Fannin County TXGenWeb
Ladonia
Cemetery
This photo by Debby Crofford of the Old Presbyterian section
View
Photographs by Beth Collyar of the Ladonia Cemetery
Photograph
of the Ladonia Cemetery by Mary Helen Haines
By The
Ladonia Historical
Preservation Society
As we gathered material for a special tribute to all those who have left
legacies that will continue to live on, our utmost appreciation goes out
to the many who have helped in compiling information for this effort.
We acknowledge those who walked the cemetery recording every marker,relatives
and friends, The Ladonia Cemetery Association, and those whose previous
records were used.'
January 17, 2005
Everyone loaded
up their hoes, rakes, shovels,"grubbin hoes", sickles, and worked on the
graves all day.
At "dinnertime" everyone
spread their enormous homegrown meals on boards and sawhorses for tables.
John Fink remembered that the green english peas that had been planted
in February were ready for this big feast the first Saturday in May. Arthur
Reed Wishard would be satisfied to know that the chickens were hand caught,
heads wrung, and wet plucked. Boy, was that good fried chicken !
The graveyard working
has become more of a reunion, lunch, and business meeting, but for the
many, it is still a time to reflect on the "good ole days".
This
census contains all the sections of the cemetery in one
index.
Ladonia
Presbyterian & Ladonia Odd Fellows Cemetery
After
the names look for _
"P"
for Presbyterian Side & "IOOF"
for Odd Fellows
Other
letters denote the plot areas in the cemetery.
"McF"
stands for the McFarland part of the cemetery
See
Photographs, maps and notes on the sections below on this page.
In order to help locate graves easier, this sign
designates how the Presbyterian, and Odd Fellows (IOOF) sections have been
broken up. Please know your plot number and section in order to refer and
use the map. This will narrow your search area if you are not sure where
it is located.
Photographs
of the Sections of the Cemetery
and
the Plat Maps
Photo by Debby Crofford
More
Photographs of the Ladonia Cemetery
Photo by by Debby Crofford
Historical Marker
In 1988, The Ladonia Cemetery Association
in conjunction with the research done by Leroy Byers, and Muriel Burleson
received a State Historical Marker for The Ladonia Cemetery. The marker
is recognition by the state, for the role this area played in the developement
of Texas.
The principal burial ground for members of the
Ladonia community, this graveyard has historically been divided into two
sections: The I.O.O.F. (Odd Fellows) Cemetery and the Presbyterian Cemetery.
The oldest recorded grave, that of Joe
Shelby Dale (d. 1866), infant daughter of J. E. and S. T. Dale, is
located in the Presbyterian Cemetery section. Also in that section is the
"Stranger's
Tomb," marking the grave of an unknown traveler who died in October
1867. Another early burial is that of William
Lovelace Foster (1830-1869), Civil War veteran and pastor of Ladonia's
first Baptist church at the time of his death. The I.O.O.F. section of
the cemetery was originally maintained by the local Odd Fellows Lodge.
The earliest recorded grave there is that of Mrs.
P. T. (Marie) Hockaday
(1838-1881). The Lodge continued to care for its section of the cemetery
until about 1902, when management of the two sections of the graveyard
were merged. Those interred in the Ladonia Cemetery include veterans of
the Civil War, World War I, and World War II, as well as early settlers
of the area, Fannin County officials, and many generations of Ladonia citizens.
Odd Fellows side of Ladonia Cemetery
This cemetery is also included in the full census
at top of page.
|
