Round Hill Cemetery - Dallas Co, Arkansas *********************************************************** Submitted by: Round Hill Cemetery Association Date: Oct 1999 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************** PREFACE (Permission was given from the Round Hill Cemetery Association in October. to let us go online with this.) October, 1999 We, the present Council Members, took up the challenge of the previous Cemetery Committee and produced the second edition of the Round Hill Cemetery Association History and Records. These records contains the names of all the deceased buried in Round Hill Cemetery. Also included is information regarding the spouses, parents, siblings, and Military service, when known. Pictures and other information of the older generations who lived in the Round Hill Community have been added in the hope that they will be of interest and possibly useful in genealogical research. No doubt there will be mistakes, so let us know so they can be corrected. Recognition and thanks are due Mr & Mrs. Henry (Louise) Hudson, Mr. Charles H. Hudson, and Mr & Mrs. William M. (Lera) Voss for an exceptional job in caring for the church and cemetery grounds. The present caretaker is Mr. Holt. To the Council Members who have served in years past, a great big thanks for a job well done. We wanted to list each individual; however, records are incomplete and to keep from leaving someone out, decided against it. You know who you are, so take a bow. Everyone is, or should be, very appreciative of your support of the Cemetery Association over the years. To everyone who so willingly furnished pictures, we give thanks and credit: Mrs. Jessie (Annie) Fite, Mrs. Clyde (Velma) Yarnold, Mrs. Travis (Ellen) Voss, Mrs. William M. (Lera) Voss, Mrs. Benny (Janie) Hardage, Mrs. Tony (Kate Marie) Nix, Mrs. Drexel (Lucille) Sanders, Mrs. Don (Barbara) Baker, Mr. George Clinton Green, Mrs. Herman (Ruby Dell) Ethridge, and Mrs. Allen (Ila Rhea) Hankins. Last, but not least, a very special thanks goes to Mr. Lawrence A. Hankins and Mrs. Robin Beavers Christensen, who in their spare time edited and printed this edition as a donation to the Round Hill Cemetery Association. We now pass the challenge to the next generation to keep the Association alive and the records updated for the preservation of history. We, the old-timers who were born and reared in this community, have many fond memories of Round Hill. Dedications (Permission was given by the Round Hill Cemetery Association in October to go online with this). This edition is dedicated to the ten women who had the foresight and determination to preserve the old church and cemetery namely: Mrs. Carl (Cecil) Voss Mrs. William E. (Lura) Voss Mrs. Homer (Velma) Fite Mrs. Henry (Emma) Lawrence Mrs. James A. (Roxie) Voss Mrs. Ed (Leila) Eason Mrs. Curtis (Arene) Chandler Mrs. Dean Mrs. Joseph (Mattie) Barnes Mrs. Jeff (Maude) Fite. The History of Round Hill (Permission was given by the Round Hill Cemetery Association at the October 1999 meeting for this information to be put online.) Transcription is being done by Tim Kirkham On March 22, 1878, the Round Hill Post Office was established and its first Postmaster, M.C. O'Neal appointed. O'Neal serves in this capacity until November 22, 1880 at which time James M. Lee, the second and last Postmaster was appointed. Lee remained Postmaster until December 6, 1881 at which time the Round Hill Post Office closed. The railroad had been completed and the Post Office was moved to Willow, A little town on the path of the railroad. In 1883, The Round Hill Church was organized with M.C. O'Neal and George W. Killmer acting as deacons. The church was later erected in 1885 with lumber furnished by M.C. O'Neal and cut at a local sawmill. This building also served as the Round Hill School. The Cemetery was established in 1887 with the burial Etta O'Neal, daughter of M.C. and Ann O'Neal. Although the church building had been built, there was no deed for the land. On October 27, 1890 a deed for one acre of land was presented to the Round Hill Church by Fields Burch and his wife, Lucy M. Burch, for the sum of five dollars. In 1940, ten women of the Round Hill community, determined to do something about the old church building which was in bad state of disrepair, organized The Round Hill Home Demonstation Club. They began raising money in every way possible to repair the old church building and for new posts and wire to replace the fence around the cemetery. They sponsored work days with dinner on the grounds along with many other activities. In October 1940, the hand riven boards were replaced with galvanized roofing and the roof was lowered. The same laths that held the board roof now hold the metal roof. Some of the windows were repaired and some