This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Raysor, Risher Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/ncB.2ACE/1455 Message Board Post: The highest priority for Raysor/Risher descendants, indeed all of us should be the Raysor Family Cemetery, listed in Upper Colleton as (Shieder, Raysor, Risher Cem). This cemetery is extremely important as the only remaining marker of the Raysor Tavern. The cemetery is located just a few feet from the tavern, remnants of which were located by Dr. J.J. Stokes of Atlanta using the Mills Atlas and a current map overlay. It was nearly impossible to locate the cemetery, only persistence and sheer luck allowed me to locate it at all. The landmarks have changed since "Cem. of Upper Colleton" was published. There isn't a "clump of bushes", but rather a long stand of mature pines extending from road to precipitous drop to river marsh. (perhaps .4 mile) I walked the length of these trees several times before seeing through very thick underbrush a slight rise in the land, which appeared to be an unatural berm about 2.5 feet high and longer than I could penetrate. (I followed roughly 40 feet of it, it seemed to go in an L-shape) Following this berm required putting on full long sleeves, pants, covering my hair and crawling. The entire cemetery area is completely covered by a bramble thicket, nearly impenetrable. I got photos of the few stones I could find, but was unable to locate all those listed in the Bryan's survey. They are buried beneath leaves and in too thick brambles for me to find. Benjamin Risher b. 1805 stone which is listed in the Bryan's survey was fortuitously moved by someone to the Providence Cemetery a few years ago. Dr. J.J. Stokes had inquired of the landowners for permission to restore the cemetery but permission was denied, around 1996 I believe. I don't know if the same people own the land. While we were there, a cadillac pulled into the nearby pasture and watched us for about ten minutes but didn't come near. Discussing our sitation as trespassers we resigned ouselves to go to jail if necessary to find the information we'd come to retrieve, we didn't stop our work, but waved. No reciprocal wave from the car. It rolled away and parked in the driveway of the home directly across 61. The Raysor Family Cemetery priorities: Deed research on the parcel to find out if the cemetery area was protected in the deeds. Permission from landowner to restore. Thorough clean up, possible fencing of area. Survey - Probing for more stones, graves. The size of the berm indicates more burials than are visible, and this is the likely burial spot of Michael Raysor and Eleanor Risher. p.s. Pat, I'll send you my photos, notes, tidbits as soon as I get them off the laptop and onto this computer. :-)