McDearman Family Cemetery

Judsonia, Arkansas

Photo by Gerald Torrence

This photo by Leroy Blair

This Cemetery is also known as: None known.

Legal description: NW, NE, NW, Sect.33, T8N, R6W



GPS Location: 622300-3905047

Arkansas Archeological Survey site #: 3WH0619

Number of Marked Graves: About 15

Number of Unmarked Graves: Unknown.

The last complete survey of this cemetery was: July 14, 2000 By Leroy Blair.

Current status of cemetery: This cemetery is no longer in use.

Point of contact for cemetery. No known contact person.

This cemetery is located due north of the Judsonia water tower, on State Highway 371 approximately 100 yards east of the U.S.

Highway 67 overpass. The names and dates were taken from gravestones by Katherine and Charley Figley of Judsonia January 11,

1980.

W.E. Leach of the White County Historical Society interviewed two McDearman relatives July 12, 1986, and published his report in

the White County Heritage that year. Two years later, the Heritage published a letter from another relative who provided

additional information. The cemetery was checked by Historical Society member Leroy Blair July 14, 2000. He reported the

cemetery condition as “fair”, noting the grass had recently been mowed “but not close .” All graves are covered with concrete and

there is no indication of unmarked graves. Several stones were found broken when Gerald Torrence visited the cemetery for the

Historical Society in September 2000. In 2004, Blair prepared a map that shows where each burial is located. The number (in

parenthesis ) beside each name in the list below corresponds to the number in his map.

The cemetery was established in the northeast corner of the front yard of the J.S. McDearman home which was built between 1882

and 1885. Beside the McDearman graves, the Hanson graves are McDearman daughters and the Perkins grave is that of a

granddaughter. Other family members are buried in Evergreen and Oak Grove cemeteries.

Edna Karnes and Mae Hanson were interviewed for the 1986 article. They were granddaughters of Mary Hanson and great

granddaughters of J.S. and S.J. McDearman . Laurie Jeanne Graves (R#2, Box 124C, Hughes Springs, TX 75656) wrote the

following in response, two years later: “This story was told to me by my mother, Edna Hanson Karnes… Mother has told me that

[John McDearman ] built his house between 1882 – 1885… As far as she can remember, the only place her Uncle Jim ever worked

was the box factory and he walked to work every day, as I am sure a lot of people in Judsonia did… John S. McDearman was born

December 28, 1832, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Either as a boy or young man, he went to Henry County, Tennessee, where



he married Sarah Jane Travis, born June 10, 1836. They were married April 2, 1854. She was the only sister of William B. Travis of

the Alamo. [William Barrett Travis was born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, August 9, 1809, the son of Mark Travis Sr. The

family moved to Conecuh County, Alabama, in 1818 and he left Alabama for Texas in early 1835. He died March 6, 1836, at the

Alamo.] They had one daughter, Virginia, in Tennessee before moving to Judsonia around 1858-59. John homesteaded 40 acres of

land where the little cemetery was located in the northeast corner of their front yard. Four more daughters, Mary, Minnie, Emma

and Harriet, a son James, a grandson Orlando B. Hanson, and a great granddaughter Edna Hanson, were all born in a double log-

house on the farm. Sarah and John raised their family and Orlando on the farm. He passed way March 15, 1913, and Sarah

continued to live on the farm until 1916 when she, Minnie and Emma went to live in a house in town, across the road from her son

James. His house still sits on the edge of Little Red River, just down from where the Enterprise Box Factory was located. Sarah

McDearman died February 16, 1917. After her death Minnie and Emma moved into their brother’s house and the farm on the

highway was sold.”

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.

Hanson, Alice Edna – December 5, 1895 – August 9, 1896, age 7 months, 8 days - McDearman Family Cemetery

Hanson, Horace – July 10, 1882 – October 9, 1888 - Son of W.T. & V.S. Hanson - McDearman Family Cemetery

Hanson, John W. – December 18, 1878 – June 13, 1879 - Son of B.F. & M.A. Hanson - McDearman Family Cemetery

Hanson, Lillie

– August 17, 1886 – August 25, 1890 - Daughter of W.T. & V.S. Hanson - McDearman Family Cemetery

Hanson, Mary A. – September 27, 1859 – January 3, 1882 - Wife of B.F. Hanson - McDearman Family Cemetery – (Obit)

Hanson, V.S.(Virginia) – September 5, 1857 – Only date - may be buried at Evergreen - Later married a White - McDearman Family

Cemetery

Hanