Freestone County, Texas Cemeteries Longbotham Cemetery (a.k.a. Robert Longbotham Cemetery) by Harold Womble, Wanda Smith, and Eric Wood ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGS Map: Wortham Quadrangle Status: Active Location: SW corner of Wortham. Directions: Background: This sounds like purely a family cemetery, but is not. Robert Brough Longbotham was the pioneer of this area receiving a league of land from the Mexican government on July 24, 1835 as a colonist of the Empresario David G. Burnett. A community would later grow to a size for a post office. The post officials misunderstood the Longbotham submission and named the town Long Bottom on Nov 20, 1871. This cemetery was the cemetery for the community of Long Bottom. In 1874, the community of Long Bottom shifted nearby Wortham where the railroad had come through. On May 20, 1987, a group of Longbotham descendants met and formed the Longbotham Cemetery Association which was chartered by the State of Texas. The following officers were elected at this meeting: Bill Burress, President; Jack Williams, Vice-President; Lucille Bellamy, Secretary; Mrs. Joe Bates, Treasurer; Sam Parrish, Assistant Treasurer. John and Tom Bellamy, along with the elected officers, were named directors of the association. Since the association was organized in 1987 much work, under the supervision of Sam Parrish, has been done. A marker has been placed on South Highway 14 directing traffic to the cemetery. Oldest Marked Grave: William Longbotham 10 Nov 1860 Latitude: 31.780N Longitude: -96.472W ------------------------------------------------------------- THE FOLLOWING ARE IN THE FENCE MARKED LONGBOTHAM: Last First Middle Maiden Born Mn Day Yr Died Mn Day Yr Inscription Notes ????, L. L. (no dates) Bates, Joe W. 12/28/1898-02/21/1975 Bays, Dorothy Longbotham 07/15/1823-11/25/1918 w/o Jacob S Bays, Jacob Sink 11/11/1831-03/25/1913 h/o Dorothy Longbotham Crowley, J. H. 07/22/1854-02/11/1911 Green, Mary Longbotham 02/??/1827-03/18/1919 w/o George N. Green Grizzard, Lucy Longbotham 07/14/1837-12/22/1901 "married William Bennett, then Charles Patrick Grizzard" [also tombstone outside fence] Longbotham, Altha 02/12/1883-12/11/1887 d/o J.O. & M.J. Longbotham Longbotham, B. Hill 11/12/1876-02/12/1894 Longbotham, Bessie 10/30/1881-12/25/1883 d/o Thos and M.J. Longbotham Longbotham, Brough 10/11/1888-12/05/1888 s/o Robert and Bell Longbotham Longbotham, Bruce 07/30/1879-09/20/1880 s/o J. O. & M.J. Longbotham Longbotham, Clarence Eugene 08/12/1899-08/28/1899 s/o Oscar and Barbara Emily (Bounds) Longbotham Longbotham, Daisy 02/17/1885-12/10/1887 d/o J. O. & M. J. Longbotham Longbotham, Evans 04/08/1875-04/16/1875 s/o J. O. & M.J. Longbotham Longbotham, Infant Son 04/23/1897-04/23/1897 s/o J.J. & M.L. Longbotham Longbotham, J A 10/20/1846-05/04/1869 w/o Jonathan O. Longbotham Longbotham, Jonathan O 06/08/1829-07/04/1891 h/o Mary Jane (Bounds) Longbotham, Lott 09/21/1872-10/11/1880 s/o J. O. & M.J. Longbotham Longbotham, Lucreta 12/12/1865-12/15/1865 d/o Thos. & M.J. Longbotham Longbotham, Lucy Haggard ??/??