Bacon Springs Missionary Cemetery - Bryan County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Cecil Gibson 15 Nov 2003 Return to Bryan County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/bryan/bryan.htm ===================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ===================================================================== BACON SPRINGS MISSIONARY CEMETERY "The Forgotten Cemetery" By Cecil Gibson, Mississippi Choctaw The cemetery is located in Bryan County Oklahoma on private property at the NE NE corner of Section 2, Township 9 South, Range 8 East. It is north of River Road between Hendrix Road and Chickasaw Road southwest of Achille. It took me several years to locate the exact position. My father took me there in 1951 to show me Ada Gibson, my grandmother's gravesite. I recall driving down a sandy road, wading approximately 1/4 mile down Sandy Creek and climbing up the bank to the cemetery. None of the cemeteries in that area matched these criteria and I was only recently able to locate it. During a trip in 2003, Olin Williams introduced me to a rancher who had an early 1900 map of the area showing Sandy Creek where Eastman Creek is now located. Mr. Williams said there had been a trading post on a hill by a natural spring and showed me where a church had been located on the east side of Sandy Creek across from the cemetery. He also pointed out the location of the old road, which is now overgrown, leading into the cemetery and the current location of the church west of Achille. When I contacted the property owner, Mr. Gene Fritts, he drove me to the area which was exactly as I remembered. He permitted me to photograph the cemetery on October 1, 2003 and again on October 1, 2004. I have several tombstone photographs. I have been able to match some of the names with photographs, but several of the tombstones have been damaged and others are no longer visible or have deteriorated over time. Many of the burial sites originally had unmarked stones and wooden markers which no longer exist. Generally, the cemetery is in very poor condition and several of the tombstones are buried in debris. A cemetery layout provided by the great grandmother of Mr. Gregg Lewis, Caroline (Jefferson) Carnes, lists 118 gravesites. During my two visits, I observed an additional nine tombstones and several unnamed markers. I am in the process of attempting to obtain roll numbers, date of birth and date of death for all the names. The ones I have obtained so far are listed herein. Layout of the cemetery is twelve rows running west to east. Each row is named after a state. Nevada is repeated. I have not been able to determine the significance of why a specific state was selected nor the importance of order. Wimberley, Texas Photos of existing tombstones can be found here: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/bryan/tombstones/baconsprings.html California Row Walter Gibson Roll # 39 (not verified) Sulia Gibson Walter Gibson Child Lorenza Johnson Sarah Johnson Nevada Row Rosie Johnson Sealy Johnson Roll # 1077 (not verified) Lotie Gilmore Tom Gilmore Irene Gilmore Lydia Gilmore Utah Row Ben Gibson Emmie Gibson Roll # 808 (not verified) Sealey Gibson Roll # 846 (not verified) Lela Johnson Maggie Johnson Died Aug 29, 1904 Age 18 Years Roll # 1078 (not verified) Frank Johnson Died Aug 4, 1905 Age 37 Years Roll # 7 (not verified) Allen Johnson Idaho Row Maggie John Born Sept 27, 1888 Died Sept 22, 1907 "Gone To ... " Biddie John Born Oct 15, 1904 Died June 10, 1905 Patsie Johnson Roll # 840 (not verified) Big