A survey of the Conley Cemetery (also known locally as the Conley Penland Cemtery) was conducted on April 3, 2009 by John M. Dillard with B. Malcolm Dillard and Edward R. Dillard. This cemetery is on the southern side of Tesentee Road about 500 feet east from the bridge over Little Tennessee River at the intersection of Tesentee Road with U. S. Highway No. 441 within sight of the Otto, North Carolina United States Post Office. It is located on a knoll overlooking the river in a cattle pasture owned by Sam Parrish who resides on the property.
Most grave stones have been removed from their original graves sites and are lying broken on the ground. Several graves with rocks or foot markers are unmarked. Readable grave stones are as follow:
Bryant Conley 1
born August 6, 1786
died September 12, 1857
age 71 years, 26 days
Delilah (?) Conley 2
(another view)
Born 179_ unreadable
Died Nov. 187_ unreadable
William Albert Conley 3
Born May 18, 1846
Died March 11, 187_ (unreadable)
Arzelia Conley
Born January 10, 1822
Died May 25, 1892
Horatio Conley
Born Dec. 20, 1813
Died August 2, 1881
Hamilton P. Penland 4
Born Feb. 17, 1822
Died Feb. 20, 1872
foot stone with initials “HPP”
H. P. Penland 5
Born Feb. 17, 1827
Died July 30, 1873
Clarissa C. Conley 6
Born March 24, 1844
Died Feb. 13, 1911
Emma Conley 7
October 1, 1858
November 8, 1859
F. A. (?) Conley 8
Age 1
Born 1830 unreadable
Died 1831 unreadable
Bryant D. Conley 9
Born June 6, 1816
Died August 15, 1861
Age 45 years, 2 months
9 days
Avery son of
C. N. and M. E. Rhodes
Born Jan. 15, 1877
Died Dec. 23. 1877
Unmarked
1Bryant Conley (1786-1857) and Delilah Branch Conley (1792-1857) were the parents of Horatio Nelson Conley.
2Delilah Conley is the wife of Bryant Conley (1786-1857).
3William A. Conley was a son of Horatio Nelson Conley and Arzelia Dillard Conley.
4Hamilton Pinckney Penland is the only known Penland buried in this cemetery. He was the son in law of Bryant Contley and Delilah Branch Conley who married their daughter, Sophie Elizabeth Conley (1836-1904). His son, David Weimer Penland married Sarah E. Mozeley, a daughter of Caroline Dillard Moseley, a daughter of Albert George Dillard. Another of his sons, Fernando Erastus Penland, married his first cousin, Flora M. Conley, a daughter of H. N. Conley and Arzelia Dillard Conley.
5This grave stone appears to duplicate the one given above with slightly different dates of birth and death.
6Clarissa Conley was a daughter of H. N. Conley and Arzelia Dillard Conley who never married and maintained this cemetery during her lifetime.
7Emma Conley is a possible child of H. N. Conley and Arzelia Dillard Conley
8F. A. Conley is a possible child of H. N. Conley and Arzelia Dillard Conley.
9Bryant D. Conley was a possible brother of H. N. Conley in that they were the same relative age. He is not to be confused with James Bryant Conley (1842-1862) the son of H. N. Conley who died in Confederate service and is reputed to be buried in this cemetery and for whom no grave stone has been found.
