The Withers-Geoghegan Cemetery is located at the west end of West Point, Hardin County, Kentucky. It is in the back yard of Richard A. Briggs just a few yards south of the Ohio River. Our branch of the Withers family has been in the United States since 1655. William Withers (1636-1698) immigrated to Stafford County, Virginia from Lancastershire, England. His son James (1681-1746) married Elizabeth Keene (1682-1769) the daughter of Mathew (1659-1730) and Bridget (1652-1752) Keene. James and Elizabeth Withers' oldest daughter Elizabeth (1706-1760) married Capt. Abraham Field (1699-1695) of Westmoreland and later Culpeper County, Virginia. It was their grandson, Abraham Field (1744-1822) who immigrated in 1784 to Jefferson County, Kentucky and his two sons, Joseph (abt 1880-1807) and Reuben (1822-1823) that accompanied Lewis and Clark as members of the Corps of Discovery. Another son of Abraham, Ezekiel (1773-1858) moved to West Point at the mouth of Salt Creek in Hardin County, Kentucky. He was a saltmaker. Yet another son of Abraham of Kentucky, Keen (1774-1815), moved to Gibson County, Indiana and we descend from him.
William Withers Sr. (1847-1821) is the oldest Withers family member buried in the Withers-Geoghegan Cemetery. He is a great grandson of William who immigrated to Virginia. He is the nephew of Elizabeth Withers Field who married Capt. Abraham Field. He is also the 1st cousin once removed of Abraham Field the early settler of the mouth of the Salt River, Kentucky.
William first lived on land in Lincoln County, Kentucky but he owned 1110 acres of land at the mouth of the Salt Creek.
The land on which the Withers-Geoghegan Cemetery is located was the land of William Withers Sr.'s son, Gideon Withers (1781-1850) and his wife Mary "Polly" Young. The property is now owned by Richard A. Briggs a 3rd great grandson of William Withers Sr.
In July of 2011 Lucie and Gene spent time with Richard. He not only showed us the Geoghegan-Withers Cemetery but also the Young Family Cemetery at the east end of West Point and the Bethel Cemetery in Jefferson County where the graves of the Myrtle family are located. This is the Myrtle family into which Reuben Field married and who might be buried with them. He took us to land owned by Ezekiel Field, the salt maker and another son of Abraham Field of Kentucky.
An interesting side note is that the surname Keene became a first name in the Field family. Keen Field, the brother of Joseph and Reuben was the first of the Field family to immigrate to Gibson County of Indiana. The name Keen is still in the family today.
In April of 2012 Lucie and Gene visited the Staford Pioneer Cemetery in the Mohawk Valley of Lane County, Oregon. In the Stafford cemetery was a grave marker for Virginia Bell Stafford Simpson. While researching the ancestry of Virginia Stafford we found out that her grandmother was Mary A. Withers (1855-1909). Virginia Bell Stafford Simpson is the 6th great granddaughter of William Withers the immigrant from England. She is also Lucie's 3rd cousin once removed on the Withers side and the 6th cousin 4 times removed on the Stafford side. Lucie has a double relation to Virginia.
William Withers/2D Lt. Fauquier Co Va Mil/Rev War/1747 1828
William Withers was the son of John Withers (1714-1794) and Hannah Rosser (1747-1825). He was born in Stafford County, Virginia. He is the grandson of James Withers and Elizabeth Keene and a first cousin once removed of Abraham Field an ancestor of our branch of the Field family.
America/Dau. of/G. & P. Withers/[illeg.]
America Withers 1811 to 1825. America is a daughter of Gideon Withers and Mary "Polly" Young. The Young family were also early settlers of the mouth of the Salt River. The family home and cemetery is located at the eastern end of West Point.
[name under the grass]/Born/Apr. 4 1818/Died/Aug. 14, 1868
Samuel Bernard "Barney" McCoy (1818-1868) was a son of Henry McCoy (abt 1795-1847) and Nancy Ann Wheatley (1791-1872). He was born 4 April 1818 in Washington D. C. Some time after his burial his remains were removed to Pleasant View Cemetery.
James G./Son of/G. & P. Withers/Died/
Mar. 12, 183[3]/Aged/17 yrs. 1m. 4 [Ds.]James G. Withers 1816-1833, was a son of Gideon and Polly Young Withers. He died when only 17.
In Remembrance of/Our Beloved Son/Mathew L. Gist/Born Oct. 6, 1839/Died March 1, 187[4]/Son of Dr. R.P.G./and E. L. Atchison
Mathew Love Gist, was the son of Robert P. Gist (1797-1842) and Eliza Love (1801-1892). Mathew married Mary Jane Field (1840-1883) a daughter of Ezekiel H. Field (1773-1885) and Mary Crane "Polly" Ditto (1789-1828). Ezekiel was a son of Abraham Field and the brother of Joseph, Reuben and Keen Field.
Mary Lizzie/Daughter of/J.E & Z/Geoghegan/Died/
Aug. 28, [18]66/Aged/16 Ms. & 2 D.Mary Lizzie Geoghegan was a daughter of James Edward Geoghegan and Zoraydo Withers (1833-1923) and a granddaughter of Gideon Withers and Mary "Polly" Young. She died in 1910.
This is the row of tombstones in the Withers-Geoghegan Cemetery. The stones have been placed flat in the ground so that they are not damaged. This property is near the corner of Elm and 14th Streets in West Point, Kentucky, and has been in the family for five generations.
There are three tombstones we did not find. Gideon Withers (1781-1850) son of William Withers Sr. and Hannah Rosser. Gideon was the owner of the property on which the cemetery is located. Sheldon "Sellie" Geoghegan a son of James Edward Geoghegan and Zoraydo Withers. His birth date is unknown and his death date was 2 August 1865. Denton Withers a son of Albert G. Withers and Mary W. Griggsby and a grandson of Gideon Withers and Mary "Polly" Young.