The Cruce Family Cemetery
The Cruce Family Cemetery
It has been 20 years since the last time i was here, wow, Taken March-21-2008, thats Stacey Cruce
The Cruce Family Cemetery
have to look close here for the grave markers, this was enclosed by a fence by the request of Gwinnett County Historical Society back in the 80s after some freak dug up a Cruse Civil War Grave Taken March-21-2008
The Cruce Family Cemetery
Rocks for Markers, Taken March-21-2008
The Cruce Family Cemetery
thats Thomas, Taken March-21-2008
The Cruce Family Cemetery
needs a lot of raking here, Taken March-21-2008
The Cruce Family Cemetery
The First STEPHEN O CRUCE born-1770 died-1856, from Dublin Ireland and his Wife Hannah from VA born-1776, died sometime between 1850-1855, is Buired Here, Along with his Son MOSES NELSON CRUCE born 1819, died April-28-1880, ALVIN B CRUCE stillborn March-31-1903, son of Oliver Byrd Cruce, NADINE MARGERETT CRUCE Oct-3-1913, died Dec-23-1913, daughter of Oliver Byrd Cruce, Picture Taken March-21-2008
The Cruce Family Cemetery at the Old Home Place now Called Club Drive
the first Cruce Home Place area marked here, on down shackleford rd on the left
accross the road leads to the old Cruce Family Cemetery
(Descripion of the old old home place from Anne Beatrice Cruce 1980s)
(the road, quiet a big place, huge rocks that ledger rocks like that come out
and then down below that, water is running over rocks there for quiet a bit piece)
Closer Look at the Cruce Family Cemetery, went over today, this is the correct location, March-21-2008
(CEMETERY CLUES)
How the Cruce Family Cemetery was Found in Gwinnett County Ga in 80s
(1) to start off with - There was and is a Cruce Cemetery (info by Katherine Adeline Shumate Cruce in the 80s)
(2) first old home place was not on the corner of Pleasant Hill and Shackleford Rd, but further on down shackleford rd on the left (info from all the Cruce elders in the 80s (John M Cruce, and Wife FL in 80s and Others)
(3) you could see the graves ACROSS the ROAD on the hill (info from Roger Cruce FL, John M Cruce, and Wife FL and others, in 80s)
(4) Cemetery was near a church (info from Roger Cruce FL)
(5) Luke's Chapel was organized September-18-1909, and is located in Martin's district near Cruce's store (info from J.C. Flanigan books)
(6) Cruce cemetery was at the old cruce home place (info from J.C. Flanigan books)
(7) cemetery could be seen from the porch at the Old Cruce Home Place (info from Roger Cruce and Mother FL and others)
(8) cruce cemetery was at the old franklin home place (info from J.C. Flanigan books)(gwinnett county historical society)
(9) Phone Call made from GA to FL in the 80s, they dug into the Cruce Cemetery with a frontend loader putting in a ele line (info from Roger Cruce FL)
(10) Olivers Byrd Cruce 2 Children was buired (1903)(1913) on the left side, beside Stephen (the First Stephen O Cruce from Ireland) (info from Jackie Cruce FL 1980s)
(11) Stephen O Cruce and Moses Nelson Cruce is in the Family Cemetery (the First Stephen O Cruce from Ireland)
(info from Jackie Cruce FL sept-19-1987)
(12) i have been to the Cruce Family Cemetery and i know right where it's at, and i could go right there now
(info from Jackie Cruce FL sept-19-1987)
(13) you will find (ALVIN B CRUCE stillborn, March-31-1903), (NADINE MARGERETT CRUCE born Oct-3-1913, died Dec-23-1913) in the Family Cemetery, childern of Oliver Byrd Cruce
(info from Jackie Cruce FL sept-19-1987)
(14) You Could Stand on Glads Front Porch and look over to the hill side and it was on the side of the hill
(info from Jackie Cruce FL sept-19-1987)
(15) remembers Glady (her daddy) going across the field to that Cemetery on Top of the Hill from there old house down shackleford rd on the left (Club Drive)
(info from BEATRICE ANN CRUCE (B) FL sept-1987)
(16) Katherine Adeline Shumate Cruce remembers GLADIS JO CRUCE told me she remembers her and her daddy (William Gladstone Cruce) walking down over there across the road, across the field and on top of the hill to that cemetery
(17) Katherine Adeline Shumate asked franklin boy that died, could there be another cemetery in this area, he said Katherine, i have plowed every inch of theses fields, numbers and numbers of times, i would have knowed if there ever had been another cemetery, there just has never been one
(18) Claud Ray Cruce 1980s tape 38, i remember you know, i was a little biddy feller, i remember it turned off tha main road on to a field road, and the cemetery was on the right hand side of that field road , just a small family cemetery, i would go in there with moma and daddy (Henry Claude Cruce) could'nt been over 7 or 8, 9 years old
