SOUTH FORK Cemetery


Blackwater Township - Section 27. About 1/2 mile east of 127 on the south side of South Fork Road, probably about 3 miles south of Sweet Springs (in Saline County). The cemetery is currently attended. Fenced. Limited burials, basically inactive. TYPE: pre Civil War rural family, became a Baptist church cemetery, then private after church destroyed. Expanded from original 1847 plat of 40 X 60 feet. [Can't tell how/where this plat is today.]

To add to the readings below, record in afternoon sunlight and take a nylon bristle scrub brush for the moss. In summer, lots of poison ivy. We have about 85 names below, which puts us at 1/3rd of this cemetery's readable markers (given the right light & time of year). I paced it off, but scribbled the dimensions on a piece of paper in the rain that I subsequenty lost...a guess would be 50 yards by 30 yards.

Clay Parsons writes, "I am on the board for this cemetery and have had it cleared of brush this year (2006/7). This cemetery was built by a man named Spurgeon in 1847 who wrote, 'I have just made a burial ground 40 by 60 feet.' This cemetery is built on the original prairie, and the tall grass east of the chain link fence contains big blue stem and Indian grass. The sharp drop off 3 to 4 feet around all sides of the cemetery shows how much top soil has been lost in farming. The current road by the cemetery was built in 1920s when a bridge was put across South Fork. There are foundation stones of the Primitive Baptist Church visible 150 feet north of the chain link fence."

Up-dates Apr 23 & June 4, 2004, by George C. Willick. All rights reserved.

Listings without spaces are on one marker.

Anderson, John S.; Sept 3, 1820 - ___(no data)
Anderson, Mary A., wife of J. S.; Jun 15, 1824 - May 28, 1885
Anderson, Frank M.; Mar 4, 1861 - Oct 19, 1886

Ayres, Eliza C., wife of James H.; d Mar 15, 1880 - 35y, 2m, & 9d

Bell, Phebe, wife of H. C.; Apr 18, 1841 - Nov 26, 1892

Berry, Lawson F.; Aug 2, 1853 - Sept 2, 1907

Blank, Charles W.; 1891 - 1968

Blank, Charles William; Mar 13, 1914 - May 15, 1993

Blank, Margaret W.; 1897 - 1981

Bobbitt, Dexter; 1870 - 1960
Bobbitt, Cartie; 1883 - 1952

Bright, George R. 1858 - 1937
Bright, Sarah A.; 1860 - 1938

Bright, Robert L.; 1881 - 1959

Brown, Dr. J. A. C.; died Dec 7, 1888 - aged 54y [masonic emblem]

Brown, Mattie, wife of J. A. C.; died Oct 2, 1893 - aged 54y

Crews, Ella Cooper, wife of L. L., Apr 6, 1861 - Oct 30, 1894

Daniel, Carrie L.; Apr 13, 1871 - Apr 24, 1969

Daniel, Diane E.; Oct 10, 1941 -June 11, 1976

Daniel, Hannah, wife of W.; Sept 15, 1801 - __(stone broken at this point)

Davidson, Lillie M., dau of S. & J.; b&d Jan 20, 1880

Dennis, Loretta, wife of G.(?) A.; d Dec 24, 1878 - 24y, 8m, & 25d

Duck, Lulu J., wife of W. L., dau of W. C. & E. D. Riley
June 21, 1861 - Sept 20, 1890 - aged 29y & 3m

Folkerth, Charles; Oct 23, 1867 - Oct 18, 1877

Folkerth, Harvey; Oct 2, 1830 - July 19, 1878
Folkerth, Elizabeth; June 20, 1837 - Feb 20, 1889

Folkerth, Rosa Lee; Dec 26, 1874 - Jan 22, 1958

Franklin, Ralph Earl; June 24, 1920 - Dec 24, 1987; [+mil] AD2, US Navy, WWII
Franklin, Betty Jo Williams; July 1, 1924 - ___(no data) [married 5/24/45]

Gallagher, Nancy A., wife of P.B.; d Jan 10, 1862 - 25(?)y, 11m,__(broken at this point)

Gray, Alex H.; died Dec 26, 1912 - aged 54y [IOOF emblem]

Guinn, Bettie, dau of Bartholomew & Margaret; d Apr 13, 1883 - aged 18y, 5m, & 1d Photo

