Welcome to the lovely, historic Oakwood Cemetery and its Famous Residents Tour! I was inspired to create this cache during a very fun night out at Oakwood Odyssey, a ghost walk which made the cemetery "come alive"! During this multi-stage cache, you will have the opportunity to "choose your own adventure" and explore more interesting history of this beautiful cemetery than just what's needed to gather coordinate information. It's up to you, depending on how much time you have to wander here. Eight stops are needed to find the cache, and those are identified by bold type. Photos of markers or anything you find interesting are highly encouraged!!
Cemetery hours are until 5 PM, and I would be sure to be done by 5 or risk being locked in. I know this from personal experience!! You may choose to walk or drive to each of the stages - however, if you walk, expect about a two-mile round trip.
Final Coordinates are located inside the cemetery and obtained by answering questions from your findings and filling in the following:
N32 0A.BCD
W96 2E.FGH
Begin at the 15th street entrance. The given coordinates N32 05.856 W096 28.421 take you to your starting point, just inside the gate, from where you can see four historical markers.
1. Which one of these men fought against Santa Anna in the Texas war for independence?
A. Reverend Hampton McKinney (A = 6)
B. David Reed Mitchell (A = 7)
C. George Washington Shelton (A = 5)
D. Col. Clinton McKamy Winkler (A= 4)
2. How many of the partners who donated land for the City of Corsicana are buried in Oakwood Cemetery (answer on one of the other three historical markers visible from this area.)
A. 4 (B = 6)
B. 3 (B = 7)
C. 2 (B = 8)
D. 1 (B = 9)
While you are in this part, there are several other headstones you might want to check out. Emily Milner Van Hook Middleton, whose diary chronicling 1856-1898 is in the University of TX Arlington library, is buried at N32 05.880 W096 28.427.
James Kerr (29 Jan 1788 - 23 Aug 1859), from what I've been able to research, is the earliest-born person to be buried in Oakwood. His wife Nancy (whose headstone, sadly, is broken) was only a little over a week younger. His grave: N32 05.885 W096 28.407.
Near the tall stone for Rachel, wife of M. Wantland, you'll find a marker for the first known burial at Oakwood Cemetery. It's broken - and only her last name remains, but look for the name Beeman. This is Mary Ellen Beeman (N32 05.863 W096 28.448), who was only 11 months old. I believe she's among those whose graves were moved from the original city cemetery which was located near the present-day United Methodist Church.
Just ahead, at N32 5.905 W096 28.441, is the Oakwood Cemetery Fountain. With luck, it will be turned on. Constructed circa 1908 (along with the nearby bridges) and lost for a time, it was excavated and reconstructed in the early 2000's.
There is a monument to the victims of the Powell area May 8, 1923 Hughes-McKie oil well explosion at N32 05.860 W096 28.484 if you follow this road straight and don't cross either bridge (to your right). If you're driving, be aware this road circles out of the cemetery, but will put you back fairly close to the 15th street entrance.
Continue across the main bridge. Abe Mulkey ( N32 05.948 W096 28.500) was a grocer before becoming a Methodist minister in 1885 and has to his credit 548 revivals, 16,444 sermons, and 54,084 conversions - and that was ten years before his death! Through his fundraising efforts, he paid off debts owed by many churches and also supported the Methodist orphanage in Waco. His motto was "Pray, Plan, Push and Persist."
At N32 05.929 W096 28.503 is the grave of Rufus Hardy, who was elected to United States House of Representatives and served from 1907-1923. Born in Mississippi, he moved to Corsicana in 1878. His wife, Felicia E. Peck, who is buried beside him, died only 17 days after his death.
Luther Johnson, (N32 05.915 W096 28.521), succeeded Rufus Hardy as State Representative and served in congress from 1923-1946. He also was a judge of the United States Tax Court for ten years, appointed by Harry S. Truman. His first job was selling apples on the streets of Corsicana!
Near here, at N32 05.929 W096 28.521 is a beautiful marker for Laura Corinne Sterne, wife of Morris. She was an actress with the Corsicana Amateur Theatrical Company, and died in 1888.
Just a little further, at N32 05.918 W096 28.541, is the grave of Colonel Albert Miller Lea, whose accomplishments are too many to list here. A friend of presidents and confidant of Sam Houston, he was a topographer for the government in the mid 1830's and is probably the first to use the name "Iowa". Albert Lea, Minnesota is named after him. One of the scouts for his unit was Daniel Boone's son, Captain Nathan Boone. From 1844-part of 1851, he was a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at what is now the University of Tennessee, and shortly after, he was briefly acting Secretary of War under President Millard Fillmore. During the Civil War, he served in the Texas Cavalry and was present at the Battle of Galveston on New year's Day, 1863 It was there that his son, Edward Lea, a Lt. Commander in the Union Navy, was wounded aboard the USRC Harriet Lane. Sadly, he died in his father's arms. Lea bought a farm in Corsicana in 1874, and was active in St. John's Episcopal church where there is a stained glass window bearing the name "Lea" in his honor.
Head to N32 05.933 W096 28.567 where you will find a historical marker dedicated to a Civil War veteran and State Legislator.
3. Which Texas town was named in his honor? (Interesting facts: The "R" in his name stands for Romulus. His wife, Mary, was the daughter of Col. Clinton McKamy Winkler, whose marker you probably saw earlier.)
