Many early settlers of the eastern part of Hamilton County are buried in small family or community cemeteries. These cemeteries are often hidden from view, tucked into the corner of a farm field, at the end of a nearly forgotten path. As communities change and years and generations separate us from our ancestors, these cemeteries are often forgotten.

The Conner Cemetery, established in 1853, was almost forgotten. Located 30 miles north of Chattanooga and about 5 miles south of Birchwood in Hamilton County, Tennessee, it was the burial grounds for the Salem community in the 1800s. Conner Cemetery was originally sectioned off from land owned by Thomas Palmer, who is buried there. It is a landmark of Tennessee history, that until the early 1990s, was about to disappear. It was covered with debris, overgrown with weeds, trampled by cows, with markers tumbled, broken and eroded, Conner Cemetery was in a sad state of deterioration. It was only accessible by driving through the owner’s barnyard, by fording a creek, and passing through two pasture gates and then walking about 100 yards back into some woods. Most travelers passing by on state route 312, Birchwood Pike, were not aware of its existence and those who knew of it, paid little attention.

Fortunately the Roark-Conner Association came to its rescue. The descendants of Maximilian Conner and Martha Palmer Conner and Timothy Roark hold a reunion with the descendants of both families each year. The Conner Cemetery and its neglected state became a topic of interest at the family reunion.

The reunion group accepted the responsibility of cleaning the cemetery and started holding an annual “work-day” with Chuck Gross as the leader.

The need to incorporate was seen and the Roark-Conner Association was formed and approved as a charitable organization. The association has as one of its goals, the restoration and maintenance of the Conner Cemetery. The need to create good working relations with the land owner, Mr. Ron Johnson, was set as a goal. Chuck Gross was asked to head the effort to develop a plan and get permission to start work. The cows had access to the cemetery and many trees had grown up also. There were no boundaries. Permission was received from Mr. Johnson so that the association could erect a fence around the cemetery, but he suggested that we cut most of the trees down first and get them outside the area we were going to fence. John Roark, Lloyd & Bonnie Munger, Charles Kenneth Gamble, Doris Thornton, Bruce Benton, Caywood & Marjorie Roark, Ola, Carl, & Carla Neal, Edgar Roark, Gertrude Davenport, Reba Wilson, Calvin & Linda Miller, Joe & Missouri Nixon, Charlene Fraley, Howard Scott, Ruth Bettis Shadden, Linnece Bettis Elkns, Lois Newman, and Chuck & Linda Gross met November 12, 1994 and cleared the cemetery of limbs and some weed growth. The second “work-day” was scheduled for November 1995, but was called off due to rain and wet fields. However John Roark, Forrest Shropshire and Chuck Gross placed stakes where they thought the corners of the cemetery should be. Mr. Johnson was invited to view the stakes, and with one change, he agreed. A contract was made with the Budget Fence Company of Dayton, Tennessee to erect a perimeter fence for $2,311.00. In January 1996, Forrest Shropshire made several trips from Cartersville, Georgia and cut down the trees inside the area to be fenced. The trees were cut up and removed outside the cemetery boundaries by Tom Hartman, for an extra $280.00. The fence was erected in March 1996. It is a four foot chain link fence with an arched gate reading “Conner” over the car wide gate. Now the cows were not standing in the cemetery, and after several work-days the fallen limbs and underbrush was removed. A “work-day” was held on April 27, 1996 with Reba Wilson, John Roark, Forrest Shropshire and his friend Tim King, Edgar Roark, Howard Scott, Jewett P. and Ruth Edwards, Maudean and Lee Deason, and Chuck & Linda Gross attending. John Roark sowed 20 lbs of grass seeds in the area of the large marker.

The fallen and broken markers were now visible. The need to re-set and repair the markers was accepted by the association and an agreement was reached with Showcase Monument Company of Rossville, George to clean, re-set and repair all markers at a cost of $985.00. This was completed in April 1997. At the next ”work-day” all of the ground cover was removed and grass seeds were sowed.

There was no document showing the location of any graves in the cemetery. John Roark, with Chuck Gross assisting, surveyed and created a plot of the cemetery. The plot shows the boundaries and all graves, with and without markers, as well as trees within the cemetery boundaries.

The association honored a vote of a previous Reunion, when they erected three markers at known grave sites. This cost was $150.00

Someone suggested that the 120 unmarked graves should have a granite marker at each grave. The idea was developed to place a number on the marker that matched the plot.

On May 9, 1998, Showcase Monument Company placed “numbered markers” on 60 graves at a cost of $900. At the October 1998 reunion the Board voted to finish installing the “numbered markers” at a cost of $930. Earlier in the summer of 1998, David Roark, of Birchwood, Tennessee, had his brother-in-law remove all of the stumps left in the cemetery. The total cost to restore the cemetery has been $5,906.00.

The Roark-Conner Association is incorporated and membership dues are $5 a year. This money is held in the general fund to be used for the operation of the association. A Heritage fund has also been established. This fund cannot be used except on Heritage projects like maintaining the Conner and Roark Cemeteries, the Salem Church site, and other similar projects. Interested persons are invited to contribute to the Roark-Conner Heritage Fund, become a member of the Roark-Conner Association, volunteer their services to maintain the grounds, or just visit the Conner Cemetery.

I want everyone to know that they are welcome to join in the effort to restore and maintain the Conner Cemetery. We hold an annual “work-day” every year on a Saturday in April. It is a beautiful place. Most of the time we don’t have time to enjoy the peace and quiet with a soft breeze, on the shady rustic hilltop.

Interested persons may contact Roark-Conner Association, c/o John J. Roark, 4126 Courtshire Drive, Dallas, Texas 75229-2841.

To return to the Roark-Conner Family News Home Page click here.