Round Top Cemetery is located on land that once was owned by George Washington KELLEY (1794 – 1878).  He was a well-known Baptist minister and married many (probably several hundred) couples in Franklin County and in Floyd County, Virginia.  His land was originally in Franklin County and some— or most – of it ended up in Floyd County when that county was formed in 1831.  In 1831, when he declared additional service in the War of 1812, his residence was Floyd County.  George W. KELLEY was my 3^rd great-grandfather.

 

These pictures show Round Top Cemetery on Friday, June 15, 2007, a misty, wet day.  Mist is visible in some of the pictures.  My uncle, Alvis (“Al”) Sharon Kelley, cleaned up the cemetery about two years ago.  Uncle Sharon lives nearby in Floyd County.

 

Photo 001b:  Bill Moran and John Ward (my husband) waiting for me to crawl under the barbed wire fence on our trek to Round Top Cemetery.  Round Top is in a gated community, and without a key to the gate, Bill was leading us “the back way” to the cemetery.

 

Photo 002a:  Round Top Cemetery, showing undergrowth with tombstones amid the mist.

 

Photo 003a:  NANNIE HALDREN   9 – 14 – 1885     8 – 13 – 1910    A Bud on Earth to Bloom in Heaven

 

Photo 004a:  ELIZABETH HALDREN    b.  May 8  1881     d.  Mar 20  1909    Died at 18 (28?)  Sleep in Blessed Jesus

 

Photo 007b:  Three JONES tombstones in back, left to right:   Malinda Jones, Infant Jones, and Ella Jones (see inscriptions below).

The weather-worn tombstone in front gives an idea of the deterioration of most of the stones in this cemetery.

 

Photo 008a:  ELLA   WIFE  OF  WM (?)  E  (?)  JONES   BORN   Sept   (?)  18 (?)     DIED    (?)  (?)  (?)  (three lines of inscription at bottom of stone are unreadable)

 

Photo 009a:  INFANT CHILD OF  ROBERT  P  & LURINDIA  JONES    BORN & DIED   July  ___  1888 (?)   (four lines of inscription at bottom of stone unreadable)

 

Photo 010a:  MALINDA C   WIFE OF  ROBERT  (?)  JONES    BORN  (?)   DIED  DEC  (?)  1895  (three lines of inscription at bottom of stone are unreadable)

 

Photo 011a:  ROBERT  P   JONES    BORN  Jan 3  18 (?)    DIED  Dec  1 (?)  190 (?)  Our Father…(three lines of inscription at bottom of stone are unreadable)

 

Photo 012:  LURINDA  H   WIFE  OF  R. P. Jones   MAR 6, 1860   JUNE 10, 1934   AT REST

(Her name is spelled “LURINDA” on this stone.  On the grave of their infant child, her name is spelled “LURINDIA.”)

 

Photo 013b:  Another view, showing four JONES tombstones.  Robert P. JONES is on the left, then Malinda JONES, Infant JONES, and Ella JONES (inscriptions above).

 

Photo 014a:  This worn and pointed stone, leaning at an angle out of the ground, is known by descendants and area residents to be the grave of George Washington KELLEY, born 9 March 1794, died 17 November 1878.

 

Photo 014b:  JAMES   W   KELLEY   APRIL 4, 1863   May 30, 1942    Gone But Not Forgotten

(This is the only Kelley gravestone at Round Top with a readable inscription.  James W. KELLEY, son of William D. Kelley and Charlotte Powell, was the grandson of George W. Kelley.)

 

Photo 016a:  Grave of Confederate soldier.  I believe my uncle, Alvis Sharon Kelley, may have placed the Confederate flag at this grave.  This is possibly the grave of James L. KELLEY, son of George W. KELLEY.  James L. KELLEY served in the 54^th Virginia Infantry from 1861 – 1863.   In 1877, he and his wife, Sarah Ann (Sallie Ann) Sowder, deeded land to the Locust Grove School District for the Kelley School House. 

 

Photo 018b:  An unknown number of stones have fallen over; Bill Moran pulled this one to an upright position (inscription unreadable, but it may be a HALDREN stone).

 

Paula Kelley Ward

ChaChaLady@sbcglobal.net

Genealogists never die – they just haunt cemeteries