Our Old Kentucky Homes |

The Trunnell Cemetery as it appeared in the winter. In the summer it is overgrown with vegetation and vines that grow up and around the graves. The plan for the cemetery is that it will have a lawn which will control the runaway vegetation every summer. We also plan to have it surrounded by a sturdy, good-looking fence. We hope to have a plaque on the fence to inform visitors about the history of the Trunnell-Bowman farm and cemetery. A project is going on to identify all the people interred there, and hopefully discover their connection to the Trunnell- Bowman families.

The Cemetery as it appears now

A picture of the cemetery taken in late July, 2007 showing the tremendous amount of work that has taken place to date. A few more trees will be removed and a neighbor is donating the labor and equipment to grind the stumps and remove them from the site. When that is done another neighbor plans to smooth out the ground and prepare it for grass seeding. David Strange has also arranged with the county road department to repair and refill the ditches and smooth the entire roadside area to make it more easily mowed.

Henry Trunnell Gravestone

This stone is very impressive- it was originally a pure white marble obelisk on a base. The base is present in the picture above while the top part of the obelisk is toppled over to the back. The inscription reads:

Henry Trunnell
Feb 21, 1817 Feb 24 1891

"The Redeemed of the Lord"

    shall return and come with
    singing unto Zion and
    everlasting joy should be
    upon their head
    and sorrow & mourning shall flee away."

Henry Trunnell's grave showing how the foliage grows up and around everything in the Spring and Summer. The tree beside the monument will eventually have to be removed before it causes too much damage.

Mary Jane Bowman Trunnell Gravestone

She is buried by her second husband, Henry Trunnell. Her first husband, Jacob W. Bowman is also buried here. In addition, three of her children, Willie Henry and Hamletta Trunnell and Jacob Field Bowman are buried here near their parents.

Jacob W. Bowman was the first husband of Mary Jane Trunnell. His family were the first owners of the Bullitt Co. property, which totalled 2700 acres at the time of his father Jacob's death in 1843. Jacob W. died at the age of thirty-eight in 1848. In his will (Bullitt Co, Will book D) he stated the following:

"...The family graveyard at my home place, to the extent of one half acre, at least, I direct to be put under good improvement and so kept at all times for a Family Burial Ground - the title thereof never to pass to any stranger and never to be sold out of the family."

There are several graves of Bowman family members in the graveyard, including Jacob W. Bowman and his son Jacob Field Bowman. We are hoping to find more Bowman family members as the cleanup progresses.