History of Fowlkes Cemetery, Madison County, Alabama

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Fowlkes Cemetery is located in Monrovia, Madison County, Alabama, on the north side of Capshaw Road, west of Jeff Road, along Lynch Road . It is a public cemetery with over 280 marked graves by the time Dorothy Scott Johnson enumerated it in her 1971 book Cemeteries of Madison County, Alabama, Volume 1.  The site is indexed in Madison County records and is active for burials.  See cemeteryfinders.org.

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Origins and Early History

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The cemetery is named after Ransom Fowlkes (also spelled Faulkes or Fulkes in old records), who appears in Madison County land patent records by May 1810 . Born in Nottoway County, Virginia, in 1798, Ransom was the son of William Fowlkes, a Revolutionary War veteran, and grandson of John Fowlkes, whose father Gabriel immigrated from Wales to Virginia in 1696 . Ransom married Cynthia Lowery Hamblen in 1818; she was born in Lunenburg County, Virginia, in 1801 and died in 1864 .

Ransom and Cynthia lived along Indian Creek, owning extensive land in what is now Vaughn Corners, including property bounded by Blake Bottom and Mount Zion Roads, and later some land along Nick Davis Road.  Ransom’s grave and that of his wife are located within the cemetery.

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Family and Community Use

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Ransom and Cynthia had at least eleven children, four of whom predeceased their parents and are buried with them in Fowlkes Cemetery . The cemetery has been extensively used by the community over generations, serving as a burial ground for multiple families, including the Pettus, Johnson, and Lipscomb–McCargo lineages . The Lipscomb family, in particular, were Virginia colonial settlers, and Margaret Lipscomb, wife of Ransom’s son William Hiram Fowlkes, lived on a plantation west of Redstone Arsenal .

Historical Context

Ransom Fowlkes’ estate was probated in 1847, leaving him with 1,053 acres in Madison County and 610 acres in Limestone County . His wife Cynthia served as executor and guardian of their minor children during probate . The cemetery’s location and size suggest it was established early in the county’s development, likely in the early 19th century, and has remained a significant local burial site.

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Legacy

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Today, Fowlkes Cemetery remains a notable historical site in Madison County, reflecting the region’s early settler history, land ownership patterns, and intermarriage among prominent families. Its long-standing use and the prominence of the Fowlkes family in the area’s history make it an important landmark for genealogical and local history research.