were replaced. The doors were replaced and wooden steps were built. A few years later, the old floor, which consisted of twelve to sixteen inch wide rough lumber of all thicknesses and with cracks as much as an inch wide and worn smooth with long years of service, was replaced with pine flooring. Still later on, the weatherboard siding was removed and replaced, making a flat wall surface for asbestos shingles to be installed. New windows were also put in at this time. Later, the two single door at the front were replaced with new double doors in the center front of the building. The large cement steps were built on the front and inside and outside of the building was repaired and painted. Most of the repair work done during these years was financed through the Women's Home Demonstration Club (now known as the Homemakers Extension Club) as there was no active church organization. Along with their fund raising, the Round Hill Home Demonstration Club hosted various recreation events for the young and old alike which led to the plan for a community Recreation Center. In 1950, Mrs. Josie Medlin deeded one acre of land for this project. The citizens of the community donated labor, materials, and funds which brought about close fellowship among them, and construction of the building soon began. During the Christmas holidays, when it was almost completed, fire consumed the building. Not long after the fire, another building was constructed with the same plans as the first. Years later, termites destroyed the foundation. The Round Hill Hunting Club, which had rented the building during hunting season for several years, built the metal building with a cement floor that stands today. It is now used as the Round Hill Community Center and Hunting Club. Those citizens interested in the cemetery recognized the need for a cemetery association. On April 25, 1974, The Round Hill Cemetery Association was organized to preserve the church building, grounds, and it's history. This organization is a true non-profit organization financed entirely by voluntary contributions plus interest from investment of contributions. All contributions to the Association are tax deductible. The Association has an approved constitution and by-laws and is governed by a five member council whose volunteer members serve two-year terms. The Council officers and members are nominated and elected by the general membership. The tenure of the officers and members is staggered to provide overlap and continuity of the governing body. Since it's inception, the Association has been dedicated to preserving the old church building and to enlarge the cemetery for future use. It had been known for sometime that part of the existing cemetery was situated on land not owned by the Association. The Association knew there was a need for deeds to these lands. One section of land, adjoining the original acre to the north, was owed by Charles G. Clark and his wife, Mary Ella Clark, adjoined the original acre to the west and east. On August 6,1975, International Paper Company, for the sum often dollars, gave a deed for .92 acres to the Association. On September 19,1975, the Clarks, for the sum of ten dollars, gave a deed to the Association for 1.8 acres of land which also included land for future expansion. With the addition of these lands, the Round Hill Cemetery Association now owns 3.72 acres. In addition to securing the property for the cemetery, the Association is responsible for the following repairs and additions to the church building: a new floor; paint inside and out; added butane heat; restored electric service; added twelve folding chairs and song books; installed steps at the side entrance of the church; repaired and painted the benches, which are believed to be original to the church; trimmed trees; added two outdoor toilets; added a twelve foot access gate at the north end of the cemetery: had the piano tuned and installed a damp chaser: constructed and painted picnic tables (which later rotted and were reconstructed and covered with fiberglass); and two entrance gates were installed, one at the south end, next to country road, and the other near the southeastern corner. This entrance has brick posts with a placard embedded as a memorial to Carl and Cecil Posey Voss. More recently, in the fall of 1996, the inside of the church was repaired and painted. On May 8,1999, a 30" x 50" picture of the Last Supper was given to the church and placed on the wall behind the lectern by the Lawrence family as a memorial to their parents, Henry James and Emily Elizabeth (Emma) Green Lawrence. The Cemetery Association now pays for year-round upkeep of the cemetery and church grounds. No active church has been in the community for the past 25 years, but the grounds are very well kept.