This cemetery was inventoried and transcribed by Timothy N. West and Rebecca Ellis on 12 Sep 2025.
This cemetery was originally inventoried by Theresa McCoy on 23 Aug 2005. Cemetery is behind the Helenwood Baptist Church. Sacred Ground – The Scott County Cemetery Project – Daniel Memorial Cemetery
HELENWOOD – In the earliest days of Helenwood, the town’s primary cemetery was the Helenwood Cut Cemetery, located along the railroad tracks just south of town. The Cut Cemetery dates back to the middle of the 19th century, and almost 400 people have been buried there. With time, though, another community cemetery began: the Daniel Memorial Cemetery, located at the community’s longstanding Baptist church on what was once known as the town’s Main Street. From its start nearly 100 years after the Helenwood Cut Cemetery began, Daniel Memorial Cemetery has grown to become the larger of the two. And while the Cut Cemetery remains active, Daniel Memorial now has more than 450 graves – and counting. The Cemetery BeginIt has been reported that baby Joseph Norris was the first burial at Daniel Memorial Cemetery, in January 1948. Born Dec. 1, 1947, baby Joseph was less than two months old when he died of pneumonia. He was the son of Warren G. Norris (1923-1981) and Mary Magelene Smith (1925-1976). His mother is buried at the cemetery, as are several of his siblings: brother Esco, sister Mary Ellis Newport, sister Stella Foster, and brother Teddy Dean. However, a stone for Joseph Norris cannot be located at the cemetery. Neither Robert Bailey in his 1994 cemetery census nor Timothy West in his online transcription include baby Joseph among the burials at Daniel Memorial Cemetery. Joseph’s birth certificate simply says he was buried in the “Helenwood Cemetery.” The first burial that can be confirmed at the cemetery is Thomas Clark Stewart, who died in January 1962 of a heart attack at age 78. Originally from Sparta, Tenn., Stewart was a World War I veteran, the son of James Stewart and Elizabeth Webb. He was married to Ethel Mae Baker, who was buried at the cemetery in February 1963. She was the daughter of Robert J. Baker and Anna B. Cordell. Stewart and his wife, who was a native Scott Countian, were married in Scott County in June 1906. They lived in Morgan County for a number of years, and eventually moved to Helenwood. He worked on the railroad. It is interesting to note that Stewart’s death certificate in 1962 listed his place of burial as Daniel Memorial Cemetery. Less than one week later, Judson R. Pemberton was buried at the cemetery, when he died at age 66. He was the son of Churchwell Pemberton (1860-1940) and Nancy Duncan (1856-1929), both of whom were buried at Helenwood Cut. He married Mewanee Sexton, of the Paint Rock community, in 1917. Jud and Mewanee had five children, including Ralph (born 1917), Evalyn (born 1918), Tub (born 1920), Eloise (born 1923) and Gordon (born 1927). Mewanee and three of their children – Ralph, Evalyn, and Tub – were eventually buried at the cemetery. Burials occurred quickly at the new Daniel Memorial Cemetery in the 1960s. In 1962 alone, there were three other people buried at the cemetery: Alonzo Alexander in June, Ester Duncan in July, and Robert King in December. There were two more burials in 1963: Ethel Baker Stewart and Windell Owens. Then, in 1964, there were eight burials: William Phillips, George W. Davis, Marty Phillips, Mollie Babb Wilhite, Emily Phillips Terry, Robertson C. Keeton, Isaac Reed, and Dillard Miller. The Daniel FamilyDaniel Memorial Cemetery is named for Thomas N. Daniel (1896-1966), who lived at Helenwood and was a longtime member of Helenwood Baptist Church. A veteran of World War I, Daniel was the son of Paul Daniel and Julia Jones and was originally from Morgan County. He married Susie Baker (1901-1982) of Winfield. She was the daughter of Granville Baker and Emily Chitwood; a granddaughter of Civil War veteran William Hiram Baker of Capuchin Creek. Susie Baker Daniel was a longtime Sunday school teacher at the church and was a