RATTLESNAKE SPRINGS Cemetery Records, Eddy County, New Mexico USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Submitted By: Richard Wilkinson jrrrr@zianet.com ************************************************************ EDDY COUNTY, NEW MEXICO RATTLESNAKE SPRINGS CEMETERY RECORDS Records extracted by Richard Wilkinson Typing by Richard Wilkinson July 2000 Submittal by Richard Wilkinson July 2000 This cemetery is small but well cared for. I do not know the history behind this cemetery. It is located at GPS coordinates 32 deg 06 min 29 sec North and 104 deg 27 min 35 sec West. The margin of error for these coordinates is 32 feet. There is no way you can miss it if you are within 32 feet of it. To drive to it from Carlsbad, NM, begin at the south city limits on Highway 62/180 (National Parks Highway) and go south towards El Paso, TX for 17.6 miles. Turn right on the Washington Ranch Road and continue for 1.5 miles. You will come to a split in the roadway, stay to the left and continue for another 7/10 miles. Here you will be at another split in the roadway and a volunteer fire station. Turn right and the cemetery will be on the left at about 100 yards or less. It is enclosed with chain link but the gate is not locked. There appears to be 16 graves here. Ten of these graves are marked but have no name. The other 6 are marked with some kind of red sand stone with carvings in them. It will not be much longer that the carvings will not be legible any longer. I am greatful for the following information from Mary McGuire, relative of the Welch family buried in this cemetery. E-mail: mmcguire@cavemen.net "The following is excerpts from info I have recently received on the Welch family. May help to identify some of the graves there." "...across the field, south, up in the cat claws, a grave or two had been made. One was Uncle Henry, who had drowned in the Black River, a few hundred yards away, and an old Dutchman, who had been murdered up in the mountains, named "Dutch Fred". In January, 1886, they added Grandpa's grave. He had died of typhoid fever. In 1892, Anna and Frances' graves were added. In 1893, little Laura joined them. In 1906, Uncle Daniel Webster was killed in Montana in a wagon accident. They shipped him back. That made six Welch graves in a row...." (Some death dates were corrected, JWJ) 14 Sep 1927 So ends the family's right to the property, except for the ties to the six members buried on the small plot of cemetery land. Angeline was concerned that the cemetery be preserved. She made an Affidaavit in Spokane, Washington, stating, in effect, that she had been assured by D.H. Lucas and Jake Owens (clerk of the County of Eddy New Mexico) that no special provision in the deed needed to be made to preserve the cemetery. Later, when D.H. Lucas subsequently transferred the title to William Washington, she was again assured by Mr. Washington, in the presence of Ida Harrison of Black River on Rattle Snake Springs, Eddy County, New Mexico, that said cemetery and the land around belonged to her, Angeline Rebecca Welch, about one acre in area, more or less." The following was sent to me by e-mail on March 23, 2001 by Sharon Welch, another decendent of this WELCH family: I have some history for you regarding Rattlesnake Springs Cemetery south of Carlsbad. This little cemetery is filled with members of the James Henry Welch family. James Henry Welch was the son of John George & Celicia Elizabeth (Sandifer) Welch who migrated from Mississippi through Arkansas and settled in the Edward, Real, and Kerr Co., Texas areas. James Henry Welch was a Baptist minister. James Henry Welch married Angeline Rebecca Nelson on 6 September 1866 in Gillispie Co., Texas. Angeline was the daughter of Hiram & Mary Anna "Polly" (Roundtree) Nelson who migrated to Texas from North Carolina. Ten children were born to James & Angeline; James Henry, Jr., Celicia Elizabeth, Joseph Hiram, Daniel Webster, Matilda Anna, Sarah Frances, Wiley Hamilton Franklin, John Thomas, James William and Laura Rebecca. James Henry & Angeline Rebecca (Nelson) Welch moved to the territory of New Mexico where the grass was said to be "belly height to a horse". Their journey started from the Nueces River Canyon area (Edwards County, now Real County). They followed the trail made by cattle drivers to the Butterfield Stage Route and headed west to cross the Pecos River at Horse Head Crossing. It is said they first went up the Hondo to settle in the Ruidoso but did not like the snow and retreated to the south. (This information from Elmo Hartman) In 1881, they were living in the Seven Rivers area of New Mexico. It is said that James helped build the school house for the eleven children in the area. It was used for church services as well. James Henry Welch, Jr. died on 17 October 1883 and was the first Welch to be buried in this little cemetery. His death was from accidental drowing in the Black River near where this location. James Henry Welch, Sr. died on 21 January 1886 and is buried in this little cemetery. His obituary dated 25 January 1886 is as follows: DIED BLACK RIVER, EDDY CO., N.M. Death has again visited our little neighborhood. While in the full vigor of manhood the least expecting the sad messenger, the sad summons came, and our esteemed friend and neighbor, James H. Welch, obeyed the call. He died Thursday evening, January 21, at 10 o'clock with typhoid pneumonia, leaving a wife and seven children who sustain in his death a loss none can realize save themselves. "Mr. Welch was an honorable man, esteemed by all who knew him. His moral, upright character made him popular wherever he lived, and this community feels that they have lost one of their best citizens. His family have the heartfelt sympathy of the entire neighborhood, and may he who cares for the widow and orphans assuage their grief. Let us hope that our loss is His gain. /s/ A Friend." Note: James Henry Welch died one month before their last child was born. Matilda Anna Welch died on 8 April 1892, Sarah Frances Welch died on 16 November 1892, and Laura Rebecca Welch died on 22 August 1893. All three girls died from diptheria (typhoid fever) and are buried in this little cemetery. Daniel Webster Welch died on 5 December 1906 