Ann, It's ironic that you are our "legs" for those of us who can't get to these cemeteries. Thanks for all of your hard work, sweat and cow herding. Ann Meade -----Original Message----- From: MaryAnn Bartlett <bartlett@vvm.com> To: TXBELL-L@rootsweb.com <TXBELL-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 9:38 AM Subject: [TXBELL-L] LATHAM; VOLO CEMETERY; BELL CO., TX; East /W side of county /Other locations CHATTER FORMATT >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/ >