Belew Cemetery

Rose Bud, Arkansas

Photo by Leroy Blair

This Cemetery is also known as: Pence.

GPS Location: 584322 - 3902689

Arkansas Archeological Survey site #:

3WH0686

Number of Marked Graves: About 25

Number of Unmarked Graves: Unknown

The last complete survey of this cemetery was: October 2011 By Leroy Blair

Current status of cemetery: This cemetery is no longer being used.

Point of contact for cemetery. No known contact person.

This cemetery, which has also been known as Pence Cemetery, dates back as early as 1861. It was called Belew Cemetery by

several aging residents of the area, including former Rose Bud Postmaster Glen Belew, when White County Historical Society



volunteer Kathy Moss located it in April 2000. It is located south of Rose Bud on Highway 5. Take the highway 5.4 miles to

Overbeck Lane, then turn right. The cemetery is at the top of the hill in the woods on the right side of the road. Using information

provided by Mr. Belew, Kathy Moss was able to find the cemetery when she noticed flowers blooming in the woods. She returned

with her 14-year-old son Brandon to survey it. "It is in very poor condition," she reported. "It is impossible to get an accurate count

of the graves. There are approximately 40 graves marked with field stones. Some graves aren’t marked at all. I am sure that there

are stones that are buried by years of fallen leaves. There are several broken markers. This cemetery could really use some

attention."

This cemetery was listed as Pence Cemetery by Cloie and Leister Presley of the Historical Society 24 years earlier - April 2, 1966.

They reported it was was the Brooks Watson Farm and they found 20 graves with names and dates.

"Leaving Highway 5 and going through the barn lot gate," they wrote, "there is only a field road to the cemetery and most cars

could not be driven over this road. The cemetery is scattered over a large area on a hilltop overgrown with woods and has not

been used for some time. There are possibly 150 graves in this cemetery that are not marked."

The cemetery was visited November 15, 2000, by Leroy Blair of the White County Historical Society, who provided additional

information. He notes that "the graves of Laura Ann, Ples and Quincy Henderson are fenced in with hog wire and barbed wire,

using old horse-drawn buggy axles for posts. There are eight of them. The directions that are on the Pence list are no longer good.

Use the directions on the Belew list. This cemetery is in very bad condition – in need of a lot of cleaning. There are a lot of

unmarked graves – probably more than the estimate of 150 on the old list. The cemetery covers a very large area." I visited the

cemetery again in October 2011. Someone had started to clean up the cemetery

If you have corrections or additions to this list or other information on this Cemetery, Contact the White County Historical Society,

P.O. Box 537, Searcy, AR 72145. Or phone 501- 278- 5010

Following is a list of known burials in this cemetery.

Belew, James M. – May 9, 1853 – April 1, 1872 - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Belew, Lean J. – March 15, 1857 – August 27, 1861 - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Belew, Martha – December 23, 1828 – February 17, 1906 – DS with T.C. Belew - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Belew, T.C. – March 23, 1820 – February 23, 1897 – Co. G - 21

st

. Regt. Ark. Militia C.S.A. – DS with Martha Belew - Belew Cemetery, Rose

Bud, AR

Harper, Chellie O. – June 17, 1892 – June 28, 1896 - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR



Harper, E. – October 19, 1821 – August 26, 1899 - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR – (Pioneer Obit)

Harper, Infant – Born and died February 9, 1876 – Son of W.K. & M.E. Harper - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Harper, Lannie E. – June 17, 1884 – July 2, 1899 - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Harper, Savell O. – September 17, 1882 – October 10, 1886 - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Harper, Ulys P. – September 20, 1897 – August 6, 1898 - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Hendrickson, Laura Ann – June 6, 1879 – September 15, 1882 – Daughter of J.D. & M.E. - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Hendrickson, Ples. – February 28, 1881 – November 18, 1892 – Son of J.D. & M.E. Hendrickson - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Hendrickson, Quincy – April 13, 1887 – November 8, 1899 – Son of J.D. & M.E. Hendrickson - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Lewis, Emma J. – February 20, 1863 – December 11, 1882 – Wife of J.W. Lewis - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Malies, George W. – 1944 – 1984 – (FM) - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Matthews, Anna – December 25, 1873 – September 19, 1876 – Daughter of J.B. & M.S. Matthews - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Matthews, Loretta – March 20, 1882 – February 17, 1901 – Daughter of J.B. & M.S. Matthews - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Pence, Lou B. – March 29, 1852 – April 10, 1908 – Wife of Davis G. Pence - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Pickard, Ellen O. – February 1, 1856 – August 12, 1881 – Wife of J.W. Pickard - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Pruett, Bell – December 25, 1874 – October 31, 1877 – Daughter of J.T. & S. Pruett - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Ruark, Catherine – Died March 19, 1878 – Age 37 years, 2 mos., 15 days – Wife of R.B. Ruark - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Vestel, Missouri N. – December 25, 1869 – October 27, 1872 - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud, AR

Yoast, F.E. – June 27, 1819 – July 13, 1882 - Belew Cemetery, Rose Bud

***************************************************************************************

Legend: Copyright-Aug.23,2016-Paul V. Isbell-Webmaster:



Following is a list of all known Cemeteries in White County Arkansas, Also included are Cemeteries in other

counties that are near the White County Line that may have people from White County buried there.$

Most of the cemetery information listed was collected by Leroy “Lee” Blair Former member of the White

County Historical Society Board of Directors. Now working at the White County Historical Society office

If you have any additions or corrections to the burial listing please contact the Historical Society Phone 501-

278-5010 or Email me at

lblblair74@gmail.com

or wchs1962@gmail.com

At the end of the cemetery list s a list of people from White County that have died that do not have cemetery

listed or they are buried in a cemetery that we do not keep records on.

I will be posting more burials later. The Searcy Daily Citizen donated all their Micro Film and Ledgers dating

back to 1953 as I look at them if I find a death of a person that we do not have I will to add to the cemetery

listings.

There are some graves listed as unmarked that may have had a tombstone set since the listing was made.

I may have missed some graves when I done the listing, Some cemeteries are very hard to get good listing

due to how some graves are scattered

The following Abbreviations are used in the listings

.

FM – Funeral home marker

DS – Double tombstone

TS – Triple tombstone



The word (Obit) means that the Historical Society has or has access to the Obituary for this

person.