Muhlenberg County Kentucky
Cemetery Records
McDougall Cemetery
Henry Hunsaker and his sister, Anna Louise Meador, are pictured with the tombstone of Isaac Hunsaker, which has been enclosed inside a beech tree. Hunsaker chiseled and cut enough of the tree away so the tombstone is now visible.
- Times-Argus photo by Doreen Dennis.
Muhlenberg County Man Does Some Chopping on “Tree”
A lot of people have traced their family tree, but Henry Hunsaker of Nelson Creek had to do some chopping on a tree to preserve some of his family's history.
Recently, Hunsaker and his sister, Anna Louise Hunsaker Meador, of Hopkinsville, were visiting the Old Paradise Cemetery, on a hill overlooking the TVA Steam Plant. They noticed that the tombstone of Isaac Hunsaker was almost completely enclosed in a huge beech tree.
Armed with a power saw, sledge wedge and a wood chisel, Hunsaker removed a portion of the tree necessary to expose the name, date and age which were in good condition on the aged stone.
“I'll bet the tree is four feet in diameter and it took me all day to cut into it,” said Hunsaker. “I'd say the tree is over 100 years old.”
Isaac Hunsaker was among the early settlers in Muhlenberg County. He was born April 8, 1779, probably in Fayette County, PA, and died November 28, 1819 in Paradise. Isaac was the son of John Hunsaker. The later John Hunsaker was the son of Hartman Hunsaker, who arrived in Philadelphia, PA on September 10, 1731.
Isaac Hunsaker married Christina Spickeman about 1800 in PA. His father John was a brother to George Hunsaker, great-great-grandfather of Henry Hunsaker and Mrs. Meador.
The tree wasn't planted in the cemetery, according to Mrs. Meador. “A bird must have dropped a seedling there many years ago.”
At any rate, the tombstone of Isaac Hunsaker has been saved from destruction for future generations
Note: The cemetery to which the article refers is the McDougall Cemetery also known as the Dering/Dearing Cemetery.
Citation: “Muhlenberg County man does some chopping on ‘Tree.’” Times-Argus [Central City, KY], 2 Mar 1988.
Contributed by Dorann O'Neal Lam
Related: McDougall Cemetery
Updated April 24, 2016