one-time president of the Scott County Hospital & Nursing Home Auxiliary. The Daniels had a daughter, Nora Emily, who died in infancy. They had two surviving daughters: Patricia, born in 1922, and Beulah, born in 1923. Patricia married James Bowling and moved to Virginia. She was buried at Daniel Memorial Cemetery in 1990. Beulah married Ray Kucera and was buried in Nebraska when she died in 2000. Also buried at the cemetery is Thomas Daniel’s brother, Charlie Daniel, who died of a heart attack in 1973, at age 74. He was a veteran of both World War I and World War II, who sang with his children in a quartet known as “The Daniel Family.” He moved to Michigan to work in the auto industry. The Phillips FamilyIt should come as no surprise that the family best represented at Daniel Memorial Cemetery is the Phillips family. This family has long been one of the most prominent in Helenwood, and also has been long involved with the Baptist church there. James Granville Phillips and his wife, Catherine Reed, raised a large number of children – 11 in all – in Helenwood. They’re both buried at Cut Cemetery. The oldest of their children was Josiah, followed by Arizona, Zadia, Thomas, Emily Jane, Frona Mae, James Luther, Florence, David Lemuel, William Hobert, and Nora. The first member of the family to be buried at Daniel Memorial was William Hobert, who died in January 1964 at the age of 62. His wife, Bertha Pittman, was later buried at the cemetery in 1996. They also have a daughter, Clona Hall, buried at the cemetery. Emily Jane, who married John Martin Terry, also died in 1964 and was buried at the cemetery. Her husband was buried at the cemetery in 1970. They have a number of children buried at the cemetery, including Opal Terry, General Floyd Terry, Cleo Terry, and John Martin Terry Jr. Thomas was buried at the cemetery when he died in 1973 at age 82. His wife, Cordelia, was also buried there in 1979. They have two children buried at the cemetery: Bonnie Foster and Charles Russell Phillips. David Lemuel was buried at the cemetery in 1975, when he died at age 77. His second wife, Nora Posey, was buried at the cemetery in 1988 (his first wife, Ethel Keeton, was buried at Cut Cemetery in 1922). He has a daughter, Lola Lambo, who was buried at the cemetery in 1989. The first Phillips to be buried at the cemetery was Ewell Mitchell Phillips, who died in 1962 at age 81. He was the son of John Riley Phillips (1847-1906) and Rebecca Thompson (1851-1926). His parents are buried at Terry Cemetery off O&W Road. Ewell Phillips first married Charnetti “Belle” Cecil, who died in 1908 at age 25 and is also buried at Terry Cemetery. Following her death, he married Ollie Potter, who was married at Daniel Memorial in 1972. This branch of the Phillips family extends back to John Phillips, born in 1803. He married Kissiah Thomas. It was their son, Thomas, who married into the Terry family of Oneida; his wife was Easter Terry. Thomas and Easter Phillips had several children, including the James Granville Phillips mentioned above, and John Riley Phillips, who was the father of Ewell Phillips. Ewell Phillips was a first cousin to the children of James G. and Catherine Reed Phillips who were buried at Daniel Memorial. In 1964, seven-year-old Marty Dale Phillips was buried at the cemetery when he died of appendicitis. He was the son of Sigle Phillips and Gertie Belle Smith, who would later be buried at the cemetery, as well. His paternal grandparents were Curtis Phillips and Clemantine Conatser. Sigle Phillips had a sister, Pauline Guffey, buried at the cemetery in 2013. Her husband, Henry Guffey, was previously buried at the cemetery. A brother, Harry Phillips, was buried there in 2000, along with his wife, Wilma Jean Cross, in 1997. In 1974, one-year-old Jason Wade Phillips was buried at the cemetery. He was the son of Kermit and Charlotte Phillips. In 1979, George Dewey Phillips was buried at Daniel Memorial when he died at age 79. His wife Grace Newport, was later buried there in 1994. He was the son of Lindsay