JOHN KINNEY CEMETERY

OLIVE HILL, KY

Submitted by: Lydia Justice Edwards"

"I have a cemetery near Olive Hill that I have cleaned off each spring."

There are about 10 graves. Five of which are the Tackett babies. Poor Mary (Frasure) Tackett, had a baby every year.
Her husband, Lee Tackett, is also buried here."

"A fitting end for a man who was so active."


- Five babies born to Mary Frasure-Tackett and her husband Lee Tackett. Buried in a row. No grave markers
 
- Baby born to Will and Catherine Jordan

- James Everett Kinney (baby born to Minnie and Henry Kinney) marked 

- Victor Kinney  July 1915  -  September 1915 

- Lee Tackett  (no dates)  
 
- Stella Kinney 1897 - May 2, 1915 (unmarked grave)

- John W. Kinney (1865 - 1948) and his wife Nancy (Frasure) Kinney (1871 - 1927)
  (aunt and uncle to Stella). 

- We think Mary Frasure-Tackett is buried here too, but with no marker.

This is called the John Kinney cemetery because John Kinney and his wife, Nancy Frasure owned the farm on which it is located. 
  
The reason I maintain this cemetery is that my aunt Stella Kinney is buried there. She was murdered in 1915 by her uncle Robert S. Frasure. 
This is her second grave. She had been buried on the Damron farm near the Y, but when it was discovered that P. Damron had sided with the 
murderer, my grandparents moved Stella.  Stella was my mother's elder sister. She was age 17 when she was killed. Next to Stella is her 
little two month old brother: Victor Kinney. They share a headstone. Last year the Cemetery Fund gave us $1500 to replace the old fence. 
That is added protection for the graves.

After Stella was murdered, her mother was under great distress. Not only grandmother lose her elder daughter, Stella, but her own brother, 
Robert S. Frasure was the accused. So after, grandmother gave birth to Victor, he lived just two months. He died just before the second 
trial for Robert S. Frasure for murder of his niece, Stella Kinney. Victor had been buried on the John Kinney place, so when they moved 
Stella's grave, they placed her next to Victor. They also placed her hair, and the fetus she had carried in the casket with her. 
(her uncle Robert had seduced her, then killed her to cover his deed. When Stella died, they took the fetus for evidence that she was indeed pregnant.

About 10 years ago someone hired a bulldozer to obliterate the cemetery. We had maintained a wire fence for many years. 
So, when I discovered what they had done, I called in the Olive Hill times newspaper. A front page article scared them off. 
They put back the fence, but the five baby graves were disturbed. There is more interest now, but then the only law I could find 
on the Ky books was one dealing with ancient indian graves, etc. The law has been improved a bit recently. Also, the attorney general 
of Ky published a form in all newspapers asking everyone to fill in names of cemeteries all over the State. I sent in the information on this cemetery.


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