The OES visited Hampton Cemetery on March 17, 2002. We came across this cemetery while driving around the backroads of Franklin and Madison counties. As we soon discovered, we were closer to civilization than we thought and ended up in West Jefferson, where Hampton Cemetery is located. But before West Jefferson expanded into the area, the town of New Hampton occupied the land. The town was founded on the fourth of July in 1822 by two men, Samuel Jones and Samuel Sexton along the National Road that dated back to 1806. In 1830, Rev. Isaac Jones founded Jefferson just two miles away from the village of New Hampton. Everyone in the village moved their families and buildings to Jefferson. The town was later called by the name of its post office, West Jefferson.
Once at the center of New Hampton, Hampton Cemetery contains the remains of many of the original settlers to the area, including Rev. Isaac Jones and veterans of several wars, including the Civil War. Since New Hampton was dated between 1822 and 1830, we believe the cemetery was likely established around that time. Many of the older tombstones were in good condition when we visited. The cemetery was still actively being used with many of the new burials taking place on the opposite side of the grounds.
Location Information: Active Cemetery
Hampton Cemetery is located on Cemetery Road in West Jefferson; Madison County.
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