On this date in the year 1900 little two-month-old Emil Seelke died, presumably somewhere in Milam County, Texas . . . he is memorialized with an aged tombstone in the Murray Cemetery . . . his tombstone is located next to the tombstone of his father in Section A Row 10 . . .
One hundred years ago today . . . on the 29th day of September . . . in the year 1914 . . . little Ida Watkins was laid to rest in the Murray Cemetery in Milam County, Texas . . . she died of diptheria . . . and her forlorn tombstone stands in Section C Row 4 Plot 26 . . . according to the death certificate of her father, he is also buried in this cemetery, but in an unmarked grave . . .
Ollie Mae Luckey of Hearne, Texas, at the age of 89, died at her home September 25, 1988.
Mae (as she was called) was born in Hare, Williamson County, Texas on June 29, 1899.
She was a daughter of John Lee Dungan and Emma Cude, with twelve brothers and sisters. She was preceded in death by her parents; three husbands, Harley O. Heilman, Frank Frazier, and Arthur Luckey; a daughter, Jesse Mae Stephens and a son, Virgil R. Heilman. Mae was laid to rest with graveside services on September 27th in Murray Cemetery near Rockdale, Texas with Heartfield Funeral Home of Hearne, Texas in charge.
Frank Laird, age about 28, of Tracy, died on Thursday of last week from black jaundice. He was only sick four days. He leaves a wife and three children. . . . Frank Laird died after a brief illness at his home September 22nd [sic] with black jaundice, he was buried in the Murry school house cemetery. . . . Rockdale Messenger, October 7, 1904
Grandpa Hargrove died suddenly at Rockdale Monday at the home of his daughter Mrs. Simms. He was 81 years old and an Alabamian. Cameron Herald, September 20, 1906
Special Telegram to The Express. ROCKDALE, Texas, Sept. 17. - J.A. Hargrove, aged 79 years, died this morning at 9 o’clock at the residence of his daughter Mrs. E.G. Simms. While walking in the yard he suddenly fell down and after being carried into the house expired in a few minutes. He was a very old resident of Rockdale, and a admirable Christian gentleman. Funeral will take place at Murray school house. The Daily Express, San Antonio, Texas, September 18, 1906
According to a tombstone placed in the Murray Cemetery in Milam County, Texas, Robert Lee Dunnam died on the 17th day of September in the year 1918 . . . his grave marker is set in a family plot alongside the markers for his parents . . . as of today, no further information is known about him . . .
On this date . . . the 17th day of September . . . in the year 1909 . . . Elizabeth Fergerson nee Jones dies somewhere in Texas . . . she was born in Mississippi, but was living in Milam County, Texas by 1860 . . . by 1870, she is a widow, and shows up on census records in Milam County in 1870 and 1880 . . . in 1900, she is enumerated with a son in Burleson County, Texas . . . Elizabeth was laid to rest in a family plot in the Murray Cemetery in Milam County . . .
The original of this edited photo was shared with Epitaphist by a descendant of Elizabeth . . . it was received in September of 2013 as a PDF file . . . this edited JPG image was created from that file . . .
On the 16th day of September . . . in the year 1909 . . . a baby boy is born in the Bethlehem community to Edgar and Berta Mary (Sharp) Henry . . . that baby dies the same day . . . and is laid to rest near his paternal grandmother in the Murray Cemetery . . .
On the 15th day of September in the year 1926, one-year-old Ruby Osborn is laid to rest in the Murray Cemetery in Milam County, Texas . . . her burial location is unknown . . . little Ruby had died of dysentery in Rockdale on the 14th . . . and was survived by her parents and a number of siblings . . .
Rockdale, Tex., Sept. 21. -- The funeral of O.L. Moody, who was stricken with heart failure while transacting business in the office of Justice of the Peace Edward Gunn last Friday, was held Sunday afternoon at 5 o'clock from his home north of Rockdale, Rev. W.E. Copeland officiating. The remains were laid to rest in the Murray community cemetery, near the Moody home, many from the town and county being in attendance. he was born in Allegan County, Michigan, July 4, 1842. He enlisted in the army during the Civil War in April, 1861, and after three years of service was mustered out at Detroit. He went to Michigan City, Ind., where he was married on January 9, 1866, to Louise Kuhn. They came to Milam County thirty-eight years ago, settling on the farm on which he lived and died. He was a member of the Baptist Church for thirty-four years. Mr. Moody was the father of eight children, seven of whom survive: Albert S. Moody, Oren Moody of Rosebud, W.N. Moody of Minerva, Harry H. Moody of the United States Navy, Mrs. George Banzhaf, Route 3, Rockdale; Mrs. Lottie Jacob, Houston; Mrs. W.A. Saunders, Dallas, and Mrs. R.W. Mackey, San Antonio. His widow, sixteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren survive also. San Antonio Express, September 22, 1919
On the 15th day of September in the year 1910, Albert S. Moody was laid to rest in the Murray Cemetery in Milam County, Texas . . . his memorial marker is located in a curbed family plot, and near the tombstone of his parents . . . his mother survived him, as well as a number of siblings . . .
