F

From Staff Reports

In August, 2016, a mystery began with a chance encounter.

A member of the Hamblen County Genealogical Society was at the Whitesburg/Epsom Springs Hotel and spoke with Joyce Johnson, the owner of the hotel.

Johnson casually mentioned that there was a pink tombstone on the property that was lying face down next to the hotel.

It was there when she bought the hotel in 1977.

The Epsom Springs Hotel had been used as a transfer point for tombstones engraved in that area of East Tennessee.

They were brought to the hotel by way of mule and wagon and then transferred to railroad cars to be shipped to various destinations.

Ms. Johnson gave permission to pull the stone upright to see the name on it and possibly determine where it belonged. When the stone was righted, the inscription was revealed:

“HARRIET NETHERLAND wife of WILLIAM ROCKHOLD,

born Jul 9, 1793, died Jan 9, 1875”

The Netherland surname was not familiar but two members of the HCGS, Lynda Raitala and Linda Preston, were aware that the Rockholds were a prominent family in Sullivan County.

The search to identify Harriet began.

The two ladies searched books and microfilm in libraries, newspaper articles and courthouse records, census records and cemetery lists, among other sources. They also tried to locate any living descendants with no success. As a result of these searches it was determined that Harriet had lived in the Sullivan County area until her husband died in 1860; she then later moved to Rogersville in Hawkins County to live with her daughter and husband, Harriet and John Greer Stuart.

A Netherland family history book stated that Harriet was buried in an unmarked grave in Rogersville in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery. This prompted a search in both Presbyterian cemeteries in town and a meeting with the pastor and secretary of the church who could find no record of this burial.

The same book that stated Harriet’s burial place also indicated that her husband, William, was buried in the Rockhold-Wassom Cemetery in Bluff City. Two ladies drove to Bluff City where they visited with Ruby Wassom. The Rockhold-Wassom Cemetery is located on her property in a field close to her house.

In 2022, Shelley Shropshire, director of the Morristown-Hamblen Library and a daughter of Joyce Johnson, informed the ladies that Ms. Johnson would like to turn the pink tombstone over to the society in the hopes that they could find a suitable resting place for Harriet’s marker.

The search began renewed. They found information on Netherland Inn, located in Kingsport. It was built alongside the Holston River between 1802 to 1808 by William King as a place to ship salt westward. The inn was sold in 1818 to Col. Richard Netherland, the father of Harriet Netherland Rockhold. Col. Netherland procured a stage contract and established the inn and tavern for travelers along the Old Stage Road. The Netherland Inn is considered Kingsport’s oldest historical site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites.

After a trip to Kingsport and speaking with Rusty Light, a staff volunteer, the society decided the Inn would be the appropriate place for Harriet’s marker to rest. Light agreed to present the proposal to the Board at their next meeting. The society received word a few months later that the Board had approved their request. A site on the property was selected on a small hill near the Inn so that Harriet’s stone could be placed facing the Inn and visible to all who parked in the lot below.

The Society obtained the services of Dale and Rusty Smith of Triple S Monuments in Weber City, Virginia, who would perform the placement of the marker.

Jan. 11, 2023 was a beautiful crisp day and five HCGS members drove to Kingsport with the pink tombstone. In addition to HCGS members Karen Nunan, Ann Blomquist, Linda Preston, Sharon Snoe and Lynda Raitala, three staff members of the Netherland Inn joined in watching the marker being placed.

At approximately 11:30 a.m., the pink granite tombstone of Harriet Netherland Rockhold was permanently installed on the hill above the Inn. The mystery of Harriet’s final resting place remained unsolved, but her beautiful pink marker reminds of her life and family.