*SIGN & HISTORY

List updated July, 2014
Legal description: SW, SW, SW, Sect.2, T7N, R7W
Earliest listed grave: July 6, 1843 / Joseph Lorauce
Last listed grave: Active
GPS Listing: 615482 - 3901706
Arkansas Archeological Survey site #3WH0613
On November 21, 1855, Juliette Howerton sold 10 acres of land to White County to be used as a common burying ground. The purchase price was $250, to be raised by public subscription. On January 7, 1889, the County Court deeded this tract of land to the City of Searcy with the intended use as a cemetery. It has Oak Grove Cemeterycontinued under city ownership since that time. There has been additional acreage deeded to the city since this time, making this cemetery one of the largest in White County. The name "Oak Grove Cemetery" was selected in 1904. The cemetery is located on East Moore Street in Searcy. This land was first purchased August 26, 1833, by David Crise from the United States. On December 19, 1836, Crise and his wife Elizabeth sold the land to John Howerton. Howerton died in late 1837 or early 1838 and his widow Juliette married Samuel Guthrie August 28, 1845. She was divorced from Guthrie April 4, 1848, and took back the use of the name Howerton.

The $250 that Juliette received for the 10 acres was raised by public subscription, and was not paid out of the county funds. Mrs. Angie Mae Dellinger, a native of Searcy [and granddaughter of Gen. Dandridge McRae, who is buried here], and had a great part in the promotion for the care and use of the cemetery, said the Maxwell family gave the cemetery to the city. A White County Historical Society researcher stated "I am sure there are County and City Records which I did not find but the name Maxwell was not on any of the records I examined. Since the land was purchased by public subscription, it is possible that the Maxwell family provided the money for the purchase."

The deed and the survey notes mention oak, hickory and chinquapin, one oak being mentioned as 24 inches in diameter. No mention is made that graves were already located there but there are eight marked that were there prior to the sale of this land to the County. They are the following:

Bearden, Richard A. - November 13, 1833 -July 13, 1852
Bearden, Marcus F. - October 1, 1849 - October 20, 1851
Bevens, Matilda W., consort of John H. Bevens - March 17, 1845 -age 27 years, 6 months, 28 days
Lorauce, Joseph, consort of Agnes Lorauce-July 6, 1843-age 63 years
Lorauce, Nancy F.-October 11, 1844 - age 32 years, 7 months, 13 days
Maxwell, Sarah, wife of David Maxwell - March 17, 1822- September 25, 1852
Maxwell, James S., son of D. & S. Maxwell -December 5, 1842 - September 10, 1844
Maxwell, Clara, daughter of D. & S. Maxwell -September 18, 1852 - October 25, 1852
These graves are located in the northeast corner of the cemetery. It is likely John Howerton is buried here but his grave is not marked. The Historical Society has been unable to find a marker for any member of his family.

On September 6, 1939, 50 years after the County Court deeded this tract of land to the city of Searcy, an additional 2.39 acres were added to the original plot when Thomas A. and Alta D. Watkins sold it to the city for $1.00

Although the city of Searcy is responsible for the care of the cemetery, through the years various clubs and associations have been responsible for its maintenance and beautification.

The White County Historical Society first prepared a listing of this cemetery in the summer of 1968, when it was visited by long/time member Cloie Presley of Searcy. Thirty/one years later, her material was placed on the Internet at www.whitecounty.us by WCHS member Kara Spence, who also transcribed a partial update by WCHS member James McAllister in 2000. Leroy Blair of the Society walked the entire cemetery many times in June and July 2001, copying information Oak Grove Mapfrom every stone he saw. He also befriended the 80/year/old caretaker, Thurlow Price, who told him there are many unmarked graves on the southeast side of the cemetery. This area was low, with a ditch running through it until culvert was installed in the summer of 2001, some of it coming just inches from graves on the eastern side. A chain link fence was also installed, separating the cemetery from a commercial establishment on the east side. Blair reported in 2002 that he found a 1938 newspaper article that stated there were "4,000 inhabitants" of Oak Grove Cemetery that at that time. If true, this means that there are thousands of unmarked pioneer graves here.

It should be noted that Oaklawn Memorial Gardens cemetery is located along the northern edge of Oak Grove Cemetery, separated only by a fence and a row of trees, and at least one early Oak Grove listing inadvertently included a few names of graves that are in Oaklawn but was subsequently corrected. Roads through Oaklawn create six distinct sections in the cemetery, so Blair categorized his list that way. On the approximately 1,200 additions that Blair made, the section (1,2,3,4,5 or 6) is included in parenthesis beside the name. Blair was unable to find 195 graves that appeared in the 1968 Oak Grove listing:

