Old Mount Olive Cemetery (Flat Rocks)

The Flat Rocks Cemetery, also known as the Old Mount Olive Cemetery, lies just above the boat-ramp at the old riverboat landing near Pelham Creek in Mount Olive. The man responsible for encouraging the county-seat move to Mill Creek (now Melbourne) as well as the name-change late in the 19th century, William Carroll Dixon is buried here. Mr. Dixon served as the Izard County Clerk from 1858 until being elected to the State legislature after the Civil-War. He also taught school for many years. W.C.'s infant nephew, son of his brother, Benjamin F. Dixon with whom he was very close, also lies in the location within a family plot marked by large limestone slabs. Benjamin Dixon and his wife, Sarah (Harris) however, are not resting here...Benjamin is buried at the old Bingham Cemetery in Melbourne while Sarah is at the Optimus Cemetery across the river. Benjamin was a professional music teacher and stone mason who served with the Confederacy during the War Between the States.
The Jeffery Family is also represented in this place with graves of children of Elijah Jeffery as well as he and his second wife, Massey Caroline (Robertson) , and his third wife, Nancy Jane (Clark).
Also resting here are Elihu Bone and his wife, Charlotte (Jeffery - daughter of Jehoiada and Mary (Weir) Jeffery)as well as another son-in-law of Jehoiada and Mary, Andrew Cresswell Harris. Mr. Harris' wife (and Jehoiada's daughter), Lucretia, is buried at Optimus.

NOTE: We have recently found that what we've known as the old boarding-house at Mount Olive was originally the home of Elijah Jeffery.