Montezuma Cemetery
Route 181Pineola, Avery County, North Carolina
The cemetery was moved from it's original to the present site on a hill overlooking the road construction
which caused evacuation.
 Samuel and Martha Keller Clifton |
Samuel and Martha Keller CliftonOur search for information about Samuel Clifton, son of Ewell Clifton of the Patrick and Henry Counties area of Virginia, finally led us to Pineola, North Carolina. Sam's father, Ewell was the son of John Clifton,of the Patrick, Henry Counties area. Cliftons were also in the Price, Rockingham County, North Carolina area, just across the Virginia state line. Samuel was one of many Cliftons participating in the War Between the States. He was in the 50th Virginia Infantry, Company K, known as the Patrick Boys. He had suffered many of the grim horrors of that conflict. He was wounded in the right knee by a mini-ball at Old Wilderness Tavern, Virginia on May 5, 1864, captured and imprisoned at Elmira, New York. He was released on 27 June, 1865. |
| It
is our understanding for years after the war was over, he had
difficulty finding work. In 1878, he informed his family he
was,
"going over the mountain to find work." He sent money home
one time to
his wife, Melinda Hancock Clifton and five children, Carter F, Rosa
Alice, Robert E., Susan E., and Samuel Lester. Melinda did
not
hear from him again. His family assumed the worst had
happened. Samuel had had not died. He had a child in Wise County, Minnie Clifton. He finally wound up in Avery County, North Carolina with Minnie. He married again, to Martha Keller having a family of four: Harry, Lulu, Jonie, and James. Samuel eventually died in the Linville Township, Pineola, Avery County, North Carolina. The above picture was contributed by Frank W Clifton Below are the grave
sites of Samuel and his wife, Martha..
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|
 Kathy Clifton shown here placing a flag at Samuel Clifton's grave honoring him on Memorial Day 1994 |
 Samuel Clifton: Born Jan.14 1845 - Died Jan 11 1922 according to his death certificate.Note the different dates on the headstone |
 Martha Keller Clifton 1871-1950 |
 Samuel's headstone does not face the same direction of Martha's. When one looks at them side by side, his looks like the above photo - blank. The inscription is on the other side |
| Frank
W. Clifton, a
descendant of Samuel and Martha, sought us out after finding
information about Samuel's earlier life we had left with the
Washington County, Virginia Historical Society. Frank lived in Bristol,
Tennessee at the time. Once we obtained his information, a long
standing mystery, one of many Clifton mysteries was solved. We have been known to tease Frank about Samuel's successful attempts to hide from his former life, even getting the movers of this cemetery involved by re-installing his headstone backwards. Frank is a good fellow though and takes the "ribbing" without much comment. |
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27 March 2009