Sarah Q. Alford, William Allen, Jarrett Milton Armstrong, Nannette Awtrey, Willie Logan Baird, Amy Bestwick, Ella Vick Biggs, George Fred Biggs, Alberta M. Black, James E. Black, Arthur Blankenship, Elizabeth Broadman, Bond baby, Burnell Bramlett, Doling J. Brewer, Molisie C. Brewer, Herman Brown, Bernice Watson Brumlow, James Fred Brumlow, Emma Butler (infant), Roy F. Butler, Charles Eric Caldwell, Thelma L. Caldwell, Percy Carter, Florence M. Cathcart, Moses Chapman, Sue M. Crow, William H. Cutsinger, David Charles Deen, Putman Dickinson, Richard H. Dodson, Mary Ida Donald, Alfred Earl Evans, Emma E. Evans, Eva E. Fluke, Loula A. Walker Ford, Dorothy Lynn Forrest, John B. Frealy, Reba H. Gatt, Sarah Elizabeth Gilliam, J.F. Guidewell, Goad infant, Beatrice Green, Marvin Joe Greer, Ruth Hakin, C.M. Haynes, Sarah Haynes, Hal W. Henderson, Nellie Henderson, Jesse Zachary Henry, Walter Herman, Margaret E. Hillum, Charles F. Hodges Jr. Holshouser, Nannie S. Horton, Dr. Albert Holmes Hudgins, Ben M. Hudson, Mary Huff, Elizabeth Hughes, Thomas Iragon, Alice James, Eddie James, Roy James, Anna Louise Johnson, Gladys Johnson, Rodgers Johnson, Ida Jones, Roberta Jones, W.B. Jones, Katie Daisy Joyce, Lelia Ketcherside, Floy Kimbrough, Claude King, Mrs. E.B. King, Louise Smith Lallow, Bargie L. Lape, Sam W. Lape, Eliza A. Latham, Latham infant, William E. Latham, John C. Lightle, Cleona B. Love, Jinnie D. Love, Willie D. Mackey, Peat L. May, James A. McCauley, Ardra P. Mills, Ora Moore, Addie M. Neal, Carl Neal, Ludie M. Neal, Mary W. Neal, Marguerite Neely, Anna Newburn, Miriah Newburn, Ruby Nichols, Ona Nicholson, Margaret Odle, William A. Old, Lula E. Oles, E.H. Palmer Jr., Mary Parks, E.J. Paschall, M.D. Paschall, P.P. Paschall, Emma L. Payne, Arleen Petty, G.G. Petty, N.B. Petty, Fay Fields, Charles G. Pippins, Howell Potter, Cathende Pride, Harvey J. Purcell, Sid Rascoe, Winifred Rascoe, Rector infant, Elizabeth J. Roberson, Clarence B. Robertson, Eunice Robertson, Florence P. Robertson, Charles W. Rodgers, Earnest Rodgers, Philip P. Rodgers, Mary Rogers, May Rogers, Missouri Rogers, Susie M. Rogers, Lewis Roy, Grandmother Sanders, Unknown Sanders, Julia Sangster, Helen L. Sarringer, Kate Sears, Alexander Sellers, John W. Sellers, Laura C. Sellers, Margaret Sharp, LittleD. Shelton, Little Neddie Shelton, Dorothy Shoffner, Homer Shoffner, Laura B. Shoffner, Herbert M. Simmons, Temperance Skillerns, Mary A. Slaten, Caroline Slayton, David H.Slayton Jr., David H. Slayton, Thomas N. Slayton, Bertha Slough, Charles L. Slough, Ethel V. Smith, Carl Smith, Carol Smith, Lloyd C. Smith, Mary N. Smith, Phillis Smith, Sanford Smith, Edwin P. Snipes, Eugene Sprigg, Mac Sprigg, May Sprigg, Rev. Alexander Stevenson, Nora H. Stotts, Elizabeth Tapscott, Marion Thomas, Sallie Thomas, Carroll D. Thompson, A.G. Vaughn, Oscar M. Waddell, Ellen G. Wakenight, Milton Wakenight, O.C. Wakenight, Bessie Dean Wakins, S.G. Walker,Nina G. Wallis, Charley Ward, Senia Ward, Winfield E. Ward Jr., David L. Warner, Alvin A. Wells, Jesse M. Wickard, Lillian A. Wilburn, Whitfield E. Williams, Mary E. Williams, Mary P. Williams, Floy K. Winn, Hary K. Wood, Norah K. Woodson, Eugene A. Wosley, Bittie Yarnell, Henry Yarnell, Rufus Yarnell, Lelia Hanson Yingling.

On Sunday evening, March 24, 2002, vandals hit the cemetery at night and pushed over numerous large tombstones, urns and decorative fixtures, causing an undetermined but significant amount of damage. Eddie Best, editor and past president of the Historical Society, visited the cemetery two days later and recorded the following: Large double stones pushed over bearing names of William and Dell M. Boyce, Robert D. and Ruby Haygood, James Fred and Bernice Brumlow, Martha and William A. Pemberton, Richard T. and Tallulah B. Hocott, Alexander and Mary Royston, Auby and Linon Pemberton, single stones pushed over bearing the names of Faye Evans, Wilburn English, Civil War veteran D.G. Sowell, a large stone for M. Kirby pushed over face down, a large concrete log sculpture bearing the name of P.G. Oliver, a 4-foot spire bearing name of Fannie Roberson, a large 3-foot stone bearing name of A.C. Roland pushed off its pedestal, 3-foot stone for William C. Sneed pushed off its pedestal and broken into two pieces, a large 3-foot stone for Nona Dreisbach pushed off its pedestal, a 4-foot stone for West pushed off its pedestal face down and broken into two pieces, a large 4-foot stone for Albert R. Vaughn pushed off its pedestal, a large 4-foot stone probably for a Baugh (between Gertrude Baugh and Rose Etta/Bruce Baugh) pushed over face down, a 4-foot tablet bearing name of Harriett J. Sowell (stone broken into two pieces), and two large marble stones pushed over face down. Most of this damage was repaired by volunteers a few days later. In January 2003, an 18-year-old and two juveniles were arrested and charged with the vandalism.

If you have corrections or additional information on Oak Grove Cemetery, contact the White County Historical Society at P.O. Box 537, Searcy, AR 72145.

http://www.argenweb.net/white/cems/Oak_Grove_Cemetery_files/oak_grove_cemetery_searcy.htm

Contributed on 3/1/20 by hawkinsdonna48
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