Tillman County, OK - Bethel Cemetery --------------------------------- Copyright © 2000 by Carolyn Tharp E-mail patharp@ou.edu This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. --------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Source: From "Now and Then" by Carolyn Maxwell, The Frederick Press, October 21, 1976 (reprinted in The History of Tillman County, Volume II, published 1978): ------------------------------------------------------------------ Bethel Cemetery Bethel Cemetery is one of Tillman County?s well cared for country cemeteries. Located one mile south, four miles east, and one-half mile south of Manitou, Oklahoma, the neatly trimmed cemetery is fenced, with the name arched over the gateway. It isn?t known for certain who selected the name, but it is appropriate since bethel means "a hallowed place." Raymo R. ORTON, brother of Ester Mae Orton BURBA, gave half of the land for the cemetery from his 160-acre homestead. D. B. (Smoot) WILBORN gave the other half. Across the road, George COX gave land for Bethel School, District 141. What I had thought were the remains of a church foundation in the north part of the cemetery is what is left of a pioneer family?s dug-out. We recorded sixty tombstones in the cemetery with FISHER, BURBA, HART, and GIVENS being the names most often appearing. Descendants of these persons maintain the cemetery now: Billy and Fred (Fritz) FISHER mow with a big machine; then Ruby FISHER, Mrs. And Mrs. Virgil ERWIN, Alma ALEXANDER, and Paul WYATT mow close to the stones with hand mowers. They usually meet twice a year, on Memorial Day and Labor Day. The oldest date of birth and the oldest date of death are on the same stone, that of John G. BURBA, companion of S. A. Burba, December 30, 1826 - July 30, 1907. The most recent burial was Grant Walter FISHER, who died September 14, 1972. One white marble stone written entirely in German was translated for me by Rene CRAWFORD. Here rests in peace Katharina Elisabeth, nee MEISSNEIN, wife of Conrad LAUBHAM, born on 7 August 1869 in Russian; died on 22 December 1907 at Manitou, Oklahoma, North America. The verse at the bottom of the monument reads: So rest well in silent peace/Whom my heart in death still loves./For alas! Too soon have you departed,/And the parting deeply grieves me./Yet she lay in the Almightiest plan;/And what God does, that is well done. An intriguing name was that of Snow Bird, wife of Claude GIVENS. I decided she must have been an Indian girl to have such a lovely, unusual name, but her sister-in-law, Mrs. Cline Givens, says she was not. Snow Bird?s brother was Ed EADY. A cedar was planted near a child?s stone, and through the years the tree has grown to the point where it is enveloping the stone now. Most of the markers are made of granite or marble, but two are outstanding in that they were made by hand. The larger one is for Kate ROLAND. The smaller is for J. P. HART, and there is nothing on it except the name. The following persons are buried in Bethel Cemetery: ALEXANDER, Claude C., 1927-1927. ALEXANDER, Kenneth D., 1936-1936 AYRES, Joseph T., March 17, 1842 - September 16, 1922 AYRES, Ellen L., July 3, 1850 - January 11, 1940 BLOODWORTH, D. A. III, November, 1968 BURBA, John G., companion of S. A., December 30, 1826 - July 30, 1907 BURBA, Harvey B., 1879 - 1945 BURBA, Fannie I., 1883-1941 BURBA, Synthia A., wife of J. G., January 21, 1836 - February 2, 1924 CHATHAM, Joseph B., July 12, 1889 - February 18, 1912 CLINKENBEARD, Walter, 1886 - 1934 CLINKENBEARD, Ida, 1883 - 1967 COX, Plianna A., 1849 - 1935 COX, George W., 1853 - 1946 ERWIN, Lynda K., December 10, 1959 - December 13, 1959 FISHER, Grant Walter, January 27, 1953 - September 14, 1972 FISHER, John, 1889 - 1953 FISHER, infant son of John and Ruby, 1930 FISHER, John, January 21, 1870 - December 5, 1930 FISHER, Eva, December 18, 1871 - March 30, 1938 FISHER, Emanuel, October 22, 1926 - August 25, 1938 FISHER, Liddie, wife, and infant son of Edward Trisa, August 21, 1914 - September 6, 1936 FISHER, Ida K., April 16, 1917 - October 12, 1940 FOWLER, Byron Boswell, February 11, 1851 - April 29, 1911 GIVENS, Snow Bird, Wife of Claude, February 21, 1889 - June 2, 1913 GIVENS, George E., 1843 - 1915 GIVENS, Malisa A., 1845 - 1913 GIVENS, Addie, 1874 - 1913 GIVENS, J. D., 1872 - 1945 GIVENS, Shirley, September 20, 1920 - September 20, 1920 GIVENS, Evelyn, December 3, 1918 GIVENS, Roscoe, August 3, 1911 - September 26, 1911 GIVENS, Leo Earl, October 8, 1933 - November 23, 1933 GRAY, Rex M., September 28, 1922 - November 26, 1925 HART, J. P., no dates HART, Georgianna A., December 3, 1878 - April 17, 1922 HART, James H., 1874 - 1955 HART, John P., November 4, 1871 -May 5, 1910 HART, Tom, 1860 - 1940 HENSLEY, Handson M., June 6, 1897 - April 10, 1911 HOWELL, Pearl, 1885 - 1915 HUFF, Sallie, March 4, 1873 - January 17, 1915 LAUBACK, Freda Mae, October 6, 1917 - November 7, 1919 LAUBHAM, Katharine Elisabeth, August 7, 1869 - December 22, 1907 MAST, Elizabeth, 1858 - 1932 MITCHELL, Lawrence W., 1946 MITCHELL, triplet daughters, 1942 NELSON, Shirley Mae and Sharian Kay, no dates NEUGEBAUER, T., August 9, 1891 - April 28, 1944 OZMENT, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. D. C., November 3, 1907 - November 4, 1907 OZMENT, Hazel Luciel, December 1, 1905 - December 19, 1910 OZMENT, Callie C., January 29, 1852 - December 19, 1936 OZMENT, J. J. January 13, 1845 - February 2, 1924 PHELPS, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy, July 11, 1921 - July 11, 1921 RHODES, L. C., January 14, 1870 - October 6, 1907 RHODES, Clarence M., Okla. Seaman 2nd Class, USNRF, January 11, 1897 - February 7, 1937 SHEUMAKER, Frank, died October 23, 1958, 90 years, 10 months, 20 days SIMONS, F. E., 1856 - 1929 WEST, A. J., January 4, 1853 - September 27, 1928 WILMOT, M. N., January 27, 1866 - October 1, 1908 WITTEN, Leota, daughter of G. T. And E. K., August 4, 1907 - August 4, 1907 WITTEN, Julia A., wife of Z. S., May 15, 1932 - June 7, 1909 Questions? E-mail patharp@ou.edu