Parkersburg in Wood County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Tavenner Cemetery
Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 28, 2018
1. Tavenner Cemetery Marker
Inscription.
Tavenner Cemetery. . To the east of this cemetery, on the banks of the Little Kanawha River, in 1785, Captain James Neal formed the first permanent settlement in Wood County, Virginia. The vast acreage owned by Captain Neal and his son-in-law, Colonel Hugh Phelps, was later transferred to Thomas Tavenner. In Tavenner’s will of 1857,he directed that “two acres and twenty six poles be used as a public burying ground.” Captain Neal died during the “sickly season” of 1821, perhaps becoming the first burial at this site. Thomas Tavenner, Colonel Phelps and his wife Hannah Neal Phelps and other Parkersburg early pioneers are also buried here.
To the east of this cemetery, on the banks of
the Little Kanawha River, in 1785, Captain James
Neal formed the first permanent settlement in
Wood County, Virginia. The vast acreage owned
by Captain Neal and his son-in-law, Colonel Hugh Phelps,
was later transferred to Thomas Tavenner. In
Tavenner’s will of 1857,he directed that “two
acres and twenty six poles be used as a public
burying ground.” Captain Neal died during the “sickly
season” of 1821, perhaps becoming the first burial
at this site. Thomas Tavenner, Colonel Phelps and his
wife Hannah Neal Phelps and other Parkersburg
early pioneers are also buried here.
Erected 2013 by Capt. Robert Ellyson Chapter of the West Virginia Society of the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century.
Location. 39° 15.291′ N, 81° 33.07′ W. Marker is in Parkersburg, West Virginia, in Wood County. Marker is on Camden Avenue (West Virginia Route 95) east of Hamilton Street, on the right when traveling
The brown sign reads: “James Neal’s Original Grave. A stone here marks the first resting place of Captain James Neal, the father of Parkersburg, and honors the pioneers who braved the uncertainty of the western frontier to start a new life in this nation, the United States of America. Dedicated May 23, 2010, by the Wood County Historical and Preservation Society as part of the Parkersburg Bicentennial Celebration, 1819-2010. Historic Tavenner Cemetery”
Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 28, 2018
4. Tavenner Cemetery
Credits. This page was last revised on October 6, 2018. It was originally submitted on October 5, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 290 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 5, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.