Willie Johnson Died Feb 28, 1921 Age 77 Years Roll # 839 (not verified) Lilia Louis Montana Row Jennie Jackson Roll # 848 (not verified) Melvinnie Simmons King Simmons Mamie Simmons Albert Simon Roll # 592 (not verified) Mary Jane Simon Roll # 593 (not verified) Ben Gilmore Remond Gilmore Roll # 800 (not verified) Emma Gilmore Roll # 801 (not verified) Lesby Lewis Lela Lewis "Infant" Lewis Jim and Nettie Maybell Gilmore Born Jun 28, 1901 Died Dec 17, 1916 "Lord I Come To Take Thee" Bud Lewis Roll # 977 (not verified) Colorado Row Dennis Henry Mary Jackson Viena Lewis Jim Jackson (boy) Hattie McCormick Wadmon Lewis Sarah Jane McCormick Roll # 1145 (not verified) Louis Child (Onnie) Mannie Simon Sim Lewis Charlie Lewis Kan-ia tub Bee Roll # 735 (not verified) Nannie Lewis Lucy Lewis Roll # 1103 (not verified) Lonnie Lewis David Wickson Roll # 249 (not verified0 Frances Jackson Thomas Jefferson (Rev) Died Feb 26, 1919 Age 64 Years Roll # 1147 (not verified) Kitzmiller (Infant) Velma and Bob Texas Row Arkansas (Infant) Jim and Catherine Missie Arkansas Roll # 831 (not verified) Nora Arkansas Ora Jefferson Born July 13, 1915 Died Nov 23, 1915 Fannie Jefferson Born Oct 7, 1897 Died Oct 27, 1915 Arizona Row Lee Willis Died June 14, 1919 Age 28 Years Roll # 97 (not verified) Susie Ann Willis Died Oct 8, 1915 Age 68 Years Roll # 96 (not verified) John Willis Roll # 95 (not verified) Mary Willis Roll # 101 (not verified) Gibson (Infant) Alex and Lottie Alex Gibson Lottie Gibson Jacob Gibson Molley Gibson David Williamson Imon Williamson Mary Williamson Roll # 1012 (not verified) Tom Williamson Roll # 1011 (not verified) Emmie Williamson Ben Williamson Joe Williamson Roll # 386 (not verified) Gibson (Infant) William and Rosie Rosie Gibson Nevada Row Martin Gilmore Born July 4, 1909 Died Nov 8, 1909 Able Willis Roll # 48 (not verified) Annie Gilmore "The Lord Is My Shepard" Born Amanday Willis Mary Willis Roll # 44 (not verified) Oklahoma Row Eleyars Jackson Ada Gibson Stone Marker Roll # 14079 Amy Gibson Roll # 861 Alice Gibson Jacob Gibson Lucy Gibson Roll # 857 Snowden Gibson Roll # 860 Lonnie Thompson Lem Thompson Sidney Thompson Wilkerson (Child) Wilkerson (Child) Kansas Row Billie Jack Leana Johnson Ernest Johnson Mary Jane Jack Walter Jackson Biggie Jackson Tyler Johnson Nojie Johnson Mother Nojie Johnson (Baby) Nojie Johnson Mexican (Baby) Missouri Row Onnie Lewis Mary Simon Wallace Johnson Roll # 355 (not verified) Tommie Johnson Gibson (Child) Willie and Mollie Gibson (Child) Willie and Mollie Gibson (Child) Willie and Mollie Emon Gibson Mike Gibson Born Nov 2, 1901 Died Aug 21, 1908 Roll # 812 (not verified) Wesley Gibson Age 6 Years Dec 4, 1918 Roll # 11289 (not verified) Willie Gibson Dec 6, 1918 Age 42 Years Roll # 810 (not verified) UNKNOWN ROW J. D. Lewis April 7, 1923 Aug 30, 1934 Immen Gibson Born Feb 7, 1907 Died Mar 1, 1908 Jimmie Gibson Vena Lewis Born July 5, 1905 Died Nov 16, 1910 Ruth Lewis Feb 8, 1920 July 15, 1935 "Lay Asleep Until Jesus Comes" Isaac E. Jefferson 1889 - 1900 Leslie Wilkerson Apr 6, 1908 Jan 18, 1930 Marslina Gibson Died Jan 14, 1933 Emnie Gibson Born 1867 Died Jun 29, 1907 "Jesus Has Come & Borne Her Home" Catherine Arkansas Age 55 Years Willis Name Unknown Stone Marker Name Unknown Stone Marker N. A. Stone Marker Dorene Lewis Name Unknown Stone Marker Name Unknown Tombstone Name Unknown Born Apr 6, 1968 Died Jan 18, 1990 Name Unknown Tombstone --------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Bryan County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/bryan/bryan.htm