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Guthrie Cemetery in Hamilton County, Tennessee   


The Guthrie Cemetery in Hamilton County, Tennessee, is located under the waters of the Chickamauga Lake. Information concerning the cemetery was found in Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Cemetery Relocation records online at Ancestry.com. In the records, Guthrie Cemetery was noted as Cemetery #50, and is located just over a mile northeast of the Chickamauga Dam near the Oakwood and King's Point communities. 


(NOTE: The Chickamauga Dam was built in the late 1930's, which created the Chickamauga Lake. The old town of Harrison was flooded and many cemeteries had to be moved to other locations.)


Guthrie Cemetery at Find A Grave


TVA Record #1: Guthrie Cemetery #50 located on the Raymond Moss tract on the left bank of Tennessee River at mile 472.5. This cemetery contains indefinite number of graves, all below the pool contour. The trees have been cut and cemetery cultivated over for about two years but signs of graves now exist. R. B. Guthrie (Rush Benjamin Guthrie (1857-1943), Kensington, Ga., and R. H. Guthrie (Robert Henderson Guthrie Jr. (1861-1949), Chattanooga, Tenn., state that this is the old Guthrie private cemetery and only members of Guthrie and Hall families buried here. They state they are the nearest surviving relation of the deceased and executed a blanket agreement for all graves to remain. Operations completed at this time.  


(NOTE: Rush Benjamin Guthrie and Robert Henderson Guthrie Jr. were grandsons of Thomas Guthrie and Mary "Polly" Canterbury, early settlers of Hamilton County, Tennessee.)


TVA Record #2: Guthrie Cemetery #50. There is evidence of a number of graves in this cemetery and all are below the flood level. The trees in the cemetery have been cut and the ground cultivated for a number of years. One family was located whose relatives were buried there, but they requested the Authority to allow the graves to remain in their original location.


TVA Record #3: Guthrie Cemetery #50. A blanket agreement was executed with the nearest relatives for all the dead in this cemetery to remain undisturbed. Several years ago, the monuments in this cemetery were removed and the location plowed over. It is impossible to determine the number or identity of the graves.   


The following Guthrie and Hall family members are believed by this writer to have been buried in the old Guthrie private family cemetery. All died before 1860.


1. Thomas Guthrie (c1789-1840/50), son of Adam Guthrie and Mary Anderson.

2. Mary "Polly" Canterbury Guthrie (1792-1850/60), wife of Thomas Guthrie. She was the daughter of William Canterbury and Betsy Ann Lawson.

3. Nancy Guthrie (1780/90-1840/50), daughter of Adam Guthrie and Mary Anderson. She was never married.

4. Elizabeth "Polly" Guthrie (c1781-1850/60), daughter of Adam Guthrie and Mary Anderson. She was never married.

5. Mary Guthrie Hall (1822-1857), daughter of Thomas Guthrie and Mary 'Polly" Canterbury. She was the wife of Lewis Hall.

6. James Henderson Hall (1843-1852), son of Lewis Hall and Mary Guthrie.

7. Mary Jane Hall (1845-1852), daughter of Lewis Hall and Mary Guthrie.

8. Unnamed Hall (1851-1851), daughter of Lewis Hall and Mary Guthrie.



In the photo, Guthrie Cemetery is located under the waters of the Chickamauga Lake - 

past the furthest pier on the left side of the slough through the trees.




In the map, Guthrie Cemetery is #50, Smith Cemetery is #2, 

Shoemaker Cemetery is #3, and Harrison Cemetery is #4.





The Agreement signed May 4, 1938, by R. B. Guthrie (Rush Benjamin Guthrie (1857-1943), 

and R. H. Guthrie (Robert Henderson Guthrie Jr. (1861-1949)