Mary Ann - Tabasco sauce is great for chigger bites! Ann from Texas ---------- > From: MaryAnn Bartlett <bartlett@vvm.com> > To: TXBELL-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [TXBELL-L] LATHAM; VOLO CEMETERY; BELL CO., TX; East /W side of county /Other locations CHATTER FORMATT > Date: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 9:54 AM > > Yall, I just spent two days with a BARTLETT cousin riding from one side of > the county to the other! Found a beautiful old iron bridge that is out and > found a solitary grave by the Donohoe Cemetery and almost got pinched for > cattle rustlin'! > > And......it was hotter 'n than the southern direction of a north-bound > soul!!!! However, many of the cemeteries we located were under huge oak > shade trees and the wind was blowing across a creek or river or large tank > and it was just perfect for genealogical hikes! Wonderful two days...even > if I am writing you from my tub where I am soaking to rid myself of chigger > bites! and even if my nose would put Roudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to > shame! > > Cemeteries are wonderful! No one got up and left. No one complained about > what I was doing or how. No one talked back and everyone waited his or her > turn for us to gather their information. > > At VOLO, east side of Bell County near Sparks Community: > > LATHAM: > L.G. Age: 55 D. 09 Aug 1905 > Mary C. Age 42 D. 06 Aug 1892 > > Eddie b. 20 May 1895 d. 12 Sept 1907 > C.J. s/o RL & CE b. 20 May 1917 d. 11 Mar 1920 > > Volo Cemetery is up on a hill and there is a house NE of the cemetery but > those people do not know anything about the cemetery. > > While Valerie and I were there Mr. Hagler arrived to check on the pile of > brush they were burning. He has most of his family there and takes care of > the cemetery. It is not a large cemetery but is in good shape and is fenced > in. There are enough shade trees that you can walk around without being in > the sun too much. My wheelchair did not work but I could get around some on > my crutches so I sat in a chair and recorded information while my cousin > read the stones. > =============================================== > HOLLAND > > South of Holland and at the junction of 2263 or 2268, on your left if you > are going North, is a very steep drive. Go up the drive and at you top the > hill you are in the cemetery. It is a small one and, I think, according to > history/tradition, it was to be a Checkz./Catholic cemetery. It does not > have many graves in it but it is still being used and is, at least, being > kept clear. > > I found an animal bone beside one of the MASSAR grave sites and told my > cousin it was probably a human finger bone that had washed down the hill in > one of our heavy rains...she left the cemetery at a hundred miles an > hour...without the car! q;-> > > Most of the graves at this site are within curbbing. One or two have gravel > covering the plots. > > MASSAR, Frank J. b. 04 Mar 1902 d. 21 Oct 1979 > MASSAR, Mary P. (still living the source person "thinks" but no one > knew where she was living...if she was still living. She would be maybe > late 80s or 90s maybe. > > Within the same curbing: > Three graves but each still has the funeral home plaque and only one could > be partially read: > RATLIFF, _________ b. 27 Aug 1918 d. 10 Feb 1926 (Not sure about > Feb.) The plaques were from Goodnight Funeral Home, Bartlett. It is not > called Goodnight anymore...someone else bought it and the names fails me at > th....CONDRA Funeral Home. The main office is now in Taylor. I plan to go > down to the old Goodnight Fun. Home today and see if they can tell me who > the other two are that are buried next to the first one, RATLIFF. > ============================================ > Just across the creek and below the Donohoe Cemetery, E Bell Co., we found a > single grave maybe 3 - 5 feet from the road. > > Mrs. Sarah HERNDON > b. 1800 > d. 1863 > > It is on your right if you are going N down the road. No occupied houses in > sight. Is land under cultivation or land being used to graze cattle. The > site is fenced with the iron fencing you see in older cemeteries and it > literally fences the grave space. It has fairly new looking cedar posts at > all four corners and the gate is wired shut. It is all very rusty. The > corner post have been pointed to allow rain water to run off. Someone (was > that you, Bill???) had walked in the grass as recently as this last > weekend...and they walked carefully because there was a giant spider and > his/her web a couple of feet in front of the grave and it was not disturbed. > Within the fenced site, there was a faded Christmas plant (plastic) and > evidence of other flowers so it is possible that she may be related to those > up on the hill in the Donohoe Cemetery. Maybe she was someone's granma that > made it that far on their trek into Texas...or maybe that was a mother and > wife and that was her favorite site along the creek. > ============================================= > > BTW, we took many photographs during the two days. > > ================================ > SIMMONS & HENNINGTON CEMETERIES > > E side of Bell Co....not but a couple of miles from Milam County line. > We never could get to it but did find a kind gentleman that shooed off the > attacking dogs and told us that we could contact Mr.....well, let me just > say we know who to contact for access...don't ask me to spell it or > pronounce it. Mr.