Tillman County, OK - Dickerson Cemetery http://files.usgwarchives.net/ok/tillman/cemeteries/dickerso.txt --------------------------------- Copyright © 2000 by Carolyn Tharp 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, February 24, 1977 and March 3, 1977, (reprinted in The History of Tillman County©, Volume II, published 1978): ------------------------------------------------------------------ Dickerson Cemetery A couple of years ago when I first became interested in country cemeteries, David GISH supplied a map on which he had marked all of the cemeteries he know of in the county. On the next few weekends, Bob, our sons, and I went to each one. Of all we saw, the one that intrigued me the most was one of the smallest and most derelict. Called Dickerson Cemetery, it was eight miles east, four miles north, one east, and ˝ north of Frederick and looked as if no one had given it a thought in years. Dickerson is on a sloping hillside, and what especially caught my attention was a stone written in German standing at the top of the cemetery. The few words I could make out indicated the young woman buried there was named Caroline, and she had died in 1904. The grave was enclosed in a tumble-down fence, and growing at the foot were two bushes, covered profusely that spring with tiny yellow flowers. The idea that these bushes had been planted long ago by someone who had mourned Caroline and that they were blooming seventy years later amidst all the debris accumulated during the intervening years made a lasting impression on me. I made up my mind to two things: sometime I'd clean up that cemetery and I'd find out who Caroline was. Two years passed with other projects claiming my time (namely, the first history book), but whenever I was in the northeast part of the county, I'd drive past Dickerson Cemetery. It remained unchanged. Then when I began this series on country cemeteries for the second book, I knew the time had come! I had learned when writing the Bethel Cemetery story that Fritz and Billy FISHER, with others, were self-appointed caretakers of that cemetery, as well as Schofield Cemetery, and figured, therefore, that they could advise the best procedure for restoring Dickerson. I called Billy on a Sunday night to ask how he would suggest we begin the project; he said he'd talk to Fritz and I should call back later. When I called on Tuesday, I learned the brothers had spent Monday afternoon at the cemetery scouting the situation, had decided what tools would be required, had gotten permission from the landowner, had picked up mastic necessary for bonding broken stones, and decided on the upcoming Saturday for their first work day! It did no good to tell them I had not intended that they should do the work. Fritz insisted, "I've been wanting to get into that cemetery for years!" An unusual remark! Of course what he meant was that he had been as anxious as I to get it cleaned up, and for a much longer time. I had certainly contacted the right persons. Saturday was a sunny, clear day, and in three hours the seven stones remaining in Dickerson Cemetery had been raised, bonded back together, and set securely once again by Fritz, Billy, and Bob, my husband, who felt the least he could do was help since my query had started the work. The most difficult stone to set was an extremely heavy Woodman of the World monument to D. H. MOON (January 2, 1886 - February 24, 1915.) First the ponderous base of the stone, sunk two feet in the dirt, had to be dug out and set level. Then the huge tree-like monument, lying on its side half-way sunk in the ground, had to be dug out, have a chain put around it, be raised by a wench on Fritz's tractor, and set on the base. (Its weight was estimated at 1,000 pounds.) The three men felt some well-deserved satisfaction when that first large monument was sitting straight and secure again. On either side of D. H. Moon's stone are smaller ones to A. R., son of T. J. and N. M. Moon, January 2, 1895 - July 6, 1915, and to I. E. REYNOLDS, daughter of T. J. and N. M. Moon, July 14, 1877 - October 3, 1910. Mrs. Cecil Moon supplied information on these three persons. A. R. Moon was Alvin, D. H. was David, and I. E. was Ida, brothers and sister to Samuel Moon, father of Cecil, Horace, Haskell, and Howell Moon. David and Alvin were barbers in Oklahoma City and Ida a homemaker in Arkansas when all three contracted tuberculosis. They returned to Tillman County and spent their last days here. The dates indicate the three were 29, 20, and 33 years of age when they died. Buried beside David Moon in an unmarked grave is his child, born after the father's death. A stone that had separated into three pieces was bonded back together and leveled. It was for Joseph H. NELSON (died February 8, 1906, age 63 years.) Dora Nelson PERRY, a granddaughter of Mr. Nelson, recalls going as a young mother with her children and neighbors to Dickerson Cemetery on Memorial Day, cleaning it up, and decorating the graves with pails of wildflowers. Mrs. Perry says her grandmother, who died in 1919, is buried beside Mr. Nelson, but there is no marker now. A marker was hand-made of concrete, Mrs. Perry says, and she doesn't know what happened to it. In fact, Mrs. Perry remembers there were a lot more gravestones in the cemetery than the eight ones remaining. She also recalls that the first person buried there was Mr. DICKERSON's mother who died shortly after the country was opened to homesteaders in August 1901. The cemetery was thus established when the son buried his mother on a corner of his homestead. In more recent years Paul WYATT owned the farm, and now it belongs to Bob LEE. A white marble heart marks the grave of Orville, son of D. T. and J. L. HOWELL, March 18, 1903 - March 6, 1907. The heart was broken, literally, but has been bonded back together again. Alma ALEXANDER says Mr. and Mrs. Dickerson had a daughter, Jenny, who first married a Howell and later married Mrs. Alexander's father, James HART. The J. L. on this stone is Jenny and the child hers. Mrs. Alexander also says Mrs. Dickerson is buried with a son in Schofield Cemetery. She has marked the graves with a piece of granite and tends them, with others, each Memorial Day. It isn't known what happened to Mr. Dickerson, but Eddie Lee says the farm's abstract shows the Dickersons were divorced. The oldest stone I've found yet in any of our country cemeteries is here and belongs to Elizabeth, wife of G. H. DOYLE, December 23, 1825 - March 14, 1902. She was 76 years old when the area was settled, certainly a lot older than most of the pioneers who came to this new land. I've talked to lots of people, and no one remembers a Doyle family in the community around the cemetery. And, finally, I found out about Caroline. She was a free-spirited girl who loved better than anything else to ride horses, racing them across her native Missouri's farmland against the admonitions of her family. Once, when jumping a fence on a favorite mount, she and the horse fell, severely crushing one of her legs. In those days there was little that could be done for such an injury. Her family, which included a husband and daughter, immigrated to Oklahoma when her father, Henry SCHMIDT, drew a farm here. She still suffered from her unhealed leg, and in 1904 died from complications caused by the injury. Mrs. Mac BIRDWELL is a sister of Caroline, but she was so young at the time of Caroline's death that she recalls little of her. She told me that Caroline's husband and daughter left Oklahoma and settled in Chicago. The daughter, Louise MORTON, came to Frederick a few years ago and considered moving her mother to the Frederick cemetery, but decided against it. Mrs. Morton died four months ago in Chicago. Rene CRAWFORD translated the German on the stone to read: Here rests in God, Caroline, wife of F. Schuldt, born November 14, 1874, died July 26, 1904. Christ is my life, and dying my victory; Him have I given myself, and with joy I go to Him. There is an eighth stone in the Dickerson cemetery, but it has almost completely worn away so that it is impossible to make out any writing on it. Others are buried in the cemetery. Mrs. Alexander remembers that twin cousins of hers were buried there long ago, and Eddie Lee says he had a baby brother buried there. Mrs. Calvin RUSSELL's father, Porter WILSON, and his mother, Sarah, were buried there at one time but have been moved to the Frederick cemetery. Last week we went with Billy and Fritz to burn off all the debris at the cemetery. All that I left now are thousands of cactus, but Fritz says his mower will take care of them. As soon as it's dry enough, he plans to mow the cemetery, and then we'll put the finishing touches on it.