Haywood Phillips – the Scott County game warden murdered in 1936 – and Nancy Thompson. The most recent members of the Phillips family to be buried at Daniel Memorial include Russell Phillips and his wife, Zelma Garrett. Russell, the son of Thomas and Cordelia Phillips, died in 2023 and Zelma died in March 2024. The Terry FamilyEmily Jane Phillips, the daughter of James Granville Phillips and Catherine Reed, married John Martin Terry, the son of Sherman Terry and Mary Phillips. Both are buried at Daniel Memorial. Also buried at Daniel Memorial are several of their children: Opal Imogene in 1995, General Floyd in 2004 and his wife Sylvia Grider in 2023 (along with their son, Chuck, in 1978), Cleo Fay in 1983, and John Terry Jr. in 2001. Separately, John H. Terry was buried at Daniel Memorial when he died in 1974 at age 61. He was the son of Sie Terry and Rosie Moore of Oneida. He, too, married into the Phillips family. His second wife was Ruby Phillips, John Granville’s granddaughter. She was buried at the cemetery in 1993. John had three children buried at the cemetery: 18-year-old Lester in 1965, after he died in a railroad accident; Jacqueline Walker in 2021 and her husband, Billy, in 2023; and Sharon Lee in 2009. Several of John’s siblings were buried at the cemetery, including sister Ellen in 1998, and her husband, Glenn West, in 1982; sister Edna Mae in 2016, and her husband, Clell West, in 2005; sister Ruby Gladys in 2017, and her second husband, Kenneth Keeton, in 1960; Bertha Augustine Williams in 1981; sister Mary “Vickie” in 1981, and her second husband, Claude Reed, in 1998, and children, Jimmy Ray Lawson in 2011 and Frances Grooms in 2024; and brother Jake in 2014, along with his wife, Hallie Mae, in 2013, and son, Tommy, in 2018. The Cecil FamilyAs you’ve likely concluded by now if you weren’t already aware, most of those buried at Daniel Memorial Cemetery were members of Helenwood Baptist Church. And there is no family as closely connected to the church through the years as the Cecil family – Rev. Virgil Cecil and his preacher sons, Milford and Roger. Virgil Cecil (1906-1974) was the son of William Washington Cecil and Nancy Jane Duncan. His parents were Reuben Churchwell Cecil and Louvina Marcum. His paternal grandparents were William Riley Cecil and Nancy West. His paternal great-grandparents were James T. Cecil and Pharaba Reed, the first generation of the Cecil family to move from Kentucky to Tennessee and settle in the Helenwood area. The Cecil family’s lineage is fairly well documented back to the 16th century before the migration from England to the American colonies. The surname was originally spelled Syssell. William Cecil (1520-1598) – James T. Cecil’s seventh-great-grandfather – was prime minister of England under Queen Elizabeth I. James Cecil and his wife – who was the daughter of Isaac Reed and Phariba Hatfield of New River – are buried at the Old Cecil Cemetery next to Tennier Industries in Huntsville. Beginning with his son, William Riley Cecil, a couple of generations of the Cecil family can be found at the much larger and newer Cecil Cemetery on Cherry Fork. James and Phariba Cecil had a very large family of 18 children. Among them: Samuel, Sarah, William Riley, Granville, Riley, Isaac, Charity, Catherine, Rebecca, Martin, Wilson, Nelson, Pheraba Jane, Malinda, Elizabeth, Phoebe, Allen, and Nancy. William Riley and Nancy Cecil had 13 children: Emily Clemons, James Trusville, Reuben Churchwell, William Riley Jr., Reason Burl, Pherby Jane, George Washington, John Wesley, Charles Nelson, Robinson Crusoe, Harrison Maynard, Rachel Rosemary and Nancy. The family lineage of ministry began with Reuben Churchwell Cecil, better known as “Rube.” He had a brother, George Washington Cecil, who was also a preacher, and who served as the first pastor of First Baptist Church of Oneida. The oldest of Rube’s eight children was William Washington Cecil, who married Nancy Jane Duncan. Among their 11 children was Virgil Cecil, who served as pastor of Helenwood Baptist Church