Small SE

6 Small SE Cemeteries
County Farm, Eaton, Elebey, Loftis, Owens Pastures, & Price

(Click Here to go to All Headstone Pictures Online)

County Farm

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)

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.

#	Last Name	First Name	Born	Date of Death	Information Notes
1	Abbey	Steve		Jan 1, 1910	Aged 52 years
2	Deering	Jessie or Jno.	1879	After 1920
3	Dingle	Mariah
4	Edwards	Lucy
5	Edwards	Mary	1875	After 1920
6	Goodner	Jim M. or "M."	Oct 22, 1839	Feb 11, 1931
7	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)
8	McCain	Sarah	1855	Mar 4, 1924
9	McCaslin	Ike	1855	After 1920
10	Moseley	Edna	1880	After 1920
11	Owens	?		Jan 30, 1924
12	Rankin	?
13	Thompson	Della	1870	After 1920
14	Wilson	Jim or Jack

Eaton

   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 picture on the right 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.

#	Last Name	First Name	Born	Date of Death	Information Notes
1	Eaton	James H.	Feb 8, 1846	Feb 1, 1879	Husband of S.E.
2	Eaton	James S.	Oct 21, 1877	Nov 21, 1877	Son of J.H. & S.E.
3	Thomas	Seth
4	Walker	M.
5	Miller ?	?			Miller Valley is to west.

Elebey

   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.

Loftis

    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.

Last Name	First 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

Owens Pastures

   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.

#	Last Name	First Name	Born	Date of Death	Information Notes
1	Rowlett	William C.	Feb 16, 1818	July 14, 1876
2	Rowlett	William	Dec 2, 1851	Jan 16, 1878	Son of Wm. & C.

Price

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.