GPS Coordinates:
34.95724 N
77.95784 W
RESEARCH UPDATE AS OF: January 29, 2017

Cemetery notes and/or description:
Location: on NC 50, .5 miles south of NC 11 at Kenansville, on the north side of the road across from Kenansville Elementary School.

I found this Cemetery in June 1992. It was overgrown and not visible from NC 50. Most stones were under inches of dirt and I initially did not probe for any that were not visible to naked eye.

I contacted Keith Lanier of Duplin and he found some other stones and also discovered that my G-Grandmother was buried in the cemetery. She seems to have the largest stone. Her stone, according to local folks was hit by a State of NC mower while cutting grass of the NC 50 right of Way. It was totally torn down. It looks like the stone was more than twice the size of what remains.

The cemetery has been restored, first time by Boy Scouts? second time with fence and trees cut down by Jimmie Wayne Rich who I have not contacted yet.

My family history has it that my Uncle William Clifford Cooper, Sr. Find A Grave Memorial# 28497957, who for years was an Engineer for the State of North Carolina Road Department was surveying NC 50 at some point in time and discovered this Graveyard. He realized that this was his Grandfather and Grandmother and somehow got the State to zig, zag the road a little, so as not to have to move this Graveyard.
At present looks like the first person buried in Cemetery was James Cooper Southerland, b. Nov 7, 1874 d. Jan 19, 1891. He was 16 when he died. Cause of death unknown. Last person was Henry Farrior Southerland, b. March 6, 1876 d. August 12, 1935. Henry was mentally impaired. He never married or had a job and was taken care of by Brothers and Sisters and my Grandfather I. W. Cooper, Sr. in Wilmington.
Big question has always been, "Who removed the tombstones, pulled them up and laid them on the ground. This had to be done after 1935.