THE REUBEN ROSE CEMETERY
By Dr. James S. Rose
Portland, Oregon
In 1997, James H. and James S. Rose located the Reuben Rose Cemetery in bad condition, in Robertson County, Tennessee and made plans to restore it. A call for donations was made, and about $500 collected. On May 22-24, 1998 the cemetery was revisited and cleaned up.
The Reuben Rose family cemetery is located on Cedar Pike Road about four miles north of Springfield, Tennessee in the beautiful limestone outcropping and rolling hills of central-northern Tennessee.
Reuben Rose farmed about 3,000 acres here, raising tobacco, cotton and distilling whiskey. The original plantation house and slave quarters are gone. A trim white farmhouse with the original water well stands in about the same location as the original house. The present day owners, Vanderhengsts', own and operate a wholesale flower and shrub business with about 5 acres of greenhouse and a marketing area throughout the southeastern United States.
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The only original building still standing is the tobacco-drying shed. It is a large, tall shed with lathe siding and roof top chimneys. The tobacco is hung on rafters and a small fire burns on the dirt floor. The convection sucks the outside air in, then up the chimneys.The shed is still used today and has a musty tobacco smell. The Vanderhengst's tenant farmer raises and dries tobacco in the shed probably as Reuben did in the 1800's. The shed is designated a Tennessee State Historical site and cannot be torn down by the owner. |
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The cemetery is located about 200 yards below the house in a grove of trees:
redbud, dogwood, and sassafras with wild grape vine and some poison ivy. Originally, the
cemetery was enclosed by a brick wall. Over the years, livestock have knocked over the
brick wall and toppled the headstones. The owner, Mr. Vanderhengst, has constructed a metal fence around the cemetery grove to protect the tombstones from livestock. |
The cemetery is in very bad condition. The cemetery contains the graves of Reuben Rose and his wife, Martha Mason Rose, and their daughter Martha Ann Rose Huey, and her unnamed infant daughter. Martha Ann Rose Huey died in 1858 during childbirth. A fifth stone, marked K. Rose was found. This could be the marker for Kincheon Rose, a son born 1802, who died very young in a mule and wagon accident.
The headstones are four-inch thick limestones in good condition with inscriptions on both sides. We found them toppled from their bases and sunken into the mud. Each headstone stands about 36 inches tall. Reuben's headstone is inscribed front and back. The front side notes his birth year as 1779 and his death date as April 14, 1860. The backside of the stone contains a small lettered inscription, religious in nature, honoring Reuben as a good father and husband.
Martha Mason's headstone is similar in design to Reuben's with a similar inscription on the back extolling her virtues as a mother, wife and woman. Martha's headstone was buried face down in the mud and will require additional scrubbing to remove the heavy clay soil from the inscription.
Martha and Reuben Rose died in April 1860 about 10 days apart; Martha first and followed by Reuben. He was about 81 years and she about 79. Martha Ann Rose Huey's stone lies flat with the full inscription on the front side. A small stone at the foot notes that the unnamed infant girl is buried with her.
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Nothing is known about how many years the plantation stayed in the Rose
family. There are several Rose families living in the Springfield, Tennessee area. I plan
to write an article about the cemetery for the Robertson County newspaper and perhaps some
of Reuben's descendants will come forth. The Vanderhengst's said that several times each
year visitors have asked permission to walk through the field to view the cemetery. Family members and Reuben Rose descendants have contributed about $500 to date to support the cemetery renovation. Donations have ranged from $15 to $200 from New York to Houston to Idaho Falls, Idaho. A cement contractor will reset the headstones. We plan to locate a metal plaque identifying the Reuben Rose family cemetery with relevant dates and brief data about the family. |
In memory of
Reuben Rose, born January 20, 1779, died April 14, 1860
Martha Rose, wife of Reuben Rose, born December 14, 1781, died April 3, 1860
Martha Ann Rose Huey, born June 18, 1823, died July 19, 1858