White Oak Flats Cemetery

White Oak Flats Cemetery honors the memory of Private Richard Zemry Trentham.

Richard was born on April 17, 1896, in the Sugarlands community of Sevier County, Tennessee, the firstborn son of Richard Isaiah Trentham and Sarah “Sally” Ogle Trentham.

On May 27, 1918, at twenty-two years old, Richard left his home, his wife Anna Mae Watson Trentham, and their three-month-old infant son, Richard Parlin Trentham, to enter military service during World War I.

Following training at Camp Pike, Arkansas, and Camp Mills, New York, he sailed for France in August 1918 as part of Company H, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, serving alongside many fellow soldiers from East Tennessee.

Richard arrived in France in late September 1918.

Only seventeen days later, on October 11, 1918, his unit engaged the enemy in fierce hand-to-hand combat in France. Richard was killed in action during the fighting, leaving behind a young widow and a son who would know his father only through family photographs and memory.

Like many American soldiers lost during World War I, Richard was first buried overseas before eventually being returned home to East Tennessee. The historical photographs preserve the solemn day his casket arrived back at the family homeplace near White Oak Flats, where his parents, young son, relatives, friends, and neighbors gathered together to lay him to rest.

One photograph shows Richard in uniform before deployment.

Another shows his parents standing beside their son’s casket beneath an American flag after his return home.

Another captures the burial gathering at White Oak Flats Cemetery more than a century ago.

Family photographs and historical documentation courtesy of Randy Trentham.

A special thank-you to Margie Stoffle for sharing these photographs from White Oak Flats Cemetery ahead of Decoration Day this Sunday.

Earlier today, flowers were placed across the cemetery as another generation continued a tradition that has existed in these mountains for well over a century. The photos capture a quiet part of local history that still survives — families returning year after year to remember relatives, clean graves, and decorate the resting places of earlier generations.

Scenes like this have long been part of Decoration Day at White Oak Flats Cemetery, where many of the family names tied to Gatlinburg’s earliest years still rest side by side on the hillside.

Thankful for photographs like these and for the people helping preserve the memory of the community that came before.

Don’t forget — Decoration Day at White Oak Flats Cemetery will be held this Sunday, May 17, 2026.

White Oak Flats Cemetery

These photos were sent in by Kelly Jackson and Doris Marr, who were out decorating yesterday. They placed Christmas wreaths and flowers at several graves throughout White Oak Flats, helping make sure this cemetery is cared for and remembered during the holidays.

It looks wonderful. Thank you both for taking the time to honor those resting here.

Mary Elizabeth “Libby” Smith was laid to rest here at White Oak Flats Cemetery (est. 1830). Our thoughts remain with her family and everyone who gathered on December 4 to honor her.

A quick note for friends and relatives sharing her obituary and service photos:
Several posts are being tagged to the wrong page for White Oak Flats.
This is the official White Oak Flats Cemetery page for Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

We’re grateful to the community for helping keep the records clear so families can find the right place when they need it most.

Obituary for Mary Elizabeth “Libby” Smith (1950-2025) Ms. Mary Elizabeth “Libby” Smith, 75, of Barbourville, passed away Monday morning, November 17, 2025 at the Barbourville ARH Hospital.  She was born February 13, 1950 in Gatlinburg, TN, the da…