in Cutbank, Glacier, Montana, from injuries sustained in a wagon accident. His body was returned to this little cemetery where he was buried. About the turn of the century, Angeline had headstones made from red sandstone found on son, Joseph's, newly purchased land." The following is a story written by Illma June Welch and related to me. It can be found on the webpage cited below: Angeline liked to tell of the past to her grandchildren. The following is how Dudley, the fourth grandchild, remembers her saga after leaving the Ruidoso: "In 1882, James Henry moved to the head of Black River and settled between Rattle Snake Springs and Black River. Rattle Snake Springs was owned by Hank Harrison, my uncle by marriage on my mother’s side. My granddad, Lacurgus Ward, migrated to New Mexico from Frio County, Texas, in the same manner as the Welches. When the James Henrys' were on their way to settle on upper Black River they stopped at Look Out Crossing on lower Black River and lived there a year or so. There was a small settlement there as it was where the freight road crossed. My grandmother, Angeline Welch, was the Post-Mistress. The settlement's name was Look Out. There were a few settlers on the head of the Black River and Rattle Snake Springs country. James Henry cleared the Cat Claw brush from a few acres of land and plowed it up with old Simon and Slick, a pair of oxen, the same pair that had moved them from Texas to the Territory. He had a team of iron gray mares, too. Grandmother drove them to the covered wagon, old Simon and Slick followed the covered wagon without a skinner. Back to Grandpa ... He put in a crop and a garden. Located their stock on the range around them. He built a house with adobe and made the roof with poles and plastered it with corn stalks and mud. He built his corral with pickets set in the ground and laced them together with raw-hide. He built a school house on the bank of the Black River. Built the building with cedar logs brought in from the breaks to the south along the State Line. It had a dirt floor. He made the shingles by sawing the cedar logs into 18-inch lengths, split them with a wide wedge then dressed them thinner on one end with a drawing knife (I have the drawing knife in my possession.) Along about December, 1883, the house was finished, they hired a man (just can’t remember his name) that had enough education to teach the kids their lessons. The Ben Slaughter children, early settlers just below them, attended. The Welch kids, the Larmores and Plowmans, they amounted to eleven children. On Sunday they held Sunday School and Church in the school house. My grandfather led them in prayer and preached a sermon...across the field, south, up in the cat claws, a grave or two had been made. One was Uncle Henry, who had drowned in the Black River, a few hundred yards away, and an old Dutchman, who had been murdered up in the mountains, named "Dutch Fred". In January, 1886, they added Grandpa's grave. He had died of typhoid fever. In 1892, Anna and Frances' graves were added. In 1893, little Laura joined them. In 1906, Uncle Daniel Webster was killed in Montana in a wagon accident. They shipped him back. That made six Welch graves in a row.... (Some death dates were corrected, JWJ) With the staunchness of a pioneer woman, Angeline faced the harsh life she and James Henry had started for them, with determination to continue with their plans to make a home at the head of the Black River. She sent some of her cattle to market with a man who never returned with her money. Her oldest living child, Joseph was sixteen, Daniel was fourteen, with their help they managed to run the ranch. Joe, an excellent cattle man, got a job with Morg Livingston (Later to be his brother’s father in-law). They managed to sustain the ranch but lost the three girls to typhoid fever that the entire family had been plagued with. Angeline’s living family grew up educated and aware of the geography of the world. Son, Wiley, was married at age 19, Joseph at age 27. Some time after Joseph's marriage, Angeline moved to his home. She and the two youngest boys were listed as living in his home in the 1900 Census in Precint II (Loving). Joseph had property south of Loving, near the state line, by this time, that he owned until his death in 1943. (Illma June Welch. http://www.myfamily.com/uploads/file.asp?UploadID=98966, May 2000) On the 17th of January, 1901, Angeline sold the homestead to D.H. and (Wife) J.G. Lucas for the sum of $1,500, in hand. (Eddy County, NM, Deed Book 9, Page 46) So ended the family's right to the property, except for the ties to the six members buried on the small plot of cemetery land. Angeline was concerned that the cemetery be preserved. She made an Affidavit in Spokane, Washington, stating, in effect, that she had been assured by D.H. Lucas and Jake Owens (Clerk of the County of Eddy, New Mexico) that no special provision in the deed needed to be made to preserve the cemetery. Later, when D.H. Lucas subsequently transferred the title to William Washington, she was again assured by Mr. Washington, in the presence of Ida Harrison of Black River on Rattle Snake Springs, Eddy County, New Mexico, that said cemetery and the land around belonged to her, Angeline Rebecca Welch, "about one acre in area, more or less". Joseph was the only child who stayed in the area. He and his wife Dempsey Ward raised five children on their ranch south of Loving, New Mexico. Their second child, Grace Welch Parker Phelan, lived her life in the area. With her death in 1986, came to an end one hundred six years of Welch's living in the Eddy County, New Mexico, area. The rest of the family followed our ancestor’s vagabon habits and James Henry and Angeline Rebecca Nelson Welch’s descendents are scattered through out the western part of the North American Continent. Bill McCrory was in charge of the Washington Ranch, 18 Rattlesnake Springs Road, Carlsbad, NM 88220 in August of 2000. I hope this will help! Sharon Welch St. George, Utah welch@sginet.com The marked and names sites are: Dan 1872 to 1906 Laura 1886 to 1898 Frances Welch 1876 to 1892 Anna 1874 to 1892 James H. Welch 1844 to 1881 Henry Welch 186? to 1883 10 other marked but unnamed sites.