On this date . . . the 12th day of September . . . in the year 1920 . . . six-year-old Beatris Murphy is laid to rest in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery [i.e., Murray Cemetery] in Milam County, Texas . . . she died of typhoid on the 11th day of September in Rockdale . . . she is survived by her parents, Thomas and Zulda (Gray) Murphy, and several siblings . . .
According to one of the tombstones still standing in the Murray Cemetery, James H. Trueblood died on the 10th day of September in the year 1896 . . . but the following news item from an October edition of The Galveston Daily News would seem to indicate that he actually died on the 10th day of October in 1896 . . .
Rockdale, Tex., Oct. 10. -- While Oliver and Jim Trueblood were hauling a load of cotton out of their field this morning Jim was run over by the wagon and killed. After hitching their teams to the wagon both men put their shoulders to the wheels to help the team start, expecting to mount themselves while the wagon was in motion. Oliver succeeded, but Jim, while attempting to mount, lost his footing and fell under the wheel, which passed over his breast, causing almost instant death. Both men were farmers and lived on the San Gabriel river six miles north of Rockdale. The Galveston Daily News, October 12, 1896
On this date . . . the 8th day of September . . . in the year 1936 . . . Sam Fergeson is laid to rest in the Murray Cemetery in Milam County, Texas . . . his Texas Certificate of Death was signed by Dr. T.S. Barkley of Rockdale . . . the following obituary was said to have been published in a local but unidentified newspaper . . .
"Samuel Washington Fergeson was born in Tyler County, Texas December 27, 1850. At the age of 4 or 5 years he moved with his parents to Washington County, Texas. His father died [11 March 1863, location unknown] when Samuel was about 12 years old. He moved [before 1860] with his mother [and father], four brothers, and a sister to Milam County, Texas. He was married to Elizabeth Holder at the age of 25 years and to this union were born three sons. He is survived by two sons, John and Dan of Rockdale; five [?] grandchildren, Mrs. Bernice Hurley and Sam Houston Fergeson of Rockdale; and one great grandchild, Idella Mae Fergeson of Lubbock; one brother, J.F. of Rockdale [and a sister]; and several nieces and nephews. His wife died June 3, 1932. He was a native born Texan and proud of the fact that he was never out of Texas."
Following an illness of long duration, Thomas Evan Murphy, 59, died at his home in Deanville Tuesday morning. Funeral services, under the direction of Phillips-Luckey, were held Wednesday afternoon at the Murray cemetery near Rockdale, with the pastor of the Rockdale Baptist church officiating.
The deceased was born in Mississippi, where he lived until 1919, when he moved to Milam county. He had been a resident of Deanville eight years.
Survivors include his widow; two daughters, Mrs. Milton Brandstetter of Sharp and Mrs. Oden Dockall of Rockdale; four sons, Paul Murphy of Deanville, Clyde Murphy of Rosenberg, Homer Murphy of Brenham, and Clarence Murphy of Corpus Christi.
The Caldwell News and The Burleson County Ledger (Caldwell, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 9, Ed. 1 Friday, September 5, 1941
Alton Baggett died at the Scott and White Hospital, Temple at 3 p.m. Wednesday, September 1, 1954. He had been a patient at the hospital a few weeks ago but had returned to his home. He was taken back to the Temple hospital Tuesday where he died twenty-four hours later.
Mr. Baggett was born in the Tracy Community, October 2, 1905 and was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Walter Baggett who were prominent residents in that community. He was a nephew of Mrs. J.A. Laird and Miss Cora Baggett of Cameron. Mr. Baggett graduated from high school in Cameron and was an outstanding athlete on both the football and track teams. He attended the University of Texas and worked a number of years in Houston and Waco for the Anderson-Clayton Company. He had made his home in the community where he was born for the past ten years and had been employed with H.H. Coffield in Rockdale for several years.
Mr. Baggett was a large land owner in the Tracy community and had engaged in farming and ranching extensively for the past eight years. He was well known over the entire county and had many friends in Cameron.
Survivors include one brother, Elmo Baggett of Lubbock, one sister, Mrs. Cy Carroll of Philadelphia, Pa., one niece, Miss Nancy Baggett of Lubbock.
Funeral Services were scheduled from the St. John's Methodist Church, Rockdale, at 10 a.m. Friday, September 3, 1954 . . . Earl S. Yokley, pastor, assisted by Dr. Magers, pastor, First Methodist Church Cameron.
Interment in the Murray Cemetery with Phillips and Luckey Funeral Home directing arrangements. Cameron Herald, September 9, 1954
