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Cemeteries of Madison County, Vol. II, page 316
STRINGFIELD CEMETERY
LOCATION: Unknown
Rev. Anson West, in his "A History of Methodism in Alabama" makes mention of the Stringfield family as follows: [Page 110]
"In the year 1808, Joshua Boucher, with his young family, and John Stringfield, with his wife and children, moved to that territory, which was that very year organized into a county, and named Madison. Mr. Boucher had joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in Kentucky in 1806, and was a zealous Christian. Mr. Stringfield and his wife, Sarah, and his son, Thomas, who was twelve years old when they came to this section, had all joined the Methodist Episcopal Church previous to their coming to their new above, and they were all pious. John Stringfield and his wife both died in this county, Mr. Stringfield in 1822, and his wife in 1828."
DANIEL THOMPSON CEMETERY
LOCATION: Unknown
On the same page as he mentions the Stringfield family, above, Rev. West further states:
"In 1809, Daniel Thompson, a local preacher of great popularity, and a professional teacher of rare attainments and of profound scholarship, came to Madison County. He died in the county at an advanced age, and was buried at Beech Grove Church, near the State line."
I have been unable to determine the location of Beech Grove Church. It is no longer in existence and I have located no reference to it.
DERRICK CEMETERY
LOCATION: Section 21-3-2E - In the SW/4
In Deed Book "Q" on Page 91, dated Aug. 11, 1836, Caswell B. and Susannah Derrick deed land to Simeon Derrick and Richard Bowhannan, as commissioners, as follows: "one half acre of land for a public burying ground being part of the southwest quarter on the Section line in Section 21, Township 3, Range 2 East so as to include all the graves that is at that place."
I talked to Mr. Will Johnson who lived across the road from this quarter section of land in May, 1977. Mr. Johnson was born (according to his daughter) April 21, 1878 but he said he was nearly 102 years old. His mind was as alert as most teenagers' and he said he knew of no white cemetery on that land. He did point out a Negro cemetery on the quarter section. Possibly it was originally a white cemetery that Negroes used after many years of non-use by whites (a common practice). That cemetery, however, was located next to the half-section line, not the section line, in the approximate E/2 E/2 E/2 of the SW/4 in a grove of trees. This quarter section of land is edged by the road to Brownsboro and to Gurley, Ala., and is probably a very old road. Reason tells me they would have buried people on or near the road which makes me question whether the above Negro cemetery was originally white since it is about a half mile from this road. I have no way of knowing who is buried in the white cemetery nor the exact location of it.
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