Crayne Cemetery

The Crayne Cemetery sits a top a gradual slopping hill.  You don't realize that you are this high up until you reach the cemetery and stand and look around at the country side.  It's a beautiful view from the top, no matter what season it is.

No document has been found that actually tells when the Crayne Cemetery was started or who gave the land for this purpose.  It has been said that the Spurlin Woodall family gave the land, but there is no deed at the Court House to document the fact.  It must have been done by the year 1900, for the first burial that is noted is Dec. 7, 1900 for Leona Tabor, an infant belonging to G. J. and Elressie Jennings Tabor.  Soon after this date, other burials started being here.

These are the steps leading up to the cemetery from the front entrance.  Several years ago the bank was lined with beautiful old Cedar Trees.  I hated to see them go since they had always been a part of the cemetery.  But it seems they had become rather tattered from the weather over the years and some thought they needed to cut down as limbs were always breaking off of them.  But the cemetery has never looked the same since they were cut down.

The cemetery holds many of the loved one from the Crayne community and surrounding area.  Many of the  old family names, that were so familiar years ago to the Crayne community, are all gone now.  The original family members all passed away and their children moved away to different places. 

The cemetery is home to Civil War Vet, David Brookshire, also the 1st Crittenden County young man to be killed in action in World War I, Ellis B. Ordway, son of William and Julia Long Ordway.  Killed July 26, 1918 in France.   There are other Veterans buried here also, put mostly just ordinary working folks who loved Crayne and never wanted to leave and if they did have to leave, wanted to come back for their last resting place in their hometown cemetery.

The Crayne Cemetery is lucky to have a local Cemetery Board who oversees the maintenance and care. of it.  On the 1st Saturday in June, for the past several years, they have a fish fry to raise funds to go into the account to help keep the Cemetery maintained.