Thompson Cemetery (Bob’s Creek Road)
The Thompson cemetery is located in the middle of a pasture off Bob’s Creek Road. Despite cows grazing around it, it is fenced and well maintained.
There are about 88 graves in the graveyard.
Several veterans are buried here, including George Clyde Beddingfield, 1946-1966, who died in the Vietnam War. Beddingfield died in Vietnam on Dec. 9, 1966.
He was a private first class with Co. C, 25th Infantry Division. He died of wounds from an explosive device. Chapter 14 of the Disabled American Veterans, Beddingfield-Shytle Chapter, honors George Beddingfield. He was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism.
Moses Heatherly served with the Union during the Civil War, with Co. H, 2nd N.C. Mounted Infantry. He enlisted in the 2nd N.C. Mounted Infantry, Co. H, in May 1864. He was a Confederate deserter from the 9th Regiment N.C. Troops (1st Regiment N.C. Cavalry), Co. G, deserting April 1864. While serving with the Confederate 9th Regiment he fought in battles throughout Virginia. He died in 1890 in Henderson County. His family suffered devastating losses during the Civil War. His brother, Solomon Heatherly, died at Camp Douglas in Chicago, Ill., while confined as a Confederate prisoner of war. Four of his first cousins also died as Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill.
The grave of Moses Heatherly is the oldest inscribed grave in the cemetery.
There are at least 37 graves marked only with field stones within the cemetery.
There were found only two headstones with the last name of Thompson with death dates of 1951 and 1964.
It is unclear to researchers why the cemetery was named the Thompson Cemetery.
Other headstones mark the burial places of persons with the surnames Bayne, Beddingfield, Capps, Goins, Heatherly, Peace, Smith, and Ward.
The cemetery is located on the property of the Jennings Beddingfield Trust. The deeds do not, however, mention the cemetery in the description of the 57.28 acres of property. Old deeds describe the location of the property as the old Staton property.
The cemetery can be found on the county’s GIS cemetery layer.
Thompson Family Cemetery (Rock Creek Road)
There are only two graves marked with field stones at this site off Rock Creek Road.
The graves are located at the top of a bank within a cluster of trees.
Legend and stories within the community state that this the burial site of two children with the last name of Thompson.
The site is maintained and noted on the county’s GIS layer.