Location
Bethel Church and Cemetery is located on Tracy Road in Atoka, TN. Founded in approximately 1850 and a new building was erected in 1953.
Cemetery
The cemetery is on the left side of the church. It is an older cemetery with about 600 graves. Some of the oldest graves are dated around 1850.
Haunting Spirits
I first heard of Bethel Cemetery’s ghost on Memphis’ Channel 3. I went back to find the news report but didn’t have any luck. However, I did run across a website called Paranormal Inc and, as luck would have it, they had a full post about Bethel Cemetery.
The cemetery dates back to the mid-1800s. Sources say it has two separate sections, one for children and another for criminals. Also according to local accounts ghostly voices, lights, shadows and evil growls can be heard coming from the surrounding tree line. More disturbing is the accounts of a “monster” in the cemetery. This monster like ghost is said to have the body of a lion, the head of a dog, and red glowing eyes.
The Paranormal Inc post did not describe anything like this but they did report to have heard a ghostly growl but did not capture the sound on a recording. They went on to say that the cemetery could be a “portal haunting”. At any rate, it does make for a spooky story!
A white mist that appeared in the upper left corner of the picture. This image was not seen at the time the picture was taken, and is facing the gravestones that are near the old tree in the back of the cemetery. [Picture was taken by ibelieveinghosts.com.]
Burials
| NAME | DOB | DOD | COMMENTS and OTHER INFORMATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banks, Ruth Craig | 6 Mar 1891 | 11 Oct 1976 | |
| Banks, William O. | 1 Nov 1888 | 10 May 1964 | Tennessee, PFC 3 CORPS School, World War I |
| Billings, Andrew Harold | 25 Aug 1931 | 23 Aug 1998 | Double marker with Clara Jo Ellis Billings |
| Billings, Clara Jo Ellis | 29 Aug 1938 | No Date | Double marker with Andrew Harold Billings |
| Black, Hattie G. | 25 Apr 1895 | 9 Jun 1987 | Double marker with "Jack" R. Black |
| Black, "Jack" R. | 20 Nov 1899 | 18 Mar 1993 | Double marker with Hattie G. Black |
| Black, Josie Ann | 18 May 1878 | 12 Oct 1957 | Double marker with Thomas L. Black |
| Black, Thomas L. | 10 Jan 1874 | 23 Nov 1953 | Double marker with Josie Ann Black |
| Bowers, Elizabeth | 24 Apr 1847 | 27 Feb 1891 | Wife of J. A. Bowers |
| Ellis, Lulu Mai | 8 Jan 1897 | 8 May 1916 | Daughter of G. R. & E. G. Ellis |
| Glover, Donald S. | 6 Jan 1913 | 20 Feb 1982 | Double marker with Ruby S. Glover |
| Glover, Ruby S. | 22 Feb 1914 | 11 Feb 1998 | Double marker with Donald S. Glover |
| Glover, W. C. | 1862 | 1935 | |
| Hudson, Henry Hardy | 2 Jan 1842 | 6 Mar 1934 | CO C, 22 ALA INF, C. S. A. |
| Hutcheson, James W. | 7 Aug 1853 | 14 Feb 1877 | |
| Hutchinson, Elizabeth B. | 1846 | 1924 | |
| Hutchinson, Sarah | 1822 | 5 Jun 1899 | Inscription: "Born in NC in 1822 / Wife of William W. Hutchinson / Daughter of David & Elizabeth Goss. |
| Hutchinson, Wm. W. | No Date | 7 Feb 1892 | Aged 73 yrs. 3 mos. & 17 days |
| Hutchison, J. L. | 7 Mar 1830 | 1 Apr 1894 | |
| Hutchison, Cynthia Jane | No Date | 2 Feb 1888 | Aged 37 yrs. 11 mos. & 22 days |
| Hutchison, J. C. (SGT) | No Date | No Date | CO D, 12 TENN CAV, C. S. A. |
