Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Spratt Family Cemetery Reinterment
In Memory of Our Beloved Families
Photographed by Mark Parker, November 29, 2024
1. Spratt Family Cemetery Reinterment Marker
For 250 years, circa 1740-2007, the historic Spratt Family Cemetery was located at the corner of 5th Street and Caswell Rd. in Charlotte. Through the years the grave sites and markers were covered over and the cemetery location was lost. Excavation in 2007 uncovered the cemetery and the graves of 14 settlers. The fragile remains of Thomas Spratt, his descendents and these settlers were disinterred and reburied here at the Steele Creek Presbyterian Church July 14, 2007. These settlers were the founding families of Mecklenburg Country, NC.
The numbered markers denote 14 sets of remains from the Spratt cemetery and may include the following individuals:
Thomas Spratt, the pioneer, 1685-1757
Andrew Sprot d. November 29, 1772 aged 64 yrs.; his wife, Mary Sprot, d. June 7, 1771, aged 64 yrs.
William Barnet d. March 14, 1778, aged 60 yrs.; Mary Barnet d. October 4, 1764, aged 45 yrs.
Jean Barnet d. April 20, 1776, aged 20 yrs.; Thomas Barnet d. May 3, 1776.
John Jack Barnet d. January 14, 1778, aged 9 mos.
James McKnight d. October 23, 1764, aged 60 yrs.; Robert McKnight d. october 19, 1778, aged 60 yrs.
Hugh Bingham
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Mary Bingham d. January 18, 1772 aged 55 yrs.; Samuel Bingham, Jr. d. April 25, 1774, aged 33 yrs.
Esther Johnston d. October 22, 1775, aged 31 yrs.
Catherine Peel d. May 24, 1778, aged 50 yrs.
Other persons by name of Osbourne, Polk and Jack are said to have been buried in the Spratt cemetery but their grave stones were not found.
May they rest in peace.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is July 14, 2007.
Location. 35° 11.03′ N, 80° 57.357′ W. Marker is in Charlotte, North Carolina, in Mecklenburg County. It is on Steele Creek Road (North Carolina Route 160) 0.1 miles south of Dorcas Lane, on the left when traveling south. The location is at Steele Creek Presbyterian Church cemetery in section I-1, next to the south stone wall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7407 Steele Creek Rd, Charlotte NC 28217, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s
Photographed by Mark Parker, November 29, 2024
2. Spratt Family Cemetery Reinterment Marker
The former Steele Creek Presbyterian Church can be seen in the background.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Historic Memorial Grave Stones (a few steps from this marker); Humphrey Hunter (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert Irwin (within shouting distance of this marker); Steele Creek Presbyterian Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Morris Field (approx. 2.1 miles away); Graham Family Homeplace (approx. 2.7 miles away); Boeing / Vertol CH-46A / E Sea Knight (approx. 3.1 miles away); PFC Raymond Mike Clausen Memorial (approx. 3.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlotte.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Steele Creek Church (was about 400 feet away but
Photographed by Mark Parker, November 29, 2024
3. Spratt Family Cemetery Reinternment Marker
Relocated gravestones surround the main marker. The 14 individual plots with the reinterred remains are in front.
Regarding Spratt Family Cemetery Reinterment. Thomas Spratt was one of the first settlers in what came to be Mecklenburg County. Spratt was the first to cross the Yadkin River in a wagon.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Thomas Spratt.
Thomas Spratt (1685-1757) was one the first white settlers in Mecklenburg County and was the first to cross the Yadkin River with a wagon. When Spratt came to the area he first settled on Rocky River, near Concord. Trouble with local Indians precipitated his migration further south. He resettled in a location that is now the intersection of Caswell and Randolph roads, behind Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte. The first court ever convened in Mecklenburg County was held at Thomas Spratt's home.(Submitted on November 30, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
2. Spratt family hails hospital discovery.
Remains of the ancestors of Fort Mill and Charlotte residents unearthed when a hospital expansion turned into a historical expedition in May will be laid to rest Saturday.(Submitted on November 30, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
The remains were discovered when a construction worker operating a track hoe dug up a Revolutionary War-era tombstone at an expansion site of Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy hospital in downtown Charlotte.
Subsequent digging revealed 13 graves now known to be part of the Spratt cemetery where Charlotte's first white settler, Thomas Spratt, was buried. An archaeology team was brought in to recover the remains which will be reburied in the Steele Creek Presbyterian Church cemetery on Saturday....
Thomas Spratt, known as "the Pioneer," is believed to be one of Mecklenburg County's the first settlers when he came to the area from Pennsylvania. Thomas "Kanawha" Spratt was the first white settler in the Fort Mill area. Family members have lived in the area since.
"These are the original families that settled in Charlotte," said Thomas Spratt III, a ninth-generation Spratt who still lives on land in Fort Mill that Thomas "Kanawha" Spratt received from the Catawba Indians.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 30, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 413 times since then and 83 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 30, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