for 37 years. Virgil Cecil’s pastorship began in 1937, six years after he made a profession of faith at the church. He succeeded Roy Blevins, who resigned to take the pastoral position at Bethlehem Baptist Church and served as pastor until his death in 1974. Cecil married Gracie Goad, the daughter of Eston Goad and Rocie Peters of the Mt. Helen community in Fentress County. They had four sons. One of their sons, Milford Cecil, served as pastor at Helenwood for 10 years before leaving for the same role at Paint Rock Baptist Church. He died of cancer at the age of 54 in June 1997. When Milford Cecil left Helenwood, his brother Roger was appointed pastor. He served as the church’s pastor for 33 years before his declining health forced him to retire. He died in 2019 at the age of 71. Milford and Roger have a brother, Wendell Cecil, who serves as a deacon at Helenwood. The fourth of the Cecil brothers, Vaughn, lives in Crossville. Virgil Cecil was buried at Daniel Memorial in 1974, his wife Gracie was buried there in 1995, his son Milford was buried there in 1997, and his son Roger was buried there in 2019. Also buried at the cemetery was Virgil Cecil’s nephew, Tony, when he died in 1976 at the age of 37. His son, Victor Joey, would later be buried at the cemetery when he died in 2013 at the age of 49. His parents, William Washington Cecil Jr. and Hazel Stanley, were buried there in 1988 and 2015, respectively. Virgil Cecil’s sister, Gena Mae, was buried at the cemetery when she died in 2000. Her husband, George Washington Davis, was buried there in 1964. The Keeton FamilyAnother family that has figured prominently in Helenwood through the years is the Keeton family. The first to be buried at Daniel Memorial was Robinson Crusoe Keeton, who died in 1964 at the age of 74. Crusoe Keeton was the son of Granville Keeton and Louvernia Thompson. His parents are buried at the Burg Keeton Cemetery a few miles away, on John Long Road above New River. His paternal grandfather, Centers Keeton, is also buried at Burg Keeton Cemetery. Other members of the family are buried at the Keeton Cemetery at Tunnel Hill, and at other small cemeteries in the Helenwood area that haven’t yet been featured in the Sacred Ground series. All of them are descended from Harrison Keeton Sr. and Elizabeth Jane Reed. Crusoe Keeton married Bessie West, who was also buried at Daniel Memorial in 1972. She was the daughter of Billy West and Mary Jane Brown of Robbins. They had six children: Pauline Keeton Reed, Corbett Keeton, Howard Keeton, Woodrow Keeton, John Herman Keeton, and Harlow Keeton. The latter two moved away from Tennessee. Howard Keeton married Frances Kathleen West, and they’re both buried at Daniel Memorial. Paulette married Harold Hughett, then married Warren C. Reed following his death. She is buried at Baptist Memorial Cemetery in Robbins, as are two of her sons. She has a daughter, Karen Reed Terry, who was buried at Daniel Memorial in 2002. Paul Edison Keeton, who was a first cousin to Crusoe Keeton, was buried at Daniel Memorial in 1968. His father was James Willie Keeton, a brother to Granville Keeton. Edison married Veda Bowling, and she was buried at Daniel Memorial in 2011. Rexford C. Keeton was buried at Daniel Memorial in 1970. He was a World War I veteran, and the son of Link Keeton and Angeletta Coffee, who are buried at the Link Keeton Cemetery a few miles away. Link Keeton was a brother to Centers Keeton, who was the grandfather of Crusoe and Edison Keeton. Nineteen-year-old Bruce Keeton was buried at the cemetery in 1971. He was the son of Corbett Keeton and Rose Lee Marcum, and a grandson of Crusoe Keeton. Billy “Dockie” Keeton, a brother to Rex Keeton, was buried at Daniel Memorial in 1975. The most recent member of the family to be buried at Daniel Memorial was Alma Ruth West Keeton in December. She was the wife of Jack A. Keeton. (Source: The Independent Herald, 26 Sep 2024, p16-24)
This page was created by Timothy N. West and its contents copyrighted © 1996-2026 by him. All rights reserved.