(19) Anne Beatrice Cruce Oshields (Anne B 1980s tape 39, the little house uncle glady lived in down shakleford road (Club Drive) just before you got to that house there was a road that turned off, to the left, mr jett was the prominent person that lived on that road, that little road took you to the Cruce Old Place, right long side that house, this is something that might help you, if your trying to find tha grave yard, that was called rockee branch, it was a little stream that ran over rocks, huge rocks (don't know if it was called rockee branch but thats what we called it) it was the cruce old home place on the other side of that stream
(20) History of Gwinnett County Georgia 1818-1960 page 126
Family Cemeteries Cruce-at Cruce's old home in Martin's district
(21) OZZELA HAZELRIGS 1980s tape 42, I Remember Big Old Rocks there Close to Uncle Oliver Home,
(22) Jack Franklin tape 51, used to go squirrel hunting over there 16 years ago
(from sept-23-1987)
(that would be around 1971) and seen cruce on the head stones back in the 1800s (positive he seen 2 stones with cruce on them)
(23) (Stan Cruce) Went to the Cemetery in Sept-22-1987, found 9 stones, 1 is outside the back of the fence, found 2 baby graves end to end and on the right side of them is a large grave, room enough to walk between the baby graves, a tree was growing right on top of the baby grave
(24) Cemetery is 1 Mile and 1/10 from the Cruce store down club drive on the right (Sept-22-1987
info from all the Cruces around the United States
( Cost $800.00 in phone bills, not counting gas and time, 1980s, S.C. Cruce - still hunting clues )
(There are 61 Tapes Recorded from the 1980s for the Family Tree Research)
Roger Cruce March-29-2008
Stan, Attached is an outline of the public records I found on Williamson
Cruse/Cruce. There has to be a probate on Williamson. The deeds suggest he
would have died between 1885 and 1887. Interestingly, he took title to a
lot of his property as Cruse, but it was sold as Cruce. The Cruce spelling
in the probate suggests to me that his given or Christian name was Cruce.
I have copies of the deeds on file. I got them from the state archives.
The only thing that must be kept in mind at all times is that these are
documents transcribed by a deputy clerk and subject to human error. I found
it interesting that most signatures were "his mark".
Results of public records search on Williamson Cruse (3/29/08)
1. Land District: 6 Land Lot: 38 Acres: 80 in sw corner
Boundaries: North by Craft’s land East by W.L. Jones’ land
West: Couch’s land South: Rd from Couch’s to Poor House
Seller: T.C. Holt Buyer: Williamson Cruse Consideration: $350.00
Dated: Dec 24, 1874 Recorded: March 26, 1887 in Book V page 600
NOTE: Elizabeth Martin, wife of Stephen O Cruce, was part of Couch-Martin family
The above property was sold by Williamson Cruse to W. N. Franklin for $450.00, by deed dated Dec 31, 1880, recorded Nov 1, 1883 in Book S page 78.
2. Land District: 6 Land Lot: 176 Acres: see below
Legal Description: Starting at the south line near the east corner and running round the bluff sufficient to put a fence and from thence up the creek above the spring and from thence across direct (possibly ditch) to the original line and together with two acres that was sold off of said portion of land containing some three acres more or less.
Seller: Rachel Minor (Mines?) Buyer: Williamson Cruse Con: $5.00
Dated: Feb 9, 1877 Recorded: Aug 10, 1908 in Book 19 page 298
3. Land District: 6 Land Lot: 154 Acres: 50 ac in NE corner
No boundaries or bounding owners nor dimensions for the tract are recited.
Sellers: Estate of T.D. Mathews Buyer: Williamson Cruse Cons: $550.00
Dated: Nov 7, 1883 Recorded: July 30 1985, in Book T page 652
The above property was sold by Williamson Cruse to Mrs. I.C. Craig for $250.00, by deed dated July 20, 1885, recorded July 30, 1885 in Book T page 653. This is an absolute conveyance with warranties. Why would he sell the property for less than half its purchase price? However, the bond title to George W.F. Craig appeared as an absolute conveyance also and was noted as a security instrument only in the release deed from Craig back to Cruse.
The above property appears to be the subject of a conveyance from Hiram W. Cruce (note the spelling!) and Nancy Cruce (spelling again!) as Administrators of the Estate of Williamson Cruce, Deceased, to David A Cruce, dated January 2, 1888, recorded January 13, 1888 in Book X page 186, conveying:
50 acres more or less being a part of Lot 154, in the 6th land district and being the northeast corner of said lot bounded east by the Dick Cruce place, west by lands of S A B Mathews. The deed is given pursuant to an auction held on the steps of the county courthouse per order of Court of Ordinary. There should be a probate proceeding.
