This cemetery began as the El Bethel Cemetery and originated from the William Goodman family who owned the land. A log cabin church was across the road and said to be the first in Gibson County. The church actually predated Gibson County. It was located on what became the Trenton - Huntingdon Road. The early burials in the cemetery were mainly Goodmans however after being vandalized in the 1970s, only memories of the original markers exist. Luckily, there were historians who recalled some of the burials. In 1859, the Walnut Grove Methodist Church began and for the most part, burials ceased at El Bethel (about one mile away) however Delilah Woodson Goodman, the first wife of Fielding G Goodman, had a stone that has sunken in the grave. It was retrieved by Brent and Jere Cox and repaired in 1990. Four soldiers from the 39th Ohio Infantry were buried in the back after being killed in a skirmish on the farm on Dec 28 1862. These stones were stolen though years later the two who had stolen them told that it was a captain and three privates. This was also recalled by the family. The cemetery is located on the Cades Atwood Road. To find it, you take Highway 45 East to Cades Tennessee and turn east on the Cades Atwood Road. Cross the Rutherford Fork of the Obion River and continue east. You will cross one more bridge and when you see the historic home of G W Robinson on the north side of the road, the cemetery road is to your right. It is located about 1/10th a mile south. There are perhaps 100 burials in the cemetery but most tombstones were stolen from this cemetery in the 1970s as well as a few other local cemeteries. The Goodman family, slaves of that family, and a few Civil War soldiers are buried there. There is also a memorial to Company E of the 31st Tennessee Infantry Regiment located in the cemetery. This unit was organized on the Goodman/Robinson farm.



From the intersection of Cades Atwood Rd. & US-45E. N of Milan, travel East on Cades Atwood Rd., going 1.6 mi.; turning South (right) into the entrance of field road. Walk South about 150 yards, along the fence-line to this old cemetery, within the mature wooded area, as notated on USGS topo maps. LW