County
Farm, Eaton, Elebey, Loftis, Owens Pasture & Price
Cemeteries |
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Headstones)
County Farm Cemetery |
The County Poor Farm Cemetery was
located northeast of the Reunion Grounds (Rodeo arena) in Decatur.
Go southwest out of Decatur on Fm Rd 51. Turn left on Old
Reunion Rd. In about a mile you will see the historical marker on the right.
Historical Marker Site of Wise County Poor Farm and Cemetery Operated 1885 – 1962 to support and employ dependent or needy citizens and as place for county convicts to work out fines. First superintendent of the 320-acre farm, R. Suffert, managed all land and activities and his wife cooked, washed, and sewed for both inmates and guards. Of inmates buried in the now-leveled cemetery at bend of Center Creek, only names known are Steve Abbey, Sarah McCain, Jim Wilson, Jim M. Goodner, Bill Hodge: Rankin, Owens (surnames); Della, Edna, Ike, and Mariah. In 1969 county sold buildings and 12 acres of farm at auction. (1971) |
No headstones were
found at this site, but Rosalie Gregg,
Chairman of the Wise County Historical Commission, examined census records and
other old records to give us a list of the following burials that were made at
the cemetery.
The Hobbs information came from Shirley A. Garcia Shirlgar@fnbnet.net
# | Name | Born | Date of Death | Information Notes | No Pictures of Headstones |
Not Found | Abbey, Steve | Jan 1, 1910 | Aged 52 years | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |
Not Found | Deering, Jessie or Jno. | 1879 | After 1920 | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |
Not Found | Dingle, Mariah | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |||
Not Found | Edwards, Lucy | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |||
Not Found | Edwards, Mary | 1875 | After 1920 | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |
Not Found | Goodner, Jim M. or "M." | Oct 22, 1839 | Feb 11, 1931 | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |
Not Found | Hobbs, William, "Willie" or "Bill" | Apr 30, 1876 | Feb 2, 1940 | (Was mentally impaired and lived at the Poor Farm from abt.1910 to 1933. He was moved to the State Hospital in Wichita Falls and is buried in their cemetery, grave #623) | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg |
Not Found | McCain, Sarah | 1855 | Mar 4, 1924 | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |
Not Found | McCaslin, Ike | 1855 | After 1920 | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |
Not Found | Moseley, Edna | 1880 | After 1920 | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |
Not Found | Owens, ? | Jan 30, 1924 | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | ||
Not Found | Rankin, ? | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |||
Not Found | Thompson, Della | 1870 | After 1920 | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg | |
Not Found | Wilson, Jim or Jack | County-Farm-No Picture.jpg |
Eaton Cemetery
Eaton Cemetery is southeast of Decatur out
toward Blewett. From Hwy 287, south of Decatur, turn east on Fm Rd 2264. Turn
left on CR 4530 (McCurdy Rd). Turn right at a tan pumper station (PR 4531 but
there was no sign at the time). Go south across a cattle guard and across Oliver
Creek to the old Askey house. From the house cross a cattle guard on the east
and go down a gravel road about a half of a mile. The cemetery is to the left in
the pasture under a large oak tree.
Thank you to Carla Womack for helping us find this cemetery,
and to Jerry Askey for taking us there.
The first picture below was provided by Ina Askey. It shows
the two Eaton headstones and an arch that may have been over the top of both
stones at one time. In October 2001 we only found these 2 headstones, but there
may have been as many as 30 burials at this cemetery.
# | Name | Born | Date of Death | Information Notes | Link to Headstone Picture |
1 | Eaton, James H. | Feb 8, 1846 | Feb 1, 1879 | Husband of S.E. | Eaton-01.jpg |
1 | Eaton, James H. | Additional Picture | Eaton-01a.jpg | ||
1 | Eaton, James H. | Additional Picture | Eaton-01b.jpg | ||
1 | Eaton, James H. | Additional Picture | Eaton-01c.jpg | ||
1 | Eaton, James H. | Additional Picture | Eaton-01d.jpg | ||
2 | Eaton, James S. | Oct 21, 1877 | Nov 21, 1877 | Son of J.H. & S.E. | Eaton-02.jpg |
2 | Eaton, James S. | Additional Picture | Eaton-02a.jpg | ||
2 | Eaton, James S. | Additional Picture | Eaton-02b.jpg | ||
2 | Eaton, James S. | Additional Picture | Eaton-02c.jpg | ||
Not found | Thomas, Seth | Eaton-No Picture.jpg | |||
Not found | Walker, M. | Eaton-No Picture.jpg | |||
Not found | Miller, ? | Miller Valley is to west | Eaton-No Picture.jpg |
Landon@asapwash.com
Landon Esquivel recently (2023)emailed us with some information and pictures --
My name is Landon and I live in the subdivision of Highland Meadows. I recently
have seen what is called the "Icarian Cemetery" on what I believe is
the Askey Farm. It is not on your list and I was wondering if it could be
documented.
