Harshaw Cemetery
Feb 06, 03:19 PM
Cemeteries can tell the history of an area and often these stories are filled with mystery, legend and lore. The cemetery here at the Harshaw Chapel is no exception.
This cemetery is as old as Murphy itself. The names inscribed on the gravestones represent the families and individuals of Murphy's earliest pioneers.
The oldest grave here, that of Nancy Crump Hayes, dates back to 1840. The nearby town of Hayesville was named after her husband, confederate Captain George Washington Hayes.
The graves with the initials C.S.A indicate the Civil War era graves of Confederate Soldiers. On the far side of the graveyard, near the tree-line are the simple grave markers of former slaves.
With so much history represented here, stores and legends abound.
Of particular interest is the grave of Abram Enloe. According to local legend, he was the biological father of America's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.
This story runs contrary to the official versions of Lincoln's parentage, but there is considerable evidence supporting the claim that Lincoln's father was, in fact, Abram Enloe.
As the story goes, Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, was a young unmarried woman in the employ of Enloe as a household servant somewhere around the time between 1801 and 1806, when she became pregnant. For Enloe, a prominent citizen of the area, this was potentially scandalous.
To get out of the predicament, Enloe sent the young woman away to Bostic, NC, where she gave birth to a boy who she named Abraham.
The legend goes on to say that, Enloe used his political connections and a $500 payment to arrange Nancy Hank's marriage to Tom Lincoln in Hodgenville, Kentucky, effectively solving the problem for Enloe.
And now, for the young lad named Abraham Lincoln, the rest is history.
Take some time to walk through the cemetery and explore our history. Please be respectful and do not disturb the graves of the families resting here.
This cemetery is as old as Murphy itself. The names inscribed on the gravestones represent the families and individuals of Murphy's earliest pioneers.
The oldest grave here, that of Nancy Crump Hayes, dates back to 1840. The nearby town of Hayesville was named after her husband, confederate Captain George Washington Hayes.
The graves with the initials C.S.A indicate the Civil War era graves of Confederate Soldiers. On the far side of the graveyard, near the tree-line are the simple grave markers of former slaves.
With so much history represented here, stores and legends abound.
Of particular interest is the grave of Abram Enloe. According to local legend, he was the biological father of America's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.
This story runs contrary to the official versions of Lincoln's parentage, but there is considerable evidence supporting the claim that Lincoln's father was, in fact, Abram Enloe.
As the story goes, Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, was a young unmarried woman in the employ of Enloe as a household servant somewhere around the time between 1801 and 1806, when she became pregnant. For Enloe, a prominent citizen of the area, this was potentially scandalous.
To get out of the predicament, Enloe sent the young woman away to Bostic, NC, where she gave birth to a boy who she named Abraham.
The legend goes on to say that, Enloe used his political connections and a $500 payment to arrange Nancy Hank's marriage to Tom Lincoln in Hodgenville, Kentucky, effectively solving the problem for Enloe.
And now, for the young lad named Abraham Lincoln, the rest is history.
Take some time to walk through the cemetery and explore our history. Please be respectful and do not disturb the graves of the families resting here.