News & Updates
Bruton Town Descendants Heritage Initiative (BTDHI)
This page serves as a central hub for verified news coverage, historical documentation, and progress updates related to the Brutontown Cemetery and the work of the BTDHI.
Bruton Town Descendants Heritage Initiative (BTDHI)
This page serves as a central hub for verified news coverage, historical documentation, and progress updates related to the Brutontown Cemetery and the work of the BTDHI.
A centralized hub for real-time updates, progress tracking, and community action.
Honoring Our Ancestors. Preserving Our History. Documenting the Truth.
Updated December 7, 2025
BASELINE
RECORDS
🗂️
VERIFIED
ENTRIES
✔️
NEWLY
VERIFIED
CERTIFICATES
📄
PENDING VERIFICATION
⏳
MISSING
INFORMATION⚠️
Since October 2025, BTDHI has recovered 115 additional burial records — a 34% increase over the original "Brutontown Known Burials" compilation by cemeterian Robin Coon.
Supporting Truth, Restoration, and Descendant Leadership.
Updated December 7, 2025
CAMPAIGN
GOAL
📌
RECEIVED
TO DATE
💰
FUNDED
📈
FAMILY CONTRIBUTORS
👥
REMAINING
TO RAISE
🎯
This family-led campaign provides the foundation for restoration, burial recovery, legal groundwork, and historical documentation. Descendant-led funding ensures independence, strength, and integrity as we pursue accountability, and full restoration of the Brutontown Cemetery.
Title: Furman University's Connection, The County's Cleanup: The history beneath the soil of a neglected slave cemetery
Source: WYFF New 4 / Miya Payton
Date: September 30, 2025
Title: Questions over Cemetery Cleanup
Source: Fox Carolina News / Alexa Erbach
Date: August 23, 2025
Title: Concerns grow over SC slave cemetery cleanup and ownership
Source: WYFF News 4 / Miya Payton
Date: August 22, 2025
Title: Historic Black Cemetery DESTROYED
Source: Palmetto Cemeterian
Date: August 20, 2025
Title: Historic, yet neglected Greenville County, South Carolina slave cemetery gets new attention
Source: WYFF News 4 / Miya Payton
Date: June 13, 2024
Database Expansion – Adding newly verified burials and updating existing records
Historical Mapping – Reviewing plats, maps, and archival documents to confirm cemetery boundaries
Records Recovery – Continuing outreach to churches, funeral homes, and public archives for missing names.
Descendant Outreach – Gathering family histories and confirmations from Bruton Town descendants.
Facebook Launch – Rolling out our public Facebook page to share updates and engage the community.
Community Awareness – Increasing visibility through public posts, shared research, and verified news.
Collaboration Efforts – Strengthening partnerships with historians, preservationists, and researchers.