Entrance (West)
Updated December 12, 2011.
September 26, 2010. MACKAY ISLAND CEMETERIES
January 6, 2011. BEASLEY WATERFIELD CEMETERY
April 29, 2010. This is a list of Cemeteries within: Currituck County. In part,this site contains pictures and information on the tombstones in the Knotts Island Cemetery. Photos of the Waterfield-Ballance and Waterfield-Ferrell cemeteries near the entrance to the Wildlife Refuge are also included in this list. Many thanks and appreciation to J. A. Owens for taking the photos.
August 29, 2010. FENTRESS CEMETERY
December 12, 2011. COOPER CEMETERY
CEMETERIES OF KNOTTS ISLAND, North Carolina. Compiled by Melinda Jones Lukei
The graveyards of Knotts Island are located all over the island. Many of the graveyards are in good condition, however I also found gravestones thrown in ditches, some covered by garbage, many entangled in vines and sticker bushes, and a few that only the location is known.
I inventoried these cemeteries three times. Once in 1981, 1987 and again in 1993 to make sure that I had copied the correct inscription. It is sad to say but, some gravestones that were in good condition on the first visit were broken or missing on later trips. I found stones that had been pushed down and some that were under several inches of grass and dirt.
This book was written to preserve the information on the gravestones on Knotts Island before more grave sites disappear.
This book contains the grave sites from the Virginia/North Carolina state line on Highway 615 near The Anchor Club north of the Marsh Causeway to the Currituck Ferry landing at the south end. The grave sites on the Virginia side of Knotts Island are also included.I am sure this is not all the graves that were on the Island. Many of the early graves were marked with wooden markers and have long ago deteriorated. There were also slave graveyards that were not marked at all. Some of the older folks of the Island told me of two but, I found no markers just indented ground.
The "old graveyard" of Knotts Island is in the woods and east of the old fire station. I have heard there were over 300 graves in that one cemetery, but I only found a precious few by crawling on my hands and knees. The area is big enough for 300 graves so I do not doubt the number. If only someone had made a record in the early 1900's this information would not have been lost.
Many of the old stones were very difficult to read and family records may have a different date. If this is the case I would appreciate your telling me so I can correct this in future editions of this book.
The first land grants were issued on Knotts Island on 20 April 1680. I believe, from my research, that people were on the Island many years before 1680, but they had not applied for land grants. A lot of our ancestors have lived here in the past 300 years.
The oldest grave on the island is said to be George Bullock buried at Knight's Point around 1722. It was a large marble slab and metal plate. Many of the older residents say they saw it but it is not visable today.
I would like to thank Jane Brumley for the input she had in this project. She had researched many of these cemeteries and we compared information that is no longer there, hoping to preserve the dates that we were able to pick up from other sources, such as cemetery records, church records, Mrs Harrell's collection of tombstones, Mrs Shannonhouses' records in her book on Eastern North Carolina Tombstones. Also thanks go to Dennis Wright, Edmund White, Russell Edward Simpson, Mrs Victor Boyce, Ida Jean Cason who helped me locate these graves.
The purpose of this project is to preserve dates for the families of Knotts Island. It is a collection to help others to find their family roots.
P.S. I forgot to mention that these cemetery records were also published in the Currituck County, NC Cemetery Book by the Alblemarle Genealogical Society in 1995. A lot of these tombstones have disappeared since I first started collecting them. Others were already gone but we had records that the WPA had done so I included them in the book.
April 17, 2010 Comment - Gary Montalbine: The size of the document precludes placing it on this web page. You can contact me for more information at my email address on the "Home" page.
April 18,2010. COMMUNITY CEMETERY located between the Methodist Church and the School.
April 18, 2010. Comment - Jim Waterfield: The Knotts Island Cemetery was supposed to be a retirement project of Jackson Spratt a former postmaster and original owner of what is now Knotts Island Market. He kept sheep in there to maintain the grass and sold off tracts and lots. Old Currituck deeds verify this. Jackson's daughter Emily who died in 1892 was the first person to be buried there. Jackson Spratt died in 1913 and is not buried in his own cemetery. He is at Charity. All his property can be identified by the retaining wall that is there. When the new part of the cemetery was attempting to be recorded, a lawyer from Elizabeth City named Ray Etheridge came to me and stated that the Methodist Church was indeed not the owner. The owner is the descendants of Jackson Spratt. There are several descendants still living. I am the only one still living on the island. The Spratts were among the original settlers of Knotts Island going way back in the 1600s. The first Spratt was married to James Knotts daughter. MY gradmother Annie Spratt was the last to live on the island.
April 18, 2010. Comment - Melinda Lukei: Emily L. Spratt born 29 May 1873 died 1 Dec 1892, was the daughter of Andrew Jackson Spratt and Frances Ann Williams (his 2nd wife).
April 18, 2010. Comment - Jane Brumley: Just for the record. A number of the recent graves located on the South side of the cemetary (including my family(Miller) and husband (Brumley) were lots that my mother sold to people wanting a plot.
George Bullock. April 18, 2010. Comment - Jane Brumley: Up at Knight's Point (currently Yarborough property) there is a very old site of a very early Knotts Island settler. His name is George Bullock. George Bullock received a grant for property in the 1600's, His remains are there. I can remember seeing the very old stone with a brass plate. Over the years someone "removed" the brass plate. I do recall it saying "here lies George Bullock" but cannot remember anything else. He died when, his horse was frightened and ran in the water. Those of you who go out in boats probably know "Bullock's Hole" it so named for George Bullock. The next old stone is located on the Doxey property at the "Mill Cove" . It was a very old stone with the initials "CA" carved and nothing else. This is for Calab Ansell. The Mill Cove was named for a grist mill that was located near the water.
August 19, 2010. Comment - Jane Brumley: A very old photograph of the KI Cemetary which includes the old Junior Hall. Please note all the conch shells around the graves. I do remember the shells and that later they were removed to make it easier to mow the grass.