Robinson-DeJarnette Cemetery

Robinson-DeJarnette Cemetery. Autauga County. , Established prior to 1833, the Robinson-DeJarnette Cemetery is located on property first granted by the U. S. Government to early Autauga County settler James Jackson. In 1825, Jackson transferred the land patent to Eli Terry Sr. On March 16, 1833. Eli Terry, Sr. and his wife Polly sold the cemetery and surrounding property to their son, William R. Terry, who then sold it to John P. DeJarnette in 1835. The cemetery features a unique rock wall that encloses it on all four sides with no opening. The design's likely purpose was to prevent cattle from entering and damaging the grave markers. Because of the closed design, caskets had to be carried over the walls for burial. The rocks in the walls do not appear to be native to this area and are believed to have been transported up the Alabama River to the site. Although Eli Terry, Sr. and other members of the Terry family are thought to be buried within the walled cemetery, there are only six marked graves. The oldest of these belongs to Martha Ann Terry Robinson, who died in 1833 and was the daughter of Eli Terry, Jr. and wife of Tod Robinson, who died in 1838. , Tod Robinson and Martha Ann Terry married on March 8, 1792, in Anson County, North Carolina. By 1820, they settled in Autauga County in the village of Robinson Springs, which is now part of Millbrook. Elmore County. The family then moved further west, settling on a plantation between White Water and Autaugaville. In addition to Tod and Martha, their daughter Ann Terry Robinson Wyatt (1801-1849) is also buried in the cemetery. Their other children included Hannah Pickett Robinson (1795-1876), wife of John Caldwell; William Robinson (1799-1882), who settled in Lowndes County: Cornelius Robinson (1805-1867), who married Martha Owens DeJarnette and settled in Mount Gilead, Lowndes County; and Tod Robinson, Jr. (1812-1870), who settled in Texas and then California. Another person of note buried here is Frances Hannah Pickett DeJarnette (1780-1840), daughter of Major James Pickett and Martha Terry. Following the death of her husband, Mumford DeJarnette, in North Carolina, Frances came to Alabama with her children and other family members. Her children included Martha Owen DeJarnette, who married Cornelius Robinson; John Pemberton DeJarnette: James Terry DeJarnette; and William Pickett Dejarnette. , Listed in the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register on February 15, 2024