Ward Cemetery
Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina

Marked Graves List       Grave Map

Ward Cemetery (also known as "2 Mile Branch Cemetery," "Wrightsville Cemetery" and "Wrightsville Sound Cemetery") is identified as Ward Graveyard WB21 on the county graveyard site map available in the North Carolina Room at the main New Hanover County Public Library. The access is identified as Hardy Access WB21A, named after the historic owner of the farm in this area. As shown above, the graveyard is somewhat screened from casual view.

Ward Cemetery is also known as Two Mile Branch Cemetery and Wrightsville Sound Cemetery (per entries on death certificates).

Photo courtesy New Hanover County Tax Asseesor's website

Ward Graveyard is on the side of an elevation on the west side of Two Mile Branch, Harnett Township, to the northeast of the Eastwood Village subdivision, Wilmington, North Carolina, and immediately west of the Mayfaire Center development. It is located behind the Eastwood Village homes at 1001-1007 Bay Creek Drive, as well as homes at 1303 and 1305 Bay Side Circle East. Public access is off of Eastwood Road by way of a wide, maintained, walkway-utility easement which runs in a northerly direction from behind the Eastwood Village Clubhouse. This easement parallels Two Mile Branch, a small waterway that eventually feeds into Bradley Creek. The cemetery is about 300 yards from Eastwood Road.

Forty-one graves with markers have been located (although six provide no name information). The cemetery is so overgrown with small trees, shrubs and vines and is so leaf-carpeted that additional markers, undiscovered, are no doubt present. There are also many sunken plots (forty?), presumably occupied. There is no overall row organization to the graves. Small groups are in parallel orientation.

Obituaries for two of the 1982 burials name Rev. H. A. Mattocks of the St. Matthew A.M.E. Church as officiating. [2004: This Church is at 6809 Wrightsville Avenue (across from the Gallaria Shopping Center).]

Markers noted as metal in the list that follows are those such as are placed by the funeral home as temporary gravesite markers. Jordon and Adkins funeral homes are represented.

Death Dates (where known)
1911, 1913, 1917, 1922, 1927(2), 1933, 1934, 1940, 1946(2), 1951, 1955, 1966(3),
1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975(3), 1976(2), 1979(3), 1980(2), 1982(2)

concrete slab, with nameplate insert
insert a degraded plastic
Larry (illegible)
1853 - (illegible)

with footstone

stone, broken, base in place
James (broken) /
Died (broken) /
Age (broken) /
Thy Memory shall /
Ever be /
A guiding star /
To Heaven

with footstone

Marble marker, set into concrete plot cover
Isabel G. /
Barfield /
Apr. 30, 1918 /
Apr. 1, 1980

Grave is located close to those of her brothers Harlee and Zack Grady. See 1920 Census and other info below.

Metal (Jordan)
Edward L. Bennerman
1925-1975

stone
Sarah Brown /
Wife of /
James Allen /
May 1, 1871 /
Feb 2, 1913

concrete, broken; base in place, with seashells;

CAMPBELL
Died June 5 1911 /
age 105 /
May the resurec /
tion find Thee /
On the bosom of /
Thy God

top piece missing - presumably with the given name

metal (Jordon)
Mrs Abbie Croom
1889-1969

marble stone
Calvin Elliott
Oct. 7, 1900 /
Oct. 27, 1970 /
Asleep

Concrete marker; broken, pieces missing; branch(?) at top
base set in concrete pad
Vinie /
wife of /
York Everett /
died June 12 1922 /
age 27 /
Gone but not /
Forgotten

Adjacent to, similiar in design to and aligned with the unidentified 'yrs' marker listed below.

stone, facing northwest fence
Rosa Hurst Faulk
Jan 1, 1913 /
April 23, 1966

metal
Rev James Franks
1886-1979

white flat stone, small, with plot cover
Harlee Grady /
April 26, 1908 /
July 4, 1982

white stone with cross (military style)
Zack A / Grady /
North Carolina /
Pvt 1325 SVC /
Comd Unit /
World War II /
August 19, 1910 /
November 22, 1968

Son of Larry Grady, brother of Harlee Grady (above) and Isabel (Grady) Barfield.

