Burns Cemetery

Wilburn, Arkansas

This Cemetery Is located in Cleburne County, Near the White County line.

There are no pictures of this cemetery available.

This Cemetery is also known as: None known

GPS Location:

606609 - 3933832

Arkansas Archeological Survey site #:

3CE0188

Number of Marked Graves: About 18

Number of Unmarked Graves: Unknown

The last complete survey of this cemetery was: Dec. 10, 2019 By Leroy Blair.

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

Point of contact for cemetery. No known contact person.

Leroy Blair of the White County Historical Society learned of this cemetery from a friend, David Reynolds of Clay, and visited it in

the summer of 2001. Following is his report: “To get to the cemetery from Wilburn take Tyler Road; when the blacktop ends, go

2.1 miles and take the road to the left; the cemetery is three-tenths of a mile down this road, on the right. It was in need of

mowing the day I visited, but otherwise is not in bad condition. A lot of rocks that probably at one time marked graves have been

piled back by the woodsline; some appear to have markings scratched on them.” This cemetery, which is located in Cleburne

County, was recorded by the White County Historical Society because of its potential importance to White County genealogists.

This is obviously one of the oldest cemeteries in the area.

Confederate Army Captain James Richard Morris, one of the earliest settlers in this area, is buried here. According to a family

history in the Searcy Public Library (“Whirlwind / Story of the Faulkner Family From Pangburn” by James H. Faulkner), Morris came

to White County several years before the Civil War. During the war he was taken prisoner and didn’t get home for two years. Over

six feet tall and of Irish and German descent, he homesteaded creek bottomland at Tyler and built a large plantation with “large

vineyard, cattle, horses, ducks, geese and swans on the ponds.” He owned and brought with him from Tennessee three slaves



“who adored him,” according to the Faulkner history. When the war ended, they stayed on and are also buried here, although their

names are unknown. According to the Faulkner history, this graveyard is located on the old Morris plantation. Morris was first

married to Emily Pruitt Morris, who was part Cherokee Indian. She died several years before his death in 1881. Then he married

Gretchen Mary Wilson. She died and he married Nettie Knott.

Blair found 39 graves marked with concrete blocks, noting that it appears that the blocks were used to replace rocks over the

lower half of the cemetery. The graves in the back part are still marked with rocks. He found 42 graves marked with rocks or

covered with slabs of rock.

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.

Bowers, Catherine – October 12, 1843 – May 1920 - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Bowers, Henry – May 29, 1837 – January 5, 1989 – DS with William Hubert Bowers - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Bowers, William Hubert – May 27, 1886 – November 14, 1904 – Son of Henry & Catherine Bowers – DS with Henry Bowers - Burns

Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Ellis, Dessie – August 9, 1908 – September 11, 1924 - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Ellis, Ethel Mae – May 15, 1912 – September 27, 1926 - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Hardin, Harriet L. – November 18, 1862 – January 10, 1880 – Wife of J.H. Hardin - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Lindsey – no dates or other information – scratched on a rock - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Lindsey, Mahala J. – October 28, 1841 – October 6, 1903 - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Massey, Amelia Ann – February 8, 1855 – April 14, 1917 - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Morris, James Richard – 1835 – 1881 – Cpt. Co. H 32 Regt. Ark. Inf. C.S.A. - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Owen, John W. – September 6, 1866 – February 28, 1939 – DS with Rebecca I. (Lindsey) Owen - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Owen, Rebecca I. (Lindsey) – May 31, 1872 – February 8, 1935 – DS with John W. Owen - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR



Warren, Elzy – 1903 – 1988 - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Warren, Zelma – 1906 – 1997 - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Whitworth, A.T.W. – Died 1865 – Only date listed – On stone with J.W., L.A. & William Whitworth - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Whitworth, J.W. – Died 1865 – Only date listed – On stone with L.A., William and A.T.W. Whitworth - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Whitworth, L.A. – Died 1863 – Only date listed – On stone with J.W., William and A.T.W. Whitworth - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn AR

Whitworth, William – Died 1863 – Only date listed – On stone with J.W., L.A. and A.T.W. Whitworth - Burns Cemetery, Wilburn

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

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

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

back to 1953. After reviewing 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 prepared the listing. Some cemeteries are very hard to get an

accurate 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

(Obit)-means that the Historical Society has, or has access to the Obituary for this person.