War veteran Abraham Goad.
Oliver Perry Byrd was buried at the cemetery in May 1904, at age 40. He was Shird’s brother. He married Manerva Elizabeth Hatfield (1868-1955), who was a great-granddaughter of Joseph Hatfield and Elizabeth Gibson. They had a number of children, including James Henry Byrd, William “Berry” Byrd, Kizzie Jane Wright, Parzida Rector, John Ramsey Byrd, Burnettie Phillips, Flara Linda Jeffers, and Ada Cross. Most of their children are buried at Antioch Cemetery or Riverview Cemetery.
Later in 1904, the infant son of James Henry Byrd and Parzida Hatfield was buried at Norma — Oliver Perry Byrd’s grandson. James and Parzida were married in 1903. He later married Daisey Belle Reed.
In 1914, Perry Byrd was buried at the cemetery when he died at age 37. He was the son of Jesse Lawson Byrd (1842-1904) and Elizabeth Ann Burk (1850-1910). Jesse Lawson Byrd was the son of Isabella Bird (1811-1861), one of William Byrd’s siblings who made the move to North Carolina. She eventually married William Cook (1803-1863) but had several children prior to their marriage. Jesse Lawson was a son with Jacob Lee Lawson (1824-1891). Jacob Lee’s father — Jesse Lawson Byrd’s grandfather — was Revolutionary War veteran David Lawson, who was part of the migration to Scott County with the Abraham Goad caravan.
The mystery grave
In 1907, someone was buried at Norma Cemetery with a large, flat cement slab covering their grave. There is a Masonic symbol on the slab, and the initials “N.R.,” with the dates 1835 – 1907.
No one knows who this N.R. was, though it seems likely that he was relatively well off, perhaps one of the newcomers to Scott County working with the lumber mill at Norma.
For reasons unknown, burials at Norma Cemetery ceased for a while at this time. There had been nine people buried at the cemetery between 1895 and 1907, but only one other person was buried between 1907 and 1936 — Perry Byrd, in 1914.
A Lora Holmes (or Laura), daughter of Pete Holmes, was said to have been buried at the cemetery in 1932. If she was, it was an unmarked grave. Lora Holmes appears in Pete Holmes’ residence in the 1930 census as a 19-year-old daughter. Pete’s real name was Commodore, and he was a coal miner from Grundy County, Tenn. who died in Indiana in 1957. His wife was Myrtle Holmes. He lived in Campbell County when the 1910 census was taken, moved to Harlan, Ky. by 1920, and was back in Scott County by 1930.
When Lora (Laura) died in August 1932 at age 24 in Knoxville, her death certificate states that she was buried at “Norma, Tenn.”
Also said to be buried at the cemetery in an unmarked grave is Linda Sue Burchfield, a baby who died in 1936.
The Hughett family
In 1941, a baby named Lowell Fredric Adkins was buried at Norma when he died less than a month before his first birthday. He was the first person buried there in nearly 30 years — except, perhaps, graves that weren’t marked in 1932 and 1936. His parents were Earl R. Adkins (1917-1992) and Christine Lowe (1924-1953). His mother was buried at the cemetery 12 years later.
James Hughett, 19, was buried at the cemetery in January 1942 after dying of paresis. He was the son of Freeman William Hughett (1889-1967) and Johanna Marie Hansen (1896-1963), who are also buried at the cemetery.
The Hughett family was originally from Bull Creek. Allen Hughett, the son of William Hughett (1813-1865) and Jane Jeffers (1808-1905) married Nancy Goad, the daughter of Robert Goad (1803-1872) and Mary Brown (1806-1890). One of their children was James “Jim” Hughett (1854-1920), who married Mary “Polly” Phillips (1858-1944) in 1875. She was the daughter of Jeremiah Phillips (1837-1918) and Malinda “Lindy” Delk (1838-1910), and a sister to the Rachel Phillips Byrd already mentioned in this story. Jim and Polly’s children included Jeremiah Hughett, Allen P. Hughett, Malinda Belle Hamblen, Thomas Granville Hughett, Freeman William Hughett, Sherman Hughett and Winfield Scott Hughett.
Freeman William Hughett married Johanna Marie Hansen (1896-1963) in 1915 and they made a life for themselves at Norma. Johanna was from Norway, the daughter of John A. Hansen and Severine S. Hansen. The Hansen family sailed from Liverpool, England to the U.S. in 1913, arriving in Boston, Mass. in October 1913. It was in Massachusetts that Freeman and Johanne were married two years later, in October 1915. How they met isn’t clear, but Freeman had left Scott County to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces as a young man. In 1910 he was stationed in Washington State.
Following their marriage, Freeman and Johanne returned to Scott County and lived at Bull Creek for a while before moving to Norma. Freeman started as a timber-cutter, rose to become a salesman in the lumber company, and eventually owned his own business. Their children included Elmer Lee Hughett (1916-2008), Robert C. Hughett (1918-2006), Margaret Ruth Cranford (1920-2007), James A. Hughett (1922-1942), John Arthur Hughett (1924-1995), William H. Hughett (1929-1931), Ralph Freeman Hughett (1932-1961), and Mae Esther Summers (1935-2015).
