THAYER site Records, Eddy County, New Mexico USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Submitted By: Richard Wilkinson jrrrr@zianet.com ************************************************************ ROCKY ARROYO EDDY COUNTY, NEW MEXICO THAYER CEMETERY SITE Records extracted by Richard Wilkinson Typing by Richard Wilkinson Jan 2000 Submittal by Richard Wilkinson Jan 2000 My thanks to Jed Howard, local County Historian, for giving me information on Susan Thayer. This site is located well off the beaten path near the Rocky Arroyo. It is on private property so ask permission after leaving the paved road. It is found before getting to the Rocky Arroyo Cemetery. The Rocky Arroyo Cemetery can be found just off the road on State Highway 137(also known as the Queen's Highway). This site is about 2 miles south of Highway 285. To get there from Carlsbad, NM, you must go north on Highway 285 about 12 miles from the city limits and turn left (south) on highway 137. There are 5 or 6 large tanks just off the road to the left. Turn left on that dirt road and follow it to a house and the road will split to the right. Continue to the right and stay on that dirt road until you come to the site just off the road to the left, maybe 3/4 of a mile or so after passing the house. There is only one grave that is marked, however, the site appears to have several persons buried in it. Using a GPS receiver (Global Positioning Satellite), the location of this site is 32 deg 28 min 31 sec North by 104 deg 25 min 49 sec West. The margin of error for these coordinates is 29 feet. However, if you are within 29 feet of this site you will easily see it. This is a very remote desert area in the foothills of the Guadalupe Mountains and is just a very short distance from the Rocky Arroyo. There use to be a wagon trail that run right next to this site, the trail ran to the Queen Station in the Guadalupe Mountains. There is only a faint reminder of the old wagon trail at the crossing of Dead Mans Gulch (its more of a gully) which is nearby. W.E. Thayer (Walter E. Thayer) was the second husband of Susan. She had several children by Walter. She was first married to Joseph M. Edwards. Joseph Edwards is burried about 1.5 miles down stream from Susan, (see archeive for Edwards on the county archeive site). Susan had several children by Edwards believed to be 3 or 4 boys. Walter Thayer remarried after Susan's death to Julia Shaddock. The Shaddocks had a very large ranch in the Guadalupe Mountains. The children of Joseph Edwards were grown by that time and he took into this second marriage his children from his union with Susan. Susan died in child birth, I don't know if the child lived or not. Again, the burial site appears to have about 6 or 7 other persons buried in it, but there are no markers other than that of Susan's. The only marked site is of Susan C. Thayer. The tomb stone is broken into three parts. One in the ground and two broken off. The stone is carved to say: Farewell to Susan C. wife of W.E. Thayer born February 17, 1858 died February 15, 1887 Rest in Peace.