/1793-08/21/1873 Age 80 Years w/o Robert B. Longbotham, Lucy 04/02/1869-06/03/1869 d/o J.O and J.A. Longbotham; x2 marker with J.A. Longbotham Longbotham, Mary Dail 06/16/1879-05/15/1881 d/o Thos and M.J. Longbotham Longbotham, Mary J Bennett 11/07/1836-04/02/1926 w/o Thomas Longbotham Longbotham, Robert Brough 12/29/1797-08/06/1883 Longbotham, Sarah 01/29/1874-02/08/1874 d/o Thos and M.J. Longbotham ""Rest in Peace my Gentle Spirit""" Longbotham, Thomas 02/21/1832-12/05/1924 h/o of Mary J Bennett Longbotham, William 02/30/1860-11/10/1860 s/o Thos. & M.J. Longbotham Steadman, Andrew Lawrence 06/23/1898-09/23/1899 s/o Jasper and Sarah Steadman Steadman, Elizabeth 08/08/1875-12/16/1878 d/o Jasper and Sarah Steadman Steadman, Jasper 12/22/1840-05/02/1913 Father h/o Sarah Steadman, Sarah Deliah Longbotham 10/26/1853 - 03/13/1915 Mother w/o of Jasper; d/o John and Sarah Longbotham" Steadman, Irene 09/11/1875-10/11/1965 w/o John Henry Steadman Steadman, John Henry 11/26/1871-02/13/1941 s/o Jasper and Sarah Steadman; h/o Irene Strickel, Hannah Longbotham 07/03/1835-12/25/1875 w/o David Fairfield Strickel Strickel, Hattie 11/21/1881-10/30/1882 d/o David F and Hannah Strickel Ware, Willier 12/05/1869-12/01/1892 Ware, Mary 02/22/1849-06/01/1871 Weaver, Lucinda L[ongbotham] [12/12/]1869- 1955 Whitlock, Mayme L. Bates 01/04/1923-09/17/1972 Yarbrough, Matthew 03/20/1816-01/16/1885 [h/o Susan (Longbotham) Yarbrough] THE FOLLOWING ARE OUTSIDE THE FENCE MARKED LONGBOTHAM: Last First Middle Maiden Born Mn Day Yr Died Mn Day Yr Inscription Notes ????, Infant Son 1918 (only date) ????, Infant Son 1915 (only date) Bagely, Nannie Lee Bridges 02/06/1912 - 12/27/1941 w/o Jim; d/o George and Jewell Bridges Bates, Maymie Louise Whitlock 01/04/1923 - 09/17/1972 Bates, Tom Joe 11/11/1926 - 06/02/1994 S1 U S Navy WWII Bays, John Longbotham 08/13/1854 - 09/02/1940 s/o Jacob and Dorothy; h/o Sarah Louise (Leonard) Bridges, George 02/28/1871 - 04/11/1936 h/o Namie; *1* Bridges, Namie Jewell Sterling 09/01/1885 - 08/09/1966 w/o George on 3/6/1911; d/o Samuel and Maggie Sterling Bridges, Renile 11/22/1923 - 09/16/1988 h/o Edna Jewell Johnson: s/o George and Jewell Bridges. Buck, Frank M 09/??/1867 - 01/11/1918 h/o Purlina Buck, Purlina A 12/25/1872 - 11/02/1948 w/o Frank Buck Crouch, Essau Dekalb 01/09/1845 - 10/01/1924 h/o Margaret Longbotham Crouch, Margaret Longbotham 12/06/1839 - 09/04/1904 w/o E.D. Crouch, Richard Jr. 10/16/1916 - 12/15/1923 Crouch, Martha Jane (Mallard) [01/07/]1887 - [07/19/]1944 *D*; d/o Charles & Susan Walker Mallard; m 1904 to Richard Crouch, Richard [Sr.] 1877 - 1970 m 1904 to Martha Jane Crouch, Sallie Jane 10/03/1871 - 04/01/1912 w/o E[sau] C. Crouch, Bernice 02/05/1922 - 11/11/1922 Crouch, Luther C. "Potsie" 1900 - 1946 [s/o Sally Jane] [Luther might be this fellow: Crouch, Mr. L. C. 09/03/1900-05/24/1947 *D*] Culwell, Martha N 09/27/1917 - 06/18/2005 w/o Paul R Grizzard, Allie D. 08/30/1879 - 03/15/1902 d/o Charles Patrick & Lucy Grizzard, Lucy [Longbotham] 07/14/1837 - 12/12/1901 [duplicate tombstone also inside the fence] Grizzard, Charles P[atrick] 07/09/1850 - 02/08/1902 h/o Lucy; s/o H.P. & Martha Harrison, George C 04/03/1942 - 12/04/1995 Sgt US Airforce Vietnam Herring, Melvin L 02/24/1919 - 06/24/1945 TX PFC 34 Inf WWII Mallard, Infant Daughter 1908 McGehee, Ida Jane [Tekell McGehee] 1866 - [08/??