| Hutchison, Lois Irene | 20 Oct 1876 | 29 Jan 1877 | Daughter of D. & S. A. Hutchison |
| Hutchison, M. E. | No Date | No Date | CO D, 12 TENN CAV, C. S. A. |
| LeBoeuf, Melba Jean | 25 Jan 1940 | 31 May 1990 | |
| McFerrin, James A. | No Date | No Date | 1 LT, CO K, 32 TENN INF, C. S. A. |
| McMullin, James Washington | No Date | 11 Aug 1872 | Aged 2 yrs, 10 mos & 30 days / Son of Newton & Sarah E. McMullin |
| McMullin, Sarah E. | 6 May 1843 | No Date | Wife of Newton McMullin (Stone appears to be broken / DOD may be below ground level) |
| McNair, Mary J. | No Date | 1 Apr 1882 | Aged 41 years / Wife of E. McNair |
| Misemheimer, H. Elizabeth | 17 May 1837 | 13 Nov 1899 | Wife of J. W. Misemheimer |
| Moose, Lucille Black | 18 May 1905 | 1 Nov 2000 | Double marker with Ralph S. Moose |
| Moose, Ralph S. | 11 May 1907 | 20 Feb 2000 | Double marker with Lucille Black Moose |
| Ralph, Arthur W. | 13 Jan 1917 | 25 May 1968 | Double marker with Martha Agnos Ralph |
| Ralph, Barney | 2 Mar 1889 | 5 Sep 1970 | |
| Ralph, Martha Agnos | 4 Aug 1922 | 24 Sep 2000 | Double marker with Arthur W. Ralph |
| Ralph, William Robert | 6 Oct 1926 | 11 Oct 1941 | Son of Wm & Lucy Ralph |
| Ray, Emily Hutchison | 10 Jan 1879 | 23 Aug 1965 | Double marker with husband, James Robert Ray |
| Ray, James Robert | 11 Jun 1873 | 27 May 1939 | Double marker with wife, Emily Hutchison Ray |
| Rhodes, William T. | 15 Aug 1845 | 4 Aug 1901 | TENNESSEE , PVT CO A 26 REGT TENN INF, Confederate States Army |
| Sanders, Calvin Robert | 13 Feb 1888 | 4 Sep 1966 | |
| Sanders, Jimmie R. | 14 Feb 1917 | 12 Dec 1975 | |
| Smith, Andrew T. | 5 Jan 1910 | 19 Apr 2006 | Double marker with wife, Gunetta B. Smith |
| Smith, Arthur Theophilus | 15 Mar 1869 | 3 Jan 1946 | Double marker with Della E. Smith |
| Smith, Baudine A. | 1895 | 1981 | Double marker with James C. Smith |
| Smith, Charles David | 1879 | 1938 | Double marker with Willie Smith |
| Smith, Della E. | 29 Jun 1874 | 9 Mar 1974 | Double marker with Arthur T. Smith |
| Smith, Edward Scott | 1860 | 1932 | |
| Smith, George T. | 1876 | 1955 | |
| Smith, Gunetta B. | 15 Nov 1910 | 29 Aug 2005 | Double marker with husband, Andrew T. Smith |
| Smith, James C. | 1893 | 1981 | Double marker with Baudine A. Smith |
| Smith, James Willis | 13 Mar 1882 | 27 Nov 1890 | |
| Smith, Johnny L. | 3 Jun 1873 | 1 Aug 1959 | |
| Smith, Joseph | 1871 | 1952 | |
| Smith, Laura McCormick | 1859 | 1945 | |
| Smith, L. B. | No Date | 3 Jun 1903 | Aged 76 years |
| Smith, Mable Rhodes | 9 Oct 1918 | 25 Jun 2003 | Double marker with Venoy Franklin Smith |
| Smith, Mary J. | 2 Jan 1866 | 3 Aug 1896 | Wife of L. B. A. Smith |
| Smith, Nannie | No Date | 21 Dec 1900 | Aged 32 years |
| Smith, Oliver | 28 May 1827 | 19 Jan 1882 | |
| Smith, Oliver Warren | 13 Dec 1874 | 29 Nov 1890 | |
| Smith, Robert B. | 14 Oct 1896 | 14 Jan 1926 | |
| Smith, Sarah | 1 Mar 1842 | 29 Nov 1932 | |
| Smith, Thomas F. | 14 Dec 1869 | 16 Nov 1891 | |
| Smith, Venoy Franklin | 23 Feb 1908 | 27 Aug 2002 | Double marker with Mable Rhodes Smith |
| Smith, Willie | 1889 | 1975 | Double marker with Charles Smith |
| Todd, Sarah Ruth Ralph | 8 Sep 1922 | 25 May 2003 | |
| Smith, Wayne | 22 Jul 2016 | ||
| Walker, Betty Glover | 17 Apr 1933 | 17 Feb 1999 | Wife of Richard T. Walker / Married 04/13/1951 |