A few months ago, I ran across a website about Old Salem Cemetery and Battlefield in Jackson, Tennessee. So, when my family and I were headed east on Interstate 40, we stopped to check it out.
According to the historical signage at the site, the land was originally associated with the Woolfork family and was donated around 1800 for use as a public park, campground and cemetery. The cemetery itself was established in 1825, making it one of the oldest cemeteries in Madison County. Methodist camp meetings and revival services were held there in the early 1800s.
Many early Madison County residents are believed to be buried there, but most of the graves are unmarked today. Some markers were removed by vandals, while others were made of wood and did not survive.
Adam Huntsman
One of the most interesting people buried there is Adam Huntsman (1786-1849), a lawyer, state senator and U.S. representative who made his own mark on Southern history. Huntsman is best known as the “timber-toed” Democratic candidate who defeated David “Davy” Crockett (1786-1836) in the 1835 congressional race. Crockett’s defeat helped inspire his famous declaration, “you may all go to hell and I will go to Texas.”
I blogged a while back about running into old Davy in Austin.
Headstone of Adam Huntsman, upper right
Huntsman served in the Tennessee Senate during two different periods and represented Tennessee’s 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 1835 to 1837. He apparently lost a leg during the Creek War and wore a wooden leg afterward. He died Aug. 23, 1849, and is buried at Old Salem Cemetery.
The cemetery also has a Civil War connection. On Dec. 19, 1862, Union troops under Col. Adolph Engelmann (1825-1890) took a defensive position around Old Salem Cemetery as Confederate cavalry operating under Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s (1821-1877) command moved through West Tennessee.
Although I have no way of knowing whether he took part in this battle, my second great-grandfather, Thomas Jefferson “Tom” Castellaw (1841-1879), served in the Confederate Army as a member of Duckworth’s 7th Tennessee Cavalry. That regiment was assembled in 1862 and later moved with Forrest into West Tennessee and Kentucky, so it is a lead worth researching further. I would not say he was at Salem Cemetery without finding a service record or roster that places him there.
The site includes several historical markers, monuments, cannons and a battle map. It also has a covered information area with articles and other material tucked into plastic sleeves and pinned to a bulletin board. It is low tech, for sure, but it works.
The cemetery and battlefield are worth a stop if you are interested in West Tennessee history, early Madison County settlers, Davy Crockett, Adam Huntsman or the Civil War. The address for Salem Cemetery Battlefield is 58 Cotton Grove Road, Jackson, Tennessee 38305.
For more of my genealogy research, visit rscottwilliams.info.
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