Historic Graveyard Tour – Panther Creek
A wrought-iron fence lines a portion of the Williams Family Graveyard at historic Panther Creek Plantation in Lewisville, North Carolina.
Williams Family Graveyard
The third of six stops on the 2009 Historic Graveyard Tour that was held on May 2, 2009 in Lewisville, North Carolina took us to the Williams Family Graveyard located on the (private) property of the historic Panther Creek Plantation on Double Springs Road. (Click to read the previous post on the Historic Graveyard Tour at Double Springs AME Zion Church.)
Leading our group on this portion of the tour was the owner of the property, Lanier Williams, who is 88 years old. In 1766 his great-great-grandfather, Joseph Williams, purchased several thousand acres spanning both sides of the Yadkin River and established what came to be known as Panther Creek Plantation.
Mr. Williams walked us through the graveyard, pointing out the graves of various relatives and telling us a little about them. For instance, his great-great-grandfather distinguished himself as an Indian fighter and a Revolutionary War colonel. And one of Joseph Williams’ sons, Lewis James Williams, served in both the N.C. Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives.
The oldest grave in the Williams cemetery is Joseph Williams’ — he was born in 1748 and died in 1827. One unusual grave has a pair of little boots and socks carved out of the top of the gravestone, commemorating the tragic death of two-year-old Emily Kerr, who died in a fire.
Photos, Audio and Additional Information
Check out the links below to the PHOTO GALLERY (which includes photos of the grounds, as well as of the graveyard) and the 5-minute MP3 RECORDING of Lanier Williams.
For ADDITIONAL INFORMATION on the Williams family, you might want to read Williams: 300 Years of Leadership in America, A History of the Descendants of John Williams of Llangollen, Wales, published in 1997. I suggest checking with the Lewisville Library or the Lewisville Historical Society to see if either of them has a copy of this book, which I believe is now out of print.
Photo Gallery: Panther Creek Plantation and Graveyard Photo Gallery
Audio: Historical Intro – Panther Creek Plantation and Graveyard Recording (MP3, 5 MIN.)
If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy reading about the other local historic graveyards featured on this website.
An even older grave than Joseph Williams’ of 1827 is his son, William Williams’ grave. It’s not marked, but William died at Panther Creek in 1818 of consumption. He lived on his plantation at Strawberry Plains, East Tennessee and was travelling with his wife, Sarah (King) Williams, to go to Cuba in hopes of improving his health, but died at his parents’ home. There’s much more about William and his many descendants in the Williams book mentioned above.
Carter, I didn’t realize William Williams’ grave was at Panther Creek and that it is unmarked. The Williams’ family history is truly fascinating. Thanks so much for taking the time to add to this article on the Panther Creek graveyard.