Hey Also just pointing this out if it was an “Icarian Cemetery” there
is some history on the Icarians in Justin.
Please feel free to give me a call
9727415654.
Kerry Clower wrote back. - -
I am not familiar with the cemetery you mentioned in your email. I know
that Jerry Askey had at least three of what he thought were cemeteries marked on
his property. One was the cemetery where he and Ina were buried that had
the Eaton headstones. He had two other places marked with metal cutouts and
other things that he claimed were grave spaces that he located with his divining
rods, but they had no carved headstones to mark any graves that I remember.
The metal works in your pictures could well have been what he thought was a
cemetery that he marked.
Thanks,
Kerry Clower, Chairman
Wise County Historical Commission
Elebey
Cemetery
Elebey Cemetery is located south of Decatur.
From S Fm Rd 51 turn right on Preskitt Rd. Turn left on CR 3051 and go south. As
the road turns west there is an aluminum oil field gate (Boring #2) on the left.
The cemetery is in the brush just inside the gate.
We could not find any records
of burials or any headstones in October 2001.
Thank you to J.E. Haynes for
taking us to this cemetery, and to Ronald & Carla Womack for searching the
brush.
Donna Weeden researched the Elebey family (many different spellings) and wrote this:
Loftis Cemetery
Loftis Cemetery is between
Paradise and Boyd. It’s about 3 miles west of Boyd on the north side of Hwy
114. It’s on the property owned by Robert Ratliff. The cemetery is in the
woods, set back about a mile on the property, but no markers remain today.
Thank you to Judy Johnson
Erickson of Boyd for telling us about this cemetery.
According to a relative, Ann
Hill, of Granbury, there are at least 2 graves at the site. She has an old diary
belonging to Joseph Loftis, and gave us the following information. She hopes to
set stones at the graves in the near future.
Name |
Born |
Date of Death |
Information Notes |
Loftis, Joseph Santford, Jr. |
Bradley Co., TN |
Nov 6, 1892 |
Mason - Moved from TN to Corsicana and then to this land in 1875 – Daughter, Texas Ann Loftis married James Oscar Brown - Had several other children who are buried at Cottondale Cemetery - Porter's and Easley's are in-laws |
Loftis, O.F. |
|
|
Second wife of Joseph Santford (See Note Below) |
2011 Email from Kerry Clower kerryclower@embarqmail.com
My great/great grandfather had a sister, Olivia F. Hodges Miller Loftis. She was born in Alabama in 1833 and died in Paradise on July 19, 1890. She married (1st) Hugh M. Miller (born about 1809 in Alabama) on 4-7-1851 in Sumter Co., Alabama. They had 2 sons: Tew and Tobe Miller. She married (2nd) Joseph Santford Loftis on Oct. 2, 1881 in Paradise, Tx. I know nothing of what happened to Mr. Miller or the sons.
Wise County Messenger, July 26, 1890: "... We regret that the wife of Uncle Joe Loftis, who lives on the south bluff of Salt Lake Valley died on last Saturday. She was some years known to many of our readers as Mrs. Miller, who made her home for some years with Major Jones, a near relative in this place......"
I am fairly sure this is the 2nd wife of Joseph Loftis listed as buried in Loftis Cemetery as O. F. Loftis.
Owens Pastures Cemetery
Owens Pasture Cemetery is just to the west of
Aurora. From Hwy 114 turn north on Hillside Private Road. The 2 headstones are
on the left about 100 yards down the road. They are inside a small rock wall
that’s about two feet high.
When we were there in October 2001 the woods had been cleared
away around the wall. The two headstones were broken and partially buried.
Thank you to Carla Womack for taking us to this cemetery, and
to Rosalie Gregg for finding it.
# | Name | Born | Date of Death | Information Notes | Link to Headstone Picture |
1 | Rowlett, William C. | Feb 16, 1818 | July 14, 1876 | OwensPasture-01.jpg | |
1 | Rowlett, William C. | Additional Picture | OwensPasture-01a.jpg | ||
2 | Rowlett, William | Dec 2, 1851 | Jan 16, 1878 | Son of Wm. & C. | OwensPasture-02.jpg |
2 | Rowlett, William | Additional Picture | OwensPasture-02a.jpg | ||
2 | Rowlett, William | Additional Picture | OwensPasture-02b.jpg | ||
2 | Rowlett, William | Additional Picture | OwensPasture-02c.jpg | ||
2 | Rowlett, William | Additional Picture | OwensPasture-02d.jpg |
Price Cemetery
Price Cemetery is shown on the
old maps to be northwest of Boyd and somewhere to the west of CR 4481.
There are no records of the
burials there, and we did not find this cemetery in October 2001.