___was not at home. > ======================================= > JACKSON CEMETERY (forgot location...map still in car) > a couple of names for contacts...David Wolf, Holland and Edw. Shiplet..I > think these were persons with the SPJCXYZ??? Club or organization. > ====================================== > DALLAS Cemetery > > Behind...West of Holland...have to take Hackberry Rd. SW of Holland and S of > the creek. We introduced ourselves to a gentleman at a new house and told > him what we were doing and why and if he knew where the cemetery was. He > told us it was on down the road and in the pasture. We asked for permission > to go in and he said "Sure, as long as you shut and latch the gates so the > cattle don't get out." We went in and looked things over, and then, being > chased by the hungry cattle, we left. Just as we got out the gate, a man in > a truck drove up and I introduced myself with story and asked if he was > going into the pasture before we closed the gate. He said yes that he was > going to check his cattle. I laughed and told him they were just fine, very > friendly and very hungry. I told him we had the permission of the man that > owned it up at the house and he then told us that he owned it. Appology > given...he said we could come back if we closed the gates. It is fenced in > and has a gate that is not locked. It sits up on the hill overlooking the > creek. The grass inside the fenced area was way deep and we tried to hack > some grass down but that is when we discovered we were out in the heat way > long. We did get some pictures...dates did not seem to go back to seriously > early dates as far as births in Bell Co. > > We did get these names: > J.S. JEDOER 01 Dec 1821 24 June 1902 > > Jam's M. FOX 24 Nov 1888 Dec 1911 > > Mattie P. FOX 08 Aug 1846 05 June 1907 > We took pictures of cemetery and one cow. > After we left and started home, it dawned on me that he thought we were > cattle rustlers...a woman in a wheelchair rustling cattle???????? We are > talking BIG cows here...big cows with big horns and big appetites...... > ================================================== > We did not get all names from VOLO but could go back and do that if anyone > needs me to. HAGLER's have a lot of sites there. I remember a THOMPSON or > THOMASON...AND MAybe CALDWELL. > =============================== > St. John Luthern Cemetery, north of Bartlett on SH 95...about a mile or two > from town. > I taped almost all the persons at rest on the south side...we call it the > flat side because the stones are flush with the ground. Val took pictures > and scribed all the LENDEMANN, LATHAM, LANGE and some others that she knew > were related to those families through marriage. > > When you drive into the cemetery you see what looks to be a gate to the > "back" with big colorful tree-bushes on either side. That was the original > entrance to the cemetery. The old road (95) ran behind the cemetery. You > find you are up on a bluff and in front of you the land falls away into a > valley. The land is under cultivation on the S,N, W sides. The church is > behind you or to the east. Easy to get to, clean, good gravel road. The > east side had the upright stones and looks more homey than the flat side. > The UPRIGHT side has lots of curbbing and the graves are close together > making you believe it to be a small cemetery...but whatho!!!! When you > begin scribing all the names and dates....lot more there than you think. On > the FLAT SIDE, there are slabs of granite, pink, gray, black and that icky > lunch-meat color. On some of the slabs of granite are brass plates with the > names and dates on them...or maybe copper...anyway, they have the patina or > greenish colors from weathering. > > I think this is loaded on the Bell Co. page for Cemeteries but if you want > me to send you the names, let me know. We did get pictures of these names > on the UPRIGHT side and some on the FLATSIDE. > ++++++++++++++++++++++++ > We also did some work in some other cemeteries and exploring road and routes > to the places on the maps. Many of the marked cemeteries are on private > property now. > > Bill, what about Sunshine, Willis, REED and the one across from Reed?? Has > anyone done those for you. Need to get some more film and get some pictures > for you. The REED graves are on Sunshine road N of Holland but there is a > excellent fence and large gate with a large lock. The one across the road > from it is not always cleared but is not fenced in. There are grave sites > up in the tangled hedgrow. We got out, walked about four feet into this one > and saw two very large rattlers sunning themselves. We excused ourselves > and retreated to the van. These are the four cemeteries grouped together on > your map, Bill...east side of County...south of Volo Cemetery....could not > find access to cemetery between Volo and the REED and other > three...Sullivan/Sunshine Rds. junction. We think it may be a FERGUSON > family cemetery since it is close to the State Historical Marker showing the > site of the original home of MA Ferguson. Gate is locked. > > Ann > > We will try to do more later.... > > > > > ==== TXBELL Mailing List ==== > Please Clear Off-Topic Posts With The Webmaster FIRST! The List Archives > Are At: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/archives/TXBELL-L/