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"Hickory Daily Record" Newspaper
Catawba County, Hickory, North Carolina
http://www.hickorydailyrecord.com/
Family may seek legal action to gain access to cemetery
Catawba landowner raises 200 cattle on burial ground that dates back to 1824.
By KIM GILLILAND
Record Staff Writer
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Give your opinion on this story
Editor’s note: Kim Gilliland is not related to the Gillelands in the story.
CATAWBA -- One lives in New Jersey. The rest reside in Georgia and North Carolina. They all have one thing in common: Their ancestors share a burial plot deep in the heart of Catawba County.
All want access to the cemetery, which dates back to 1824, but the landowner won’t allow it. They may seek legal action to force Gary Dellinger, who raises 200 head of cattle on the property, to allow access to the gravestones.
“My great-great-granddad and his son are buried there,” said Glenn Gilleland, who moved to Statesville from Las Vegas recently. “The point is, he don’t own the cemetery. The property belongs to the Gillelands.”
In August, the Hickory Daily Record reported on the brewing controversy. Jeffrey Thomas, of New Jersey, spent the past 15 years tracing his ancestors, who also lay buried under the stand of trees about 200 yards off Hopewell Church Road.
Dellinger, who bought the land 15 years ago, said he’s worried his cows could get out if access to the property is allowed.
Thomas tried repeatedly to reach Dellinger by phone, but was unsuccessful. He has yet to speak with him about the issue.
Since the story ran on Aug. 27, Thomas has been in touch with his family in Georgia. They are gathering signatures to take to an attorney to try and force Dellinger to comply with the law, which states that access to a private grave or cemetery to restore, maintain or visit is a right of the heirs.
The NAACP may also get involved. A slave cemetery may also lay among the broken headstones.
“There is possibly a slave cemetery there,” Thomas said. “I’m trying to reach their legal defense staff to see if they can help us out with our efforts.”
On Saturday, Gilleland rounded up his family namesakes in North Carolina for a family reunion that took place less than a mile from the cemetery. They are adding their signatures to the petition.
“We’re just getting organized,” said Wanda Gilleland, Glenn’s wife.
Attempts to reach Dellinger for comment were unsuccessful.
rgilliland@hickoryrecord.com | 322-4510 x5406 or 304-6913
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