Castile/Texada Cemetery, Rapides Parish Louisiana Submitted by Jane Parker McManus ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From MacArthur Drive in Alexandria, turn onto Bayou Rapides Rd. and go 13.3 miles. Continue past an old, weathered 2-story house on the left inside a very sharp curve and go approximately .5 miles farther, and turn left. Cross over a large drainage ditch, go through the open gate / cattle guard (in a field) for approximately .5 mile. Bear to the right out of the field, drive through another gate at this point, and continue along the bayou bank for another .5 miles. Cross a small bridge over Bayou Rapides, and cemetery can be seen just ahead on a small rise. The setting is beautiful; at one time, the plantation home Castile owned by the Texadas was located near the cemetery. Today cattle graze in the surrounding pasture, but the cemetery and several adjoining acres are contained within a wire fence. The cemetery itself has a beautiful iron fence with "Texada" on the iron gate on and the concrete entrance walkway. Japonicas, azaleas, camellias, and other large hedges are scattered throughout the small cemetery, along with several very large crepe myrtle trees that are completely draped with Spanish moss. The cemetery has been recently enlarged and the iron fence extended at the back for future burials. This family cemetery is kept immaculately clean, as is the area surrounding the burial ground. Tombstone inscriptions were recorded in rows, left to right, from just inside the front gate by Mary Parker Partain on 9 October 1996 and submitted by Jane P. McManus 30 May 30, 2001. Row 1: Watson, Annie Texada - 4 Mar 1889 / 3 Jan 1967 Watson, Edgar Marion - 4 Oct 1880 / 17 Feb 1957 [Above 2 stones are identical] Watson, Blanche Elizabeth - 23 Nov 1910 / 13 Dec 1931 Taylor, Maud Texada - 12 Mar 1882 / 7 Aug 1929 Taylor, Blanche Texada - 26 Apr 1908 / 25 Feb 1911 [Infant slab - no inscription] Haworth, Dorothy Blanche - 17 Sep 1910 / 22 Apr 1911 Texada, George Préot - Loaned 14 Dec 1880 / Recalled 11 Jan 1882 Texada, Lewis Manuel - 3 Jun 1853 / 26 Jan 1938 [s/o Lewis E. Texada & Pleasance Hunter] Texada, Blanche Preot - 13 Feb 1858 / 18 Oct 1940 Prof. Armand Preot of Lyle France (b. 1820) who came to America in 1831, married 1839 to Elizabeth Hammett (b. 1830) of Petersburg VA] Texada, Arnetto Preot - 29 May 1886 / 23 Aug 1949 [above 3 stones are identical] Row 2: [right to left] Texada, John A. - 23 Jul 1857 / 6 May 1943 Dad Texada, Annie Preot, wife of John A. Texada - 12 Dec 1859 / 30 Apr 1936 Mother [d/o Prof. Armand Preot & Elizabeth Hammett] [Double Stone] - [married 23 July 1880, Bay St. Louis MS] Texada, Pleasance Lucy - 7 Jan 1889 / 1 Mar 1889 Daughter of Jno. A. & Annie P. Texada Texada, Pleasance Hunter - 16 Apr 1831 / 23 Sep 1913 [Hunter-Texada on tombstone] [d/o Pleasant Henderson Hunter & Martha Kitchens] Texada, Lewis E. - 2 Aug 1819 / 23 Aug 1884 [Masonic Emblem] H/o Pleasance Hunter] Texada, H. W.[Henry Watkins] Allen - 29 Apr 1859 / 16 Oct 1874 [s/o Lewis E. Texada & Pleasance Hunter] M.J.T.[Margaret Josephine Texada] [child's concrete slab with initials] E.T.[Edward Tullis] [Infant concrete slab - Initials only] [s/o Edward Tullis & Maggie Texada] Row 3: [left to right] Texada, Nannie Maher Fahy, wife of Smith Gordon Texada - died 29 Jul 1948 Texada, Smith Gordon - 8 Apr 1873 / 9 Oct 1937 [s/o Thomas J. Texada & Martha Jane Gordon] [Identical stones inside border] Texada, Martha J.[Jane] - 10 Oct 1837 / 17 Feb 1910 Mother [d/o Smith W. Gordon & Elizabeth M. ?] Texada, T.[Thomas] J. - 12 Oct 1835 / 17 Mar 1873 Father [large single stone & border] Texada, Smith & Margaret - 1898 - 1899 and Texada, Tom & Cappy - 1899 - 1900 [single stone with concrete border] Texada, Fannie Gordon - 16 Mar 1881 / 30 Oct 1881 Texada, Taylor Hunter - 9 Feb 1884 / 1 Feb 1897 Texada, Willie Frank - 18 Jun 1855 / 17 Jan 1924 Papa [s/o Lewis E. Texada & Pleasance Hunter] Texada, Kate Melissa [TEXADA]- 13 May 1863 / 10 Feb 1924 Mama [Double stone with border around burials] James, Willie Frank Texada - 29 Jan 1891 / 21 Jan 1961 Wife of Trenton L. James James, Trenton LeRoi - 6 Sep 1890 / 10 Aug 1973 [above 2 burials have identical stones] Hunter, Albert Eugene - 18 Sep 1881 / 5 Apr 1950 Hunter, Maggie Gordon Texada - 10 Feb 1888 / 27 Jan 1979 Wife of Albert E. Hunter [above 2 burials have identical stones & border] [Infant burial with curb, beside above hunter burial - no information] Row 4: [right to left] Hunter, Elizabeth Andrews - 16 Feb 1919 / 16 Dec 1991 [above burial has identical stone & border, see Hunter burials above] Riffle, Kate Martha Texada - 24 Jan 1896 / 31 Jan 1990 Riffle, Charles Benjamin - 8 Apr 1898 / 6 Dec 1988 [above 2 burials have identical stones & border] Dunnam, Loulie Texada - 17 May 1894 / 6 Aug 1969 Wife of John McIntosh Dunnam Dunnam, John McIntosh - 24 Mar 1891 / 9 Mar 1969 [above 2 burials have identical stones & border] Clanton, James - died in the parish of Rapides 1842, 52 years [oldest marked burial in this cemetery] Priest, Gratia Anita Texada, wife of Guy Lafayette Priest - died 2 Jul 1960 [above burial in corner of cemetery]