Ligon Cemetery: A Forgotten Family Burial Ground Near Robards
*Cemetery is on private property*
Hidden in a small grove of mature trees about 1½ miles east of Robards lies one of Henderson County’s forgotten pioneer cemeteries. Surrounded today by fields and modern solar farms, Ligon Cemetery has remained largely untouched for well over a century.
Although nature has reclaimed much of the cemetery, dozens of monuments still stand among the trees. Others have fallen or broken over time, their inscriptions slowly disappearing beneath moss, weather, and vegetation.
The cemetery was established by the Ligon family, one of the early farming families of eastern Henderson County. James W. Ligon (1823-1895) and his wife, Louisa A. Ligon (1825-1895), are buried here, along with many of their children and descendants.
Among the surviving monuments and recorded burials are:
- James W. Ligon – June 2, 1823 – July 21, 1895
- Louisa A. Ligon – May 18, 1825 – May 7, 1895
- Mary J. Ligon, daughter of J. W. and L. A. Ligon – September 28, 1848 – September 28, 1862
- Gustavus A. Ligon, son of J. W. and L. A. Ligon – 1854 – May 1, 1889
- L. R. Ligon – September 7, 1860 – March 15, 1879
- Dora Jones, wife of T. C. Jones – May 28, 1858 – 1889
- Jasper Robards – November 6, 1856 – November 11, 1881
- Jesse D. Ligon – March 13, 1889 – July 11, 1889
- Infant son of John Thomas and Lillie Spencer – January 22, 1917
- Spear William Spencer – April 20, 1848 – November 20, 1913
- Bedford Leroy Steel – March 14, 1915 – November 9, 1918
- Salvyn Spencer – July 18, 1901 – June 13, 1912
- Norma Sue Gibson – June 7, 1930 – April 23, 1935
One of the saddest stories preserved here belongs to Mary J. Ligon. Mary was born on September 28, 1848, and died on September 28, 1862, her 14th birthday. More than 160 years later, her weathered marker remains in the cemetery, preserving the brief life of a young girl whose birth and death fell on the very same date.
