Hughes Family Cemetery

Pickens Chapel, Arkansas

Photo by Dave Hartman

This photo by Leroy Blair

This Cemetery is also known as: None known.

Legal description: SE, NW, SE, Sect. 5, T8N, R8W



GPS Location: 602120-3911972

Arkansas Archeological Survey site #: 3WH0629

Number of Marked Graves: About 24

Number of Unmarked Graves: Unknown

The last complete survey of this cemetery was: February 12, 2007 By Leroy Blair

There has been Obituaries that were printed in the newspaper posted since the last survey was made.

Current status of cemetery: Active.

Point of contact for cemetery. Lavita. Phone 501-281-3303. This Cemetery is also known as: None known.

Legal description: SE, NW, SE, Sect. 5, T8N, R8W

GPS Location: 602120-3911972

Arkansas Archeological Survey site #: 3WH0629

Number of Marked Graves: About 24

Number of Unmarked Graves: Unknown

The last complete survey of this cemetery was: February 12, 2007 By Leroy Blair

There has been Obituaries that were printed in the newspaper posted since the last survey was made.

Current status of cemetery: Active.

Point of contact for cemetery. Lavita. Phone 501-281-3303.

This cemetery is located about three miles west of Letona on Highway 310. It is about 1/4 mile west of the Pickens Chapel

Cemetery on the road to Sidon. It was originally listed by Mr. and Mrs. Leister E. Presley of the White County Historical Society,

April 12, 1969, they reported seeing 10 unmarked graves. The cemetery was updated July 19, 2000,by Dave Hartman a Hughes

descendant who reported the site was “overgrown and in need of attention.” He also noted there are no markers for Hughes

patriarch Harden Hughes, a veteran of the War of 1812, and his wife Sarah, who are both buried here.

Leroy Blair of the Historical Society reported the cemetery was “clean for the most part” when he first visited it on March 8, 2001.

He made some adjustments in spellings and dates based on what he saw on the tombstones. He found two illegible funeral home



markers and five graves marked only with rocks. He was intrigued by a “Jane Doe” tombstone marking the grave of an unidentified

person who died April 3, 1979. After checking with several law enforcement officials, he learned that this was a murder victim

from Texas later identified as Mary Ann Gibson. Her body had been found at the bottom of a bluff beside Highway 31 near Floyd in

early 1979. The case was never solved. “I thought she deserved a better headstone,” Blair said, “so I contacted Matt Bible at Bible

Monument Company in Searcy. Matt donated and set a nice tombstone for her, free of charge.”

Blair returned to the cemetery on February 12, 2007, and made a new list by comparing the entire old list with information that he

read on tombstones while walking through the cemetery. He added row numbers, to make it easier to locate specific graves. Row

#1 is on the side nearest the farm pond. He noted there are several unmarked graves, some with unreadable funeral home markers.

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.

Bennett, Billy Windell – November 5, 1933 – July 30, 1936 – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Gibson, Mary Ann – September 24, 1954 – Early 1979 – Murder victim from Texas originally identified as Jane Doe – Hughes

Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Goreo, Fannie – Died August 14, 1941 – Age 26 years, 10 months, 10 days – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, Andrew Jackson “A.J.” – July 11, 1828 – February 23, 1900 – Son of Hardin Hughes – DS with Sarah – Hughes Cemetery,

Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, Bernice – March 14, 1917 – March 1, 1930 – (Unmarked) – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR, Pickens Chapel, AR (Obit)

–

Hughes, Bobby – August 30, 1935 – August 19, 1981 – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, Cathrain – March 19, 1942 – July 26, 1942 – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, Clara May – September 4, 1894 – August 2, 1895 – Daughter of U. M. & M. E. Hughes – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel,

AR

Hughes, Denver C. – 1902 – 1982 – DS with Lanie E. Hughes – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR



Hughes, Garland C. – October 13, 1900 – June 28, 1966 – Son of Ulysses Melvin Hughes – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, Harden – 1791 – 1857 – Veteran War of 1812 – Husband of Sarah Jones (Unmarked) – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel,

AR

Hughes, Infant – Born and died 1925 – Daughter of Denver C. & Lanie E. Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, J. A. – March 17, 1896 – February 8, 1960 – Husband of Priscilla P. Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, Lanie E. – November 9, 1904 – July 6, 1942 – DS with Denver C. Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR (

Hughes, Lucy M. – 1878 – 1939 – DS with Thomas T. Hughes – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR (Obit)

Hughes, Marion F. – April 13, 1904 – August 21, 1948 – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR (Obit)

Hughes, Minnie E. – 1871 – 1927 – Wife of U.M. Hughes – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR (Obit

Hughes, Priscilla P. – February 20, 1901 – August 6, 1964 – Wife of J.A. Hughes – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, Sarah “Sally” Jones – 1795 – 1871 – Wife of Harden Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR – During his July 19, 2000

survey, Dave Hartman found a headstone on which the word “Sarah” was legible but nothing else; he thinks this could be the

location of Sarah Jones Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR grave. (I could not find this marker on February 12, 2007)

Hughes, Sarah Marsh– January 7, 1831 – Only date – DS with Andrew Jackson “A.J.” Hughes – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel,

AR

Hughes, Thomas T. – 1872 – 1942 – DS with Lucy M. Hughes – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, U. Mirandus – February 22, 1923 – August 27, 2006 – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Hughes, Ulysses Melvin – 1870 – 1928 – Husband of Minnie E. Hughes – Son of A. J. & Sarah Hughes – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens

Chapel, AR



Lentz, Josie – Died January 1954 – Age 71 years – From obituary in Searcy Daily Citizen Newspaper (Unmarked) – Hughes

Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

Unknown, Infant – January 3, 1955 – February 1956 – Hughes Cemetery, Pickens Chapel, AR

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

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 on

the square in Searcy. WCHS P. O. Box 537 Searcy, Ark. 72145.

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.