--Photos by Eddie Best, 2002

Salem Cemetery

Searcy, Arkansas

• List updated January 5, 2005
• Legal description: NE, NE, NE, Sect.25, T8N, R7W
• Earliest listed grave: 1892
• Last listed grave: Active
  
• GPS Listing: (link)
• Arkansas Archeological Survey site #3WH0616

Salem Cemetery is located in the churchyard of Salem Baptist Church, north of Searcy. The first listing for this cemetery by the White County Historical Society was prepared October 20, 1965, by Cloie and Leister Presley, who published their report the following year in White County Heritage. Additional information was obtained in 2000 by volunteers Gerald Torrence and Tommy H. Treadway of the Historical Society. Another Society member, Leroy Blair, added 14 names to the original list after visiting the cemetery August 24, 2000.

The Presleys reported seeing 25 unmarked graves. They also added the following footnote concerning Confederate Army veteran John J. Stevens, who is buried here: "John J. Stevens, Pvt., New Co. F, 8^th Reg. Ark. Inf. Confederate Army, … is shown on the military record as enlisted at Pocahontas, Arkansas, September 23, 1861, for a period of 12 months. He was 20 years old and was enlisted by Lt. John H. Kelly. His commanding officers were Cols. William K. Patterson and John H. Kelly. He was in detached service with the provost guard, August 1862 to the close of 1863. He was captured near Jonesboro, Georgia, September 1, 1864, and exchanged by order of General W.T. Sherman at Rough and Ready, Georgia, September 19, 1864."

Blair provided these directions: "To get to this cemetery from Searcy take the road that goes by the White County Fair Grounds [Davis Drive]. Just after the road crosses the bridge over the Little Red River there is a road going north to the left that is Salem Church Road. Go about 3.8 miles on this road. The cemetery is on the right in the churchyard. It is a nice clean cemetery." Blair was unable to find stones for many names that were on the original Presley list.

When Blair returned to the cemetery in the summer of 2001, he discovered something that he had overlooked on his first trip. "I went out to take a picture of the cemetery, and when I drove into the parking lot I noticed a small plaque on a post. It read Built By Edward Morris 12-12-74, followed by a list of names and numbers. While I was looking at it, a lady drove up and asked if she could help me. She said that the plaque was a list of unmarked graves and that Edward Morris was her uncle. She gave me his telephone number so I called him and learned that he and other older people made the list from memory in 1974, then placed a small bronze number at each grave. He said some of the bronze numbers have vanished over the years. They did not list any dates." Following is the list that is on the plaque:

49-Unknown

Blair returned here on December 8, 2004, and compared the latest burial list with names and dates on every tombstone in the cemetery, then prepared this updated and corrected version.

If you have corrections or additions to this list or additional information on Salem Cemetery, contact the White County Historical Society, P.O. Box 537, Searcy, AR 72145

NOTES

@-this grave or metal marker could not be found on December 8, 2004, when the cemetery list was updated