The Cross Family Cemetery, shown in records as the burial spot for many of my relatives, is no longer in existance. All of those relatives are descendents of James Cooper and Elizabeth Barrett who came from Wymondham, England around 1750 and settled in a large tract of land in the Parkton, Maryland area. A tax map from 1877 shows Cooper and Cross family members living in what is now south of Spooks Hill Road and Armacost Road - an area presently the sight of the Pretty Boy Dam Reservoir. James and Elizabeth had a daughter Elizabeth (1764-1834) who married John Cross (1758-1839).

As a boy, my father remembered visiting family in the area, and climbing on a rock formation they called the 'Devil's Backbone'. In January, 1955 they emptied the Reservoir and my father ran up and took the attached picture of that formation. Interestingly, there is today a road leading down to the Reservoir called 'Backbone Road'

Update 8/1/2014:
From Dorthy Cooper Sartorius: After the Cross Family Cemetery had been destroyed, Emily Stiffler made an effort to drawn the cemetery from memory, entering the descriptions for each stone that she remembered. One was marked, "James Cooper came from Eng."

There was a Cross living near M. Cooper (Micajah) off spook Hill rd on 1877 map - may be location of above cemetary. And his Aunt,Elizabeth married a Cross - Bryce

John W. Cooper 111:
I stopped at the property above which was shown as the property of P.S. (Philip S.) Cross on the 1877 Tax Map, and also shows as the property of Amos Cross on a recently located 1850 Tax map. At the property, I met the owner, a Mr. Hedrick, and asked him if he knew the Cross family. He said there was a Ms Cross who was his teacher at Sparks School. He was about 90 years old by my estimate. I asked him how long he had lived on the farm, and he said since 1940. He didn't know of a previous owner named Cross. I asked him if he knew of a grave yard on the property.

He replied that he was told there was a grave yard up on the hill, but it was not there now. He also said it is not on the original farm plat because he looked for it. He had never found the grave yard on the farm.

I asked if I could walk the area, and he said as long as I didn't get hurt. The entire farm has been cultivated, and abuts the Pretty Boy Reservoir property at the hill along Spooks Hill Road. I paced the area past the farm into the woods of the Reservoir, but found nothing of a cemetery. My assumption is that is was on the property as Mr. Hedrick said, and was plowed under prior to 1925, because Philip S. Cross (died 1925) is buried at Pine Grove Cemetery on Middletown Road. I took pictures of where it would have been by his recollection.

I find it interesting that the road is named Spooks Hill Road, and on the top of the hill was a cemetery - accident?