/]1954 w/o John N.; *O* McGehee, John N[elson] 1854 - 1940 h/o Ida Jane McGehee, Julius 02/12/1896 - 04/19/1932 h/o Jane Gladys (Williams) Morrow, Marion Leon 07/22/1846 - 01/03/1930 CO A 6 Miss Cav CSA *2* Morrow, Nancy B. 01/12/1920 (only date) Parrish, Jacquelyn C 06/27/1939 - 07/19/1993 w/o James L. Parrish, James Longbotham 01/06/1938 - 04/08/2003 Parrish, Samuel Ray 10/17/1930 - 05/02/2000 h/o Vallory Jane (Hardcastle); Mason Insignia; "You are the wind beneath my Wings: Together forever" Poteet, Infant Son 02/09/1925 - 02/11/1925 Rhea, Edward 11/25/1873 - 08/06/1874 Rhea, Robert E. L. 01/31/1868 - 12/11/1870 Renfro, Margaret 1898 - 1974 Rice, Jane Calwell 01/19/1940 - 10/31/1997 "With God; She loved completely and is deeply missed" Tomberlin, Abigal Ting 03/15/2005 - 03/20/2005 Westbrook, William J. 1900 - 1965 Williams, Angie H 11/10/1901 - 05/19/1991 w/o O D Williams, Infant Daughter (no dates) Williams, Infant Son (no dates) Williams, Infant Daughter (no dates) Williams, Infant Son (no dates) Williams, Infant Daughter (no dates) Williams, James H. 02/26/1871 - 04/06/1938 Williams, Lisa Robert 03/09/1876 - 03/28/1968 Williams, Lisa Elizabeth 08/13/1974 - 08/16/1974 d/o Jack and Janis Williams Williams, Lisa L. 1974 Williams, Lt. J. Lex 1920 - 1943 WWII Williams, Mary L. 1874 - 1950 Williams, Oscar D. 1869 - 1965 Williams, O[scar] D. 05/27/1898 - 02/16/1954 h/o Angie H Williams, Omer 1905 Williams, Otha 1905 Williams, Robert Vernon 01/20/1918 - 03/26/1969 WWII Williams, Tony 01/06/1910 - 10/08/1913 ------------------------------------------------------------- Unmarked Graves: 7 Known Unmarked Graves: Dunn, Roy Hange 04/08/1877 - 11/23/1962 *D* ------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES *1* = George Bridges was the caretaker of the Longbotham Cemetery from the 1911's until his death in 1936. He also worked as a janitor at Wortham Schools. Georgia Lee (Bridges)Hoskins daughter of George said he was killed when he fell out of a truck. He was walking home from work when someone picked him up for a ride home. When the driver slowed down to stop to let him out. George did not wait for it to stop completely and fell down and his head was ran over by the back tire of the truck, killing him. George married Namie Jewell Sterling March 6, 1911. *2* = Death year should be 1929. Tombstone is incorrect. ------------------------------------------------------------- The Mexia Daily News June 05, 2007 "Longbotham Cemetery group to meet WORTHAM - The annual Longbotham Cemetery Association meeting will be held Saturday, June 9, at the Longbotham Cemetery in Wortham, beginning at 10:30 a.m. This will be followed by a meal. All descendants are invited. Contact Paul Culwell at 765-3906." ============================================================= LEGEND FOR CEMETERY LISTINGS: *O* = Obituary listed elsewhere on this site *D* = Death Certificate listed elsewhere on this site *B* = Biography listed elsewhere on this site *P* = Photo of tombstone on this website *S* = Social Security death index listed elsewhere on this site *C* = Calculated date based on death date - age given in years and months and days. y = year; mo or m = month; d = day(s); h/o = husband of; h1/o = first husband of; h2/o = second husband of w/o = wife of; w1/o = first wife of; w2/o = second wife of m = married to d/o = daughter of; s/o = daughter of ? = unknown birth date or death date (based on position) x2 marker = single marker for two graves, typically married couples TX = Texas; Cav = Cavalry CO = Company; Reg = Regiment; WWI = World War I; WWII = World War II; CSA = soldier in the Confederate States of America f.h. = funeral home marker h&f = husband & father