A. Alma (C = 5)
B. Frost (C = 6)
C. Madisonville (C = 7)
D. Powell (C=8)
4. Next, find the historical marker at N32 05.886 W096 28.567. You can read about this brave man and the fascinating job he had during the Civil War. He was a --
A. Balloonist (D = 3)
B. Diver (D = 8)
C. Surgeon (D = 0)
D. Drummer (D = 1)
Very near here, at N32 05.885 W096 28.570, is the grave of Reverend John Wesley Talley (who happens to be the father-in-law of the man mentioned above), last of the old line of Georgia Methodist preachers. He firmly believed girls should have the same educational options as boys and was instrumental in establishing the Wesleyan Female College in Macon, GA.
5. You should be able to see another historical marker near here. It's at N32 05.881 W096 28.576 This man was one of only a few Confederate Naval personnel to receive the Confederate Medal of Honor. He is credited with the invention of what?
A. Naval mines (E =9 )
B. The Minie bullet (E = 6)
C. Telegraph (E = 7)
D. An underwater torpedo (E = 8)
George Taylor Jester, who rests at N32 05.905 W096 28.613, was born in Illinois. After the death of his father, his mother, who was the daughter of Hampton McKinney whose marker you saw earlier, packed up a covered wagon and moved with her six children to Corsicana. Young George Taylor Jester made fifty cents a day helping to build the Navarro County Courthouse. He was a successful businessman, banker, and later politician who served as Lt. Governor of Texas 1947-49. His son, Beauford H. Jester, we'll meet later.
From here, you might see a flag flying nearby. At N 3205.866 W096 28.622 lies the UDC Lot where a number of Civil War Veterans are buried. Also nearby is the lovely I.O.O.F. Widows and Orphans Home monument (N32 05.874 W096 28.631) along with a number of graves of those who lived there.
Roger Quarles Mills, Colonel in the 10th Texas Infantry, has a historical marker in nearby Pioneer Village (definitely worth checking out if you are interested in history, which you must be if you've made it this far!). He is buried at N32 05.871 W096 28.664.
Further down, you'll see General Wilburn Hill King's grave at N32 05.848 W096 28.683. He rose through the ranks in the Texas Infantry under General Edmund Kirby Smith and was wounded in several Civil War battles, notably the Battle of Wilson's Creek and the Battle of Mansfield. He was also a state Representative and Adjutant General of Texas in the late 1800's. He wrote "A History of the Texas Rangers" which was included in the 1898 book, "Comprehensive History of Texas" by Dudley G. Wooten.
Francis Marion (FM) Cheney Jr., a prominent businessman, land owner (Cheneyboro was owned by and named for him) and church member, was a man so loved and respected that people came from miles around and crowded into and around the church to witness his funeral. Schools and businesses were closed that day so all could pay their respects. He was well known for his charity work which included donating $5000 to the YMCA and helping widows and orphans. He is buried at N32 05.915 W096 28.521.
6. At N32 05.891 W096 28.700 you'll find another historical marker. This lady is known as the Mother of _______. Her motto was "For God and Country."
A. Good Counsel (F = (7)
B. the Year (F = 8)
C. Confederate Reunions (F = 6)
D. Dragons (sorry, couldn't help myself...hint: it's not this one!) (F = 0)
7. You're almost to the next stop! At N32 05.893 W096 28.709, you'll find a small flat headstone marking a grave of a woman who died in 1929 in a very unusual manner. Was she -
A. Mauled by bear (G = 0)
B. Killed by circus elephant (G = 6)
C. Struck by lightning (G = 2)
D. Run over by trolley (G = 3)
Not long now! Don't give up! Walk or drive to the next paved left and find the grave of Lucy(Ann) Cheney Sandwich at N32 05.912 W096 28.867. She was the sister of the above mentioned Francis Marion Cheney, and was a local artist who owned a china shop in Corsicana. Her name "Sandwich" on the back usually identifies her work.
At N32 05.946 W096 28.857, there is a nice area where a number of Veterans of WWI and WW2 are buried.
Don't miss the tall monument to the 36th Governor of Texas (1947-49), Beauford Halbert Jester, at N32 05.990 W096 28.887. During WWI he earned the rank of Captain, and later entered law and politics. In office he was most known for his work reforming education and prisons. The park next to this cemetery is named in his honor!
8. And finally - last question - At N32 05.981 W096 28.897 you'll find a large Texas granite marker with a plaque dedicating this area to a lady who was a nature lover, president of the Ladies' Cemetery Association and whose special project was the beautification of Oakwood Cemetery. What year was this grove established?
A. 1950 (H = 7)
B. 1952 (H = 3)
C. 1954 (H = 4)
D. 1956 (H = 5)
If you're interested in visiting her grave later, it's toward the middle of the cemetery, across the street from the Talley/Morse graves, at N32 05.873 W096 28.557.
Well done - you've got your information, now go find the cache! Good luck, and I hope you enjoyed the tour and that it made these people and their stories come alive for you. Originally the final was located in this grove, but I moved it due to it being taken multiple times. Its new location is near our family members who are buried here.
All information is from historical markers, headstones, Findagrave.com, Wikipedia, txnavarr.genealogyvillage.com, Tennessee Encyclopedia and TSHA Online. If anyone finds any errors, please contact me and I'll correct it! Also, if anyone knows of anyone I've unintentionally overlooked, let me know and I will be happy to add them. I know there is at least one I've missed, Aaron Allston (author of numerous Star Wars novels), whose grave I've not been able to locate despite many hours walking and looking. If you find his grave, let me know so I can include it, please!
Special thanks to Dana Stubbs for her help and comprehensive list of important figures buried here, John Shelton for the location of some of the graves and to Martha (the other half of CrochetCelyandMartha) for tirelessly locating and documenting coordinates with me!