Gwinn, Bartholomew; 1832 - 1912

Gwinn, Margaret; 1888 - 1912

Idol, Ransom H.; Dec 10, 1832 - Jan 17, 1901

Jones, James A.; Nov 23, 1848 - July 8, 1905

Lamm, George H.; Oct 30, 1921 - ___(no data)
Lamm, Virginia L.; Aug 24, 1926 - Nov 21, 1996

Lane, Melvin Leroy; May 11, 1918 - ___(no data)
Lane, Mary Lou Daniel; Aug 24, 1908 - July 23, 2001 [married 5/29/43]

Miller, Eliza; July 11, 1824 - June 23, 1911

Miller, Everett C.; Feb 15, 1861 - Feb 12, 1914

Miller, Sidney M.; 1852 - 1901
Miller, Laura; Oct 12, 1855 - Aug 21, 1910

Myers, Clement E., son of J. & E. W.; June 7, 1867 - Aug 15, 1899

Myers, Joseph; July 4, 1819 - Nov 8, 1898
Myers, Eleanor W.; Feb 24, 1827 - Mar 16, 1881

Payne, John; Jan 7, 1807 - May 3/8, 1884 - aged 7_y, 2m, & 25d (error, math doesn't work)

Payne, Junieus C.; Mar 28, 1848 - Sept 5, 1903

Pitman, George T.; d June 30, 1877 - aged 32y, 5m, & 8d

Ray, Rosamond F. Lond, wife of J. W.; May 17, 1852 - Feb 22, 1909

Ray, Sarah Estelle, dau of J. W. & Rosa F.; d Sept 16, 1899 - 8y, 11m, & 16d

Ray, William Claud, infant son of J. W. & Rosa F.; d July 5, 1887 - 8m & 21d

Reavis, Angeline; Nov (?) 28, 1864 - June 18 (?), 1885

Roberts, Lecy; Feb 3, 1817 - Aug 3, 1883 - aged 66y & 6m

Robinson, Marie N.; d Nov 17, 1879 - aged 16y, 3m, and 12d (marker down)

Sleeper, George L.; Aug 15, 1878 - July 25, 1954

Smith, Alvius; 1843 - 1905
Smith, Marinda; 1855 - 1903

Smith, Byron Duncan, Apr 4, 1898 - May 16, 1959; Ill, Pvt, Stu Army Tng Corps, WWI

Smith, Ida E., dau of Wm. M. & M Vickrey, wife of Charles O.;
Feb 14, 1871 - Dec 15, 1894 - aged 23y, 10m, & 1d

Smith, infant son of Eli & S.; June 15, 1882 - July 7, 1882

Smith, Sylvia Williams, wife of Byron; 1894 - 1980

Spratt, W. A. (need sunshine to read)

Spurgin, Joseph; Nov 14, 1825 - Aug 24, 1900
Spurgin, Mary A.; Feb 24, 1836 - Mar 8, 1882
Spurgin, Samuel; 1862 - 1907 (on back of marker)

Spurgin, Orleana C.; Apr 16, 1848 - Aug 29, 1883

Spurgin, Solomon; Oct 10, 1822 - Feb 5, 1907
Spurgin, Eliza M. Haynes, wife of Solomon; July 5, 1825 - Apr 2, 1896

Vickrey, Mary J., wife of Wm. M.; Jan 25, 1850 - May 26, 1903

Vickrey, Wm. M.; 1830 - 1917

Waddle, B. C., dau of C. & A. E. (then this figure) LL D: III6I [hand carved stone]

Wakelin, Harold G.; Dec 16, 1923 - May 23, 1989
Wakelin, M. Jeanette; Mar 1, 1929 - June 30, 1986

Williams, Caroline C., wife of D. L.; Dec 12, 1832 - Feb 6, 1854

Williams, Demps Brown; Sept 8 1903 - July 7, 1969

Williams, E. Hampton; July 31, 1899 - Mar 6, 1965; Mo, PFC, Co B, 140 INF, WWI

Williams, Flavius S.; Nov 7, 1863 - June 1, 1945
Williams, Cora B.; Nov 19, 1865 - Sept 12, 1913

Williams, J. L.; d Mar 7, 1876 - aged 28y, 2m, & 19d (marker down)

Williams, Larkin F.; Nov 14, 1830 - Nov 6, 1903
Williams, Elizabeth, his wife; Dec 5, 1833 - Jan 20, 1905

Williams, Lois Annetta, wife of E. Hampton; Aug 20, 1910 - Feb 1, 1974

Williams, Marguerite Elliott; Dec 25, 1905 - Apr 25, 1999