Rice Cemetery – Sparta, Tennessee

Rice Cemetery is a historic burial ground located in White County, Tennessee, just outside the town of Sparta. It is situated across the Putnam/White County line from Burgess Falls State Park, making it a notable local landmark for genealogical and historical research files.usgwarchives.net.

Location and Setting

The cemetery is accessible from Circle Drive and spans multiple rows, with some sections containing unmarked graves. It is part of a larger burial complex that also includes the Howell and Saylors cemeteries files.usgwarchives.net. The site has been the resting place for generations of local families, many of whom are connected through intermarriage and shared community ties.

Historical and Genealogical Significance

Rice Cemetery is valued for its rich genealogical records. A 1983 compilation by Mrs. Nancy Massa Goolsby and her daughter, Betty Goolsby Doyle, documented many of the graves, though some monuments have been removed over time, reportedly to make mowing easier files.usgwarchives.net. Removing or destroying grave markers is a felony in Tennessee, and the vandalism remains a noted issue. The cemetery contains burials from the 18th to the 20th centuries, including prominent local families such as the Rice, Howell, Cole, and Stoglin lineages WikiTree+1. Notable interments include:

• Sarah (Howell) Rice (1815–1877)
• Silas Cole (1888–1940)
• Margie (Howell) Stoglin (1906–1954)
• William Rice (1849–1894) WikiTree

Nearby Cemeteries

For visitors or researchers, Rice Cemetery is in close proximity to other White County cemeteries such as Cole Cemetery #1, Elrod Cemetery, and Davis Graveyard. 

Research Resources

• Find a Grave lists 91 memorials for Rice Cemetery, with GPS and photo data for some Find a Grave.
• WikiTree provides a category for Rice Cemetery, linking to detailed family profiles WikiTree.
• USGenWeb Archives offers a compiled list of burials, including both Rice and Saylors sections files.usgwarchives.net.∼SOURCE: BING/CO-PILOT