Descendants of John Middleton of Onslow County, NC

Cemeteries Renovation Project

The Captain James Middleton Cemetery and the David John Middleton Cemetery have been a part of Duplin County, NC and its history for a very long time. The earliest graves in the Captain James Middleton Cemetery date back to the early nineteenth century; those in the David John Middleton Cemetery, from the mid-nineteenth century.

As the years passed and as more and more of the descendents of Captain James and David John moved from the area, it became increasingly difficult to keep the cemeteries maintained on a regular basis. By the end of the twentieth century, various efforts were being made from time to time to clean up and repair the plots. However, these efforts were neither coordinated nor ongoing over the long haul. As a result, the cemeteries fell into disrepair. In particular, a number of the gravestones in the David John Cemetery had fallen over or had even been broken.

The needs for maintenance of the cemeteries and who was to do what were often topics of discussion at the yearly Middleton family reunions. However, there never was a master plan, and sufficient funds to do what needed to be done was a problem. Therefore, in 2004 Mary Elizabeth Thornton, daughter of Annie Lora Middleton, developed a priority list of things that needed to be done and decided to fund them initially herself. Items included fencing, diseased trees, gravestones cleaning and repair, and general grounds cleanup. Her plan, after the work was completed, was to present the reunion with two beautiful, restored cemeteries. This was to be done to honor our relatives.

At the reunion in 2004, a video was shown of the cemeteries. The amount of money spent was also presented. It was agreed that the money would be repaid over a period of time through donations by family members and others.

The following projects were completed:

Captain James Middleton Cemetery

    1.    Removal of a diseased magnolia tree and several smaller trees/bushes with grinding of stumps
    2.    Placement of a new fence around the cemetery
    3.    Gravestones were repaired and cleaned.
    4.    A concrete table with three benches and four long benches were installed.
    5.    A flagpole was installed but, due to damage from wind and weather, later had to be removed.
    6.    New plantings included: Two Nellie Stevens Hollies, a China boy, a smoke tree, and dwarf hollies.
    7.    Grounds within the cemetery were cleaned up and mulched.
    8.    Four bluebird houses were added -- one in each corner.

David John Middleton Cemetery

    1.    Four diseased pine trees were removed, and the stumps were removed.
    2.    The entrance gate and fence for twenty-five feet from the gate were sand-blasted, primed and repainted.
    3.    Gravestones were repaired and cleaned.
    4.    A concrete table with three benches and four long benches were installed.
    5.    A flagpole was installed but, due to weather damage, later had to be removed.
    6.    New plantings included: Six white crepe myrtles, dwarf gardenia bushes, Oleander bushes, and Encore Azaleas.
    7.    The magnolia trees were trimmed, and the grounds within the cemetery were cleaned up and mulched..

Since the original renovation efforts, the cemeteries have required continued maintenance and adjustments in the plantings, etc. and will continue to do so into the future. Hopefully, this can be provided in an ongoing and systematic manner. Needed maintenance includes at a minimum 1) twice-yearly trimming of limbs, weeding, and mowing, and 2) monthly mowing from April through September. Repairs certainly will also be needed from time to time.

Donations are needed in the coming years to fund both 1) reimbursement to Mary Elizabeth Thornton for her expenses incurred in the renovation of the two cemeteries since 2004 and 2) the continued yearly maintenance of the cemeteries into the future. A Cemetery Donation Form is available to facilitate individuals making contributions.

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Page Last Edited: December 03, 2009 09:06 PM

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