Old Bordeaux Cemetery

Old Bordeaux Cemetery

Cemetery #14 in Cemeteries of Bladen County, Volume IV - NE Bladen

Location and description in cemetery book:

"Somewhere near the intersection of SR 1508 and SR1507. Could not find this cemetery in 1989. Nash A. Odom wrote the following information on Feb 17, 1971: This cemetery is located on Mr. Hilary Tillet Cain’s farm on SR 1508. There are no markers that can be identified, only wooden slabs that have decayed. Mr. Cain said that the relatives of Nathaniel Bordeaux are buried in this cemetery. Nathaniel Bordeaux came to this country during the French Revolution, made several trips back to France , and was lost at sea on one of the trips."

Update in March, 2007 by Jason Bordeaux:

This cemetery was indeed located very near the intersection of SR 1508 (Lula Long Rd) and SR 1507 (Culbreth Smith Rd). If you approach the intersection going NE on Lula Long Road, the cemetery is located on the left hand side about 100 feet into the woods on the Turnbull Creek side of Culbreth Smith road. You can leave the intersection on foot and follow a small canal diagonally into the woods and run into the cemetery. The small canal was dug recently to help drain water and it runs right through the cemetery. Mr. Layton Dowless used the grave dowsing method to verify the location of the cemetery. We found at least 3 rows of graves and estimate that at least 12 people and maybe more are buried here.

The old story about Nathaniel Bordeaux is incorrect. There was never a Nathaniel Bordeaux in Bladen County. William Bordeaux (ca 1788-91 - after 1870) was the first Bordeaux to settle in this area. The land belonged to him and this cemetery must be his family cemetery. The name of Nathaniel Bordeaux and the stories of traveling to France date before William Bordeaux. I’m sure that William told many of the tales to his children and his neighbors. William’s father, Israel Bourdeaux, and his uncles were very active in commerce and traveled often between New Hanover County, NC and Charleston, SC. Israel's great-grandfather, Jacques de Bourdeaux, was the first to come from France and he settled in Charleston, SC.

Probably buried in this cemetery are:

William Bordeaux (ca 1788-91 - after 1870)

& wife, Margaret Johnson Bordeaux (ca 1790-94 - after 1870)

Going into the woods from the intersection