Preserving History, one headstone at a time

The Betsy Layne Cemetery is located on top of a hill off Left Fork Carmen Hollow Road in Justell, (Betsy Layne, Floyd County) Kentucky.  Justell is an unincorporated community located off US23/460 just north of Betsy Layne over a one lane bridge.

The cemetery land is privately owned.  However Kentucky State Laws allows anyone access to the nearly 130 documented headstones/burial sites on this land, locally known as the Betsy Layne Cemetery, or the Justell Community Cemetery.  Just as recent as 3/17/2015, I found an article from Kentucky History Henry P. Scalf (1902-1979) stating that James Shannon, his wife Caty, his son Tandy M. and Betsy Layne are "buried on the hill overlooking Betsy Layne from the railway side."  Tandy's headstone (has fallen over in recent weeks of 3/17/2015) is in the Betsy Layne Cemetery.  Betsy's headstone once was there, but locals tell as how it broke and the next visit it was gone.  A part of her history has forever vanished.

This cemetery has many historic figures buried here, Betsy Layne, a woman whom the town of Betsy Layne was named for.  She married into the Layne family to a Tandy Middleton Layne.  Betsy’s name was Elizabeth Mahone (Mehone) Johns.  Tandy Middleton Layne, who died in 1841, was the brother of Lindsey Layne and Adaline Meade Layne.  Lindsey Layne was a judge in Floyd County in the early to mid-1800’s and later became Lieutenant for the Civil War.  Lieut. Lindsey Layne, along with a few other men was in charge of putting together an army unit and did so with 200 refugee men from the Confederates on the Big Sandy (Kentucky’s Last Frontier by H. Scalf).  Lindsey Layne & Tandy Middleston (they also had other siblings) were sons of James Shannon Layne and Katherine (Catherine “Caty”) Hager.  James Shannon Layne was an early 1800’s settler in Floyd County Kentucky, said to have come from Virginia (or West).  James Shannon Layne also settled the first post in Laynesville, Floyd County, Kentucky.  Some genealogy forums claim he brought in slaves and sold them on his land and owned flour mills.

Who else and what other history is hidden beneath decades of vegetation?  There is more to this cemetery than what has been documented in the past, and the BLC non-profit is determined to restore and preserve the land so all headstone and burial sites can be viewed, respectfully. 

This website was created by Danielle New and other organizers of the Betsy Layne Cemetery non-profit public 501(c)(3) organization.  We want to reach out to the public and educate people on this cemetery's history and condition.  There are a lot of people in the area who have no clue who Betsy Layne was, or why she has a town named after her and her family.  BLC non-profit's donations will be able to help restore the land so more puzzle pieces in genealogy can be put together. 

Do you know of any Layne's in your family tree?

 
This website is just launching, new information will be added as time allows!

We hope that you continue to check back and see the changes.