Those Who Went Before

If you live in an old house, people invariably ask you if it's haunted.

I neither believe nor disbelieve in ghosts, but I love ghost stories. I'm open to the existence of things we can't explain, but so far I've never witnessed anything that made me suspect that Ingleside is haunted.

Even so, Halloween is a time to remember the dead. In that spirit, I'd like to introduce you to Those Who Went Before: the residents of Ingleside's very own family cemetery.

When we purchased Ingleside, the cemetery was so densely overgrown with thorn bushes, vines, and poison ivy, we would never even have known it was there if the realtor hadn't told us. You could not even SEE into it, much less enter.

About a year and a half ago, our friends Randy and Nyxana spent a strenuous and rather hazardous day with us, clearing out as much of thorny, toxic growth as we could. We were not able to get rid of it all, but we opened it up enough that since that time our sheep and horses have cleared out most of the rest.

(Yeah, I know... I felt a little bad about letting animals roam over the graves, but the cemetery IS located in our back pasture. Besides, I figure a few animals wandering through is better than being completely covered in poison ivy.)

If time and finances ever allow, I'd eventually like to tear down the old, broken fence and erect a new fence around the cemetery to keep the animals out, and restore the area inside to a more pleasant, garden-like setting. They're not my relatives, but they were our "ancestors" as far as owning the farm. So I'd like their graves to have a little more dignity than they've been allowed over the past few decades.


Front row, right to left:

Charles D. Agee
1861 - 1940

Charles Davis Agee purchased Ingleside from Parke Poindexter Perkins Bentley for the sum of $800. The purchase date is unknown, but my guess is that it was probably between 1887 (when Parke's father Thomas Fearn Perkins, who originally owned Ingleside, died and presumably left the farm to her) and 1894 (which is the date of the first "Agee" burial in the cemetery).

You can read more about Charles Agee and Ingleside's history here.


Hattie V. Agee
1872 - 1956

Hattie Virginia Garrett Agee (known as "Virgie") was Charles Agee's wife.

You can read more about their life at Ingleside here.

Alma E. Agee
(birth date illegible due to broken stone) 1895
June 19, 1944
Her memory is blessed.

Across the top of the stone, it says:
Adjutant

Alma was the daughter of Charles and Hattie ("Virgie"). I presume the "Adjutant" refers to her rank during her extensive work with the Salvation Army.

You can read more about her life at Ingleside here.


Mary L. Agee
1903 - 1966

Mary was another daughter of Charles and "Virgie."

Middle row, right to left:

James F. Garrett
1846 - 1895

James Garrett was Virgie's father.

James D. Agee
Nov 15, 1893
June 18, 1894

above name, it says:
Gone to be an angel

I haven't found any record of who this infant was, but given the name and dates, I'm guessing he was the son of Charles and Virgie.

Minnie E. Agee
July 31, 1901
Sept 10, 1901

Above name it says something that is illegible due to the broken stone.
It starts with "As" and ends with "Jesus"

Again, I don't have any records of her, but considering the dates, I'm guessing she was another daughter of Charles and Virgie.

Judith A. Garrett
1847 - 1935

Judith A. Davidson Garrett was James Garrett's wife and Virgie's mother.

Far back, right corner:

Sarah J. Lewis
1838 - 1924

Sarah Jane Davidson Lewis was Judith Garrett's sister, and Virgie's aunt.

Far back, left corner:

Agnes R. Garrett
1898 - 1904
Nettie B. Garrett
1902 - 1904

I don't know who these little girls belong to, or what sickness or tragedy took them at the same time at so young an age. Presumably, they must be cousins to the Agee family, related through James Garrett.

If you enjoyed the historical accounts of some of the residents listed above, here are a few more accounts about the lives of family members who are NOT buried in our cemetery:

• Willie Agee (Charles and Virgie's son)
• Roy Jones (husband of Ruth Agee, another of Charle's and Virgie's daughters)
• Arthur Garrett (Virgie's brother)

If anyone who reads this has any additional information about any of Ingleside's former residents, I would love to hear more about them!