Samuel Burford Hammond ¹

  General Notes:

Samuel Burford Hammond and his wife Nancy Twitty Hammond are buried at the Hammond Cemetery near Heath Springs, SC. The inscription on his tombstone reads:

“Sacred to the memonry of Samuel B. Hammond, who departed this life December 1st, 1857. He was born in Warren County, North Carolina October 19, 1782 and brought to this State, South Carolina, when an infant by his parents. R. and Mary B. Hammond. His father Raleigh Hammond, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and his remains now rest near this his only son, and near also rest the remains of his mother, grandmother, grandfather and the wife of his youth, with many other dear remains. He was a kind and affectionate father and husband and a sympathetic and humane master and was distinguished for his veracity and frim unwavering purpose. He bore his last affliction which was for three months with patience and Christian resignation and often expressed his willingness to die in view of which he does not fear. Having an unshaken faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the power and efficacy of His Saving Grace. He was an efficient Member and Deacon of the Baptist Church. He left a large family and many friends and seventy children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren, together with his second wife.”

Samuel B. Hammond's Family Bible, in 1965 was in the possession of one of his great-great-granddaughters, Mrs. Maryline Cauthen Westenhaver of Auburn, Alabama, Drake Avenue.

Directions to the Hammond Family Cemetary, Heath Springs, SC
The old Hammond Family Cemetery is located between Heath Springs and Stoneboro off John Haile Road. Now located in Lancaster County, it was originally in Kershaw County before the current county lines were redrawn. I visited the cemetery in April, 2000, and it is in disrepair and suffering from neglect. Hurricane Hugo did considerable damage in 1989, shortly after a cemetery restoration project was completed by a church youth volunteer group about 1987-88. There are a total of 29 marked graves, but 15 of them are unknown graves marked only by field stones. The 14 graves with inscribed tombstones are fairly legible, although several are cracked or broken. A rock wall with an iron gate surrounds the cemetery, and I have been told that the Bowater Paper Company currently owns the land where it is located. The land is used for growing timber for the paper mill, so a logging road leads to the area where the cemetery is located. It is obvious that the company has made an effort not to disturb the cemetery.
Directions: take Hwy.#521 south through Lancaster, S.C. to Heath Springs. In Heath Springs turn right on Hwy.#522 and go about 4 miles toward Stoneboro, watching for Beaver Creek Baptist Church on the left. (Other Hammond ancestors area buried in the Beaver Creek Baptist Church cemetery, as well as in the Salem Cemetery in Heath Springs; the Salem Cemetery is the large cemetery on the right on Hwy.#521, just as you're coming into Heath Springs.) Just past Beaver Creek Church, turn left onto John Haile Road and go about 1 and 2/10 miles. After you cross the bridge over Beaver Creek, about halfway up the hill, there will be a logging road on the right with a cable across the entrance. You'll have to park and walk in from that point. Go about 3/10-1/2 mile down the logging road, looking to the right for an old roadbed leading into the pines. This roadbed may be difficult to recognize---it looks more like a seldom-used wide path more than a road. Go right onto the old roadbed about 50-100 yards, looking to the left. The cemetery is about 20 yards off of the roadbed on the left. Look for the rock wall and a large cedar tree, which are almost hidden by the overgrowth. If you aren't looking for it, you will probably never notice it. Be sure to take a camera to photograph the headstones, and go during winter while the weeds and overgrowth have died-down. January or February would be a perfect time to go. It looks like it would be a haven for snakes and all manner of creepi e-crawlies during warm weather.
I have a plat of the cemetery, showing the location of all 29 graves, with the names of those which are marked with inscribed headstones. Names include: Samuel, wife Mary, and son Samuel, Jr.; Rawleigh, Sr., wife Mary; Samuel B., wife Nancy, daughter Martha H. Ballard, and son Francis; John, Sr., and son John, Jr.; Infant son of Jacob and Mary B. Hammond Hughes; Winnifred Twitty, daughter of Samuel and Winnifred Hammond; Olive Lee Hammond, daughter of P.T. and Delilah G. Hammond. If you have a GPS device, the exact coordinates of the cemetery are Latitude: 34.5467, and Longitude: -80.7142. I don't have a scanner yet, but if you can give me a fax number, I'll be happy to fax a copy of the plat to you. Please contact me directly at Iceehammond@aol.com.
Regards, Irene.

Samuel married Nancy Twitty, daughter of Peter Wynne Twitty and Susannah Burford, in 1799. (Nancy Twitty was born on 17 Nov 1778 in Warren County, North Carolina and died on 8 Oct 1853 in Kershaw County, South Carolina.)