4. Par “A”: South half of Lot 179 in land district 6, containing 125 acres together with 3 acres off of the southeast corner of Lot 178 in the 6th land district, said tract bounded on the east by Lot 179, on the west by J.C. New’s lands, south by E.J. McDaniel’s land, said tract running with the fence west of the creek.
Par “B”: 62.5 acres off the southwest corner of Lot 39 in the 6th land district, bounded east by Couch’s land, north by James E Cruse’s land, west by the south half of Lot 179 and south by Dick Cruce’s land. (The spelling of James E Cruse and Dick Cruce is as transcribed in the record.)
Par “C”: 49 acres of Lot 2 in the 7th land district bounded south by W.N. Franklin’s land, west by lands of Rambor & Dick Cruce, it being in the northeast corner of said lot.
Par “D”: 40 acres in the northwest corner of Lot 3 in the 7th land district bounded west by the Fowler lot, north by the Bagwell lot, south and east by the lands of S.W. Peden.
The above lands were pledged to secure a bond title from Williamson Cruse to George W. F. Craig in the amount of $500.00 ($400 in gold, $100 in currency), dated March 8, 1876, recorded April 4, 1876 in Book O page 100. The same lands were conveyed by Craig to Williamson Cruse as a release by deed dated January 2, 1880, recorded January 23, 1880 in Book P page 268.
The bond gives an idea of Williamson Cruse’s land holdings at the time. There are no deeds from Williamson Cruse or Williamson Cruce on Parcels A, B C or D.
the Story of the Cruce Cemetery at Stone Mountain
Story from Roger Cruce 1980s
back when he was about 10, Archie Cruce brought Roger up to stone Mountain Where Oliver Byrd Cruce Lived (Olivers old Home Place in Stone Mountain), a Big White House with a Porch That went all the way Around the House, the House was inside the Park now,(there was no Stone Mountain Park Then) there was a Cemetery there, Archie Cruce said son your ancestors are Buried Here?
(they used to go to a rock they called Elephant ear Rock, and they used to go stand on the rock and look over at the Cemetery) there are 3 or 4 unmarked graves in the Cemetery but the rest is Cruces, in the 1980s, we talked to Velma Rawlins who described the House exactly as Roger had said.
(TranScribed from Tape 30 Velma Rawlins 1980s)
Did ya find the cemetery? I know where that cemetery sets on that property. It wouldnt be having anything to do with Stricklands would it? I doubt it because they bought it and that cemetery was there when the 2 aunts bought that property and my children are heirs to that the property where the cemetery is.
Well I'll tell ya um I hadnt even thought about this but um Walmart is building out in that area and I hope they haven't dug into gotten into some of them graves. Did ya go out that way and see the Walmart store?
That's right there was a little road that goes behind it and I dont, the Garners lived there was a family of Garners that lived on that road and they um and and that little road went all the way through to my aunts that was my husbands aunts property but that house has been torn down its fallen in since then.
But the cemetery is right on that its almost on the edge of the um uh the highway. No no ok you know like the where the expressway is? Uh huh and if you go out 78 and then go on around and then go into the park its before you get to the park exit you'll see this high bank and that thats where that bank is is where uh the house used to be it used to be sitting right on that was pasture in there and this cemetery is in that pasture.
transcribed from Tape 30, by Amber Cruce and Jim Cruce April-5-2008
Tape 33, found out Lees and Pickens and some unmarked Graves was there
Cemetery Information recorded back in the 1980s from the Family tree tapes
Information from Garlon Jones in the 1980s
Said it was a Very Large Cemetery
Said he read them off of the ToomStones
also said he took Alice Mccabe over there from the gwinnett county historical society and showed her the Cemetery
ReSearch of People in the Cruce Cemetery on Club Drive Gwinnett Co Ga that i know of
2 Hazelrigs
1 Johnson
Joy
Nolan B Cruse is the one who was suppose to have bought the Williams Cruce Headstone before he died
Nolan Brian Cruce jr
and the woman who told us about the 2 Nolan said her aunts was buried in there?
Vander Cruse
William Cruse
Childern that Burned up in a Fire, would like to know how Many?
ALVIN B CRUCE stillborn, March-31-1903, son of Oliver Byrd Cruce
NADINE MARGERETT CRUCE born Oct-3-1913, died Dec-23-1913, daughter of Oliver Byrd Cruce
MOSES NELSON CRUCE born 1819, died April-28-1879 at age 61 of (consumption-tuberculosis)
STEPHEN O CRUCE came from Dublin Ireland, born-1770 in Belfast, Antrim, North Ireland, died-1856 at age 86
Hannah Stone from VA, born-1776, died sometime between 1850-1855
The Cruce Family Cemetery