| In 1992, with the help
of the Maintenance Mgr. David Walker, Elizabeth Wilburn and
Mimi Lantz were able to locate these two graves on the
backside of the Texarkana County Club grounds. This small
fenced gravesite has been there since the beginning of the
Country Club.
Slim
stones with praying hands at the top of each listed:
MALINDA WILSON, Born
Oct. 7 1839, Died May 23, 1894
MATTIE METTS, Born July
4, 1865, Died May 22, 1894
Because of the two
death dates, they wondered if it was caused by a fever. It
appeared to be the graves of a Mother and Daughter. Elizabeth
Wilburn, researched the 1880 Miller County Federal Census and
found the following:
Page 100D-Texarkana,
341/348
WILLSON, S. S., Father,
age 40, born VA, his Father born N.C. Mother born ___
WILLSON, Malindie,
Mother, age 40, born AL, her Father born TN, Mother born TN
WILLSON, John, Son, age
5, Walter SIBLEY, Step-Son, age 12, Martha J. SIBLEY, Step-Dau.,
age 14, Mary E. SILMAN, Step-Dau., age 17, Mary M. SILMAN,
Step-Gr.Dau., age 1 year.
Mr. Wilson was listed
as a proprietor of a boarding house. Mattie was the daughter
of Malinda from a previous marriage. Mr. James Collins, a
retired Texarkana Business man, told Mimi Lantz that some of
his records showed he was related to Malinda Wilson. He also
told her that one of his Black Friends, who did work for the
old Paul Reverra Funeral Home stated to him, “there was an
epidemic of the “BLACK POX” that took a lot of lives and
that he was the one to dig the graves so he knew there were
about 36 graves in that area and most were buried by night
with no ceremony and only these two stones were placed.”
No newspaper accounts
could be found for this time period so no more information has
been uncovered. If anyone can help update this information
please contact the society by snail mail, email or message
board on this web site.
Typed up
and sent in by Betty Sharp
|