Appears that the "Mrs." is in error.

footstone (no related headstone found)

J.C.J.

Probably John C. Jackson (1862-1932) - see information below

concrete
Lawrence /
Jenkins Sr
1904 - 1975

broken concrete, broken, base set in concrete pad
with boat anchor and vine
Hyman Jones /
Died Nov 22, 1917 /
Age 80 Years

stone; laurel branches, lamb
Sweetest Sleep /
Lillie Jones /
1884-1933 /
A Little time on /
Earth she spent/
'till (sic) God for her /
has sent

Probable daughter of Hyman Jones, above.

stone, Masonic emblem
Robert Jones /
Died /
May 30 1927 /
Age 52 yrs/
At Rest

Probable son of Hyman Jones, above.

metal
David Kelly
1886 - 1966
Son of Hannah Kelly below; see Census 1900.

metal (Adkins); located inside the low brick enclosure (see below)
Mrs. Margaret W. Mack
1888-1980

metal (Jordan)
Rev. Samuel M. Martin
1893-1979

stone, tipped flat; with lamb at top
Faithful to her /
trust even /
unto Death /
Martha /
Newkirk /
1883 - 1934

granite (spouse's half not engraved)
At Rest /
Frank W. Shepard /
July 1, 1902 /
June 28, 1982

metal (same site as above)
Mr. Frank Shepard
1902-1982

concrete slab, with letters pressed in In Memory of / Mr. Charles A. / Smith. Born Sep / 9, 1907. Died Sep / 2 , 1949 Husban / d of Mary A. Smit / h. At rest.

The designs at the tops of the two Charles (A) Smith markers are virtually identical.

granite
----------- Williams ---------
     Joshua                Betty J.
July 5, 1874          Nov. 22, 1881
Feb. 24, 1951       Nov. 26, 1966

stone, with cross
James R. Williams
Aug 26, 1904 /
March 3, 1974 /
Gone but not /
Forgotten

Son of Josh & Bettie Williams (above), James Randolf Williams. See 1910 and 1920 Census records.

concrete slab; (insert nameplate gone) #1 with footstone located near a similiar marker, "Larry", see above.

concrete slab; (insert nameplate gone) #2

concrete slab; (insert nameplate gone) #3

Granite marker, about 3" by 6"

Possibly a survey marker?
(Notice the hole and light circle on the top where the brass insert may have been removed)

concrete, broken; 4 pieces found yrs (on loose piece) of  (on loose piece) Asleep in Jesus (on base)

Adjacent to and aligned with marker for Vinie, wife of York Everett (see above)

per the death certificate
Jackson, Isiah David
Born 1901, died February 2, 1959
Son of John and Julia (Lock) Jackson
Husband of Mary Jackson
Laborer
Burial in 2 Mile Cemetery

per the death certificate
Newkirk, Leroy
Died November 1, 1937; age 30
Son of Haywood Newkirk and Martha (Jackson) Newkirk
Single
School teacher
Burial in Wrightsville NC Cemetery

per the death certificate
Jackson, Olessa
Born 1926; died January 9, 1928
Age 2 years, 11 months, 19 days
Daughter of Isiah D. Jackson and Mary (Graham) Jackson
Burial in Wrightsville Sound Cemetery
Killed in a streetcar accident

per the death certificate
(Unnamed stillborn child)
Died June 5, 1918
Child of Isiah D. Jackson and Mary (Graham) Jackson
Burial in Wrightsville Cemetery

P1
P2
P3

GPS readings by hand held device: inconsistant and not exact due to tree cover and drift - +/- 30 feet.
Latitude +/- .003' - Longitude +/- .002'

Census and other references link reasonably well to the gravestone data but have not been
independentaly linked to the deceased using other sources.
Some differences from source to source in reported ages are to be expected.

Viewed, Photographed, Researched, Revised- 2001, 2003, 2004
Posted: February 16, 2004
Revised August 3, 2006