Samuel Killough

Samuel Killough's Headstone

Laura Bartel - Rutherford County Archeological Society

Quick Facts

Significance:

Prison Guard

Place of Birth:

Turkey Creek, Chester County, North Carolina

Date of Birth:

September 10.1763

Place of Death:

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Date of Death:

March 20, 1842

Place of Burial:

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Cemetery Name:

Murfreesboro Old City Cemetery

Samuel Killough: the Revolutionary War soldier buried in Murfreesboro’s Old City Cemetery

There are several cenotaphs (memorials but the person is buried elsewhere) honoring Revolutionary War soldiers with ties to Rutherford County in Murfreesboro’s Old City Cemetery. However, there is only one verified Revolutionary War soldier buried in the cemetery and his name is Samuel Killough. Having Scots Irish pioneer roots, Private Killough was born on Sept.10, 1763, in Turkey Creek, Chester County, South Carolina (then regarded as a part of North Carolina). He enlisted in the Continental Army in 1781 at age 17. He served as a prison guard of British soldiers under Captain Charles Miles’ unit in Turkey Creek. Following the war, Samuel served under Col. John Clark as an Indian spy in the Georgia wilderness. He also eventually received the commission of Captain of the Jackson County Militia.

In 1806, Samuel moved to Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee. He had married Mary McCartney in Georgia, and they eventually had 9 children (some sources say 11). Samuel purchased 650 acres of land in Murfreesboro for a plantation in 1807 but in 1809 sold all but 200 acres. He listed 18 slaves on the Rutherford County 1820 census. The United States government eventually established pensions for Revolutionary War soldiers. He applied and was granted one in 1833, receiving $39.12 per year for his service.

The Killough family were members of the original 1820 Old First Presbyterian Church on E. Vine St., which also had a burying ground. In 1837 the area was expanded by three acres to create the city’s first public cemetery. The church was destroyed by Union forces directly after the Civil War, and its remains are now a well-preserved archaeological site inside the cemetery. The cemetery was also vandalized.

Samuel died on March 20, 1842 at age 79. He is buried in an area that would have been behind the church and toward the center of the cemetery. His wife Mary died on March 2, 1850, at the age of 70, and is buried near him as are a few of their children. Samuel Killough’s headstone is the only grave marker left standing of family members buried there.

Samuel Killough’s headstone is worn, and there are obliterations and scratches across the stone that have diminished parts of numbers and letters, so it has often been misread. The bottom line was also buried in dirt. Careful cleaning and examination reveal the epitaph as:

SACRED to the memory of Samuel Killough born Sept 10, 1763 in the State of N.C. Moved to Ten in 1806 died March 20, 1842 As a husband and father he was kind

A modern granite memorial marker has been placed at the back of his headstone (placement date unknown) by Killough descendants honoring their hero.

--Laura Bartel, Director, Murfreesboro’s Old City Cemetery Preservation and Interpretation Project of the all-volunteer, non-profit Rutherford County Archaeological Society

Tags: stones river national battlefield, american revolutionary war, revolutionary war, rutherford county tennessee cemeteries