Freeman was buried at Norma in 1967, and Johanna was buried there in 1963.
The cemetery today
The most recent person buried at Norma Baptist Church Cemetery was Angela Lloyd, just last week. She was the 47-year-old daughter of Jimmy Ray Lloyd and Ilene Lawson. Her mother was buried at the cemetery in 2020.
Other burials at the cemetery in 2025 include Billy Ray Silcox and James Whitney Watson, both of whom died in January.
Billy was a U.S. Army veteran from Norma. James was a deacon at Mill Branch Baptist Church. His wife, Nadine Vann Watson, was previously buried at the cemetery in 2022. His mother, Lottie Marcum Watson, was buried there in 1992.
The cemetery has been particularly active in recent years. Other recent burials include Delmer Lee Sexton and Janetta Jeffers Lawson in 2023; Wilma Washam Sexton, Jackie Wayne Lloyd, Cheryl Adkins Strunk, Bernadene Botts Lawson, and Dennis Lynn Sexton in 2022; Susan Owens Lloyd and Christina Monique Lazarou in 2021, and Willard Gross Jr. in 2020.
--
Lowell Adkins, 1940–1941
Kenneth Austin, 1929–2007
Pearlie Ford Austin, 1903–1991
Robert Austin, 1939–2018
Henry Bunch, 1868–1956
Nancy White Bunch, 1871–1944
Linda Burchfield, 1936–1936
Darrin Byrd, 1969–2017
Infant Byrd, 1900–1900
Infant Byrd, 1904–1904
Infant Byrd, N/A–N/A
Oliver Byrd, 1864–1904
Perry Byrd, 1877–1914
Sherwood Byrd, 1864–1902
Artie Byrd Chambers, 1892–1945
Divine Chambers, 1885–1970
Fred Dougham, 1932–2003
Eva Hutson Foust, 1905–1989
Horace Foust, 1896–1964
Joe Foust, 1945–2015
David Graham, 1959–2007
Willard Gross Jr., 1955–2020
Clifford Hatfield, 1900–1902
George Hatfield, 1827–N/A
Infant Hatfield, 1902–1903
Infant Hatfield, 1897–1897
Leah Hatfield, 1961–2018
John Hines Jr., 1942–1942
Lora Holmes, N/A–1932
Freeman Hughett, 1889–1967
James Hughett, 1922–1942
Johanna Hansen Hughett, 1896–1963
Clara Watson Hutson, 1924–1995
Joe Hutson, 1917–1989
Cloris Hutson Jeffers, 1921–2014
Floyd Jeffers, 1914–2002
Malinda Lloyd Jeffers, 1894–1972
William Jeffers, 1892–1972
Marsha Ruth Sexton Jones, 1943–1994
Autha Coker Lawson, 1916–2009
Berlin Lawson, 1911–1995
Bernadene Botts Lawson, 1966–2022
Bertha Silcox Lawson, 1965–2013
Curtis Lawson, 1915–1980
Janetta Jeffers Lawson, 1940–2023
Mitchell Lawson, 1909–1977
Pernie Lawson Lawson, 1913–2011
Ralph Lawson, 1958–2015
Shirley Lawson, 1937–2013
Daniel Lay, N/A
Christina Lazarou, 1984–2021
Kenneth Lee, 1915–1984
Myrtle Jane Lloyd Lee, 1927–1996
Angela Lloyd, 1977–2025
Danny Lloyd, 1964–1968
Elidee Davidson Lloyd, 1943–2001
Ernie Lawson Lloyd, 1909–1994
Ilene Lawson Lloyd, 1949–2020
Jackie Wayne Lloyd, 1953–2022
Ray D. Lloyd, 1941–2009
Shadora Lloyd, 1993–1993
Susan Owens Lloyd, 1961–2021
Wiley Lloyd, 1904–1981
Hezekiah Lowe, 1922–1987
Mildred Lowe, 1927–2009
Jerry Murley, 1946–2018
William Murley, 1955–1995
Pearl Bunch Phillips, 1890–1955
Shirley Foust Phillips, 1937–1989
Thomas Phillips, 1885–1953
N. R., 1835–1907
Christine Lowe Reed, 1924–1953
Berlin Sexton, 1911–1987
Delmer Sexton, 1941–2023
Dennis Sexton, 1954–2022
Elizabeth Thomas Sexton, 1922–2010
Leonis Sexton, 1913–1985
Wilma Washam Sexton, 1944–2022
Laura Marcum Sharp, 1915–1981
Quinton Sharp, 1948–2016
Billy Silcox, 1943–2025
Cheryl Adkins Strunk, 1964–2022
Mary Hatfield Thompson, 1826–1895
Denoren Watson, 1932–1986
James Watson, 1942–2025
Lottie Marcum Watson, 1903–1992
Nadine Vann Watson, 1942–2022
Shirley Winnie, 1981–1981
See past “Sacred Ground” cemetery profiles on the Encyclopedia of Scott County.
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be The Daybreaker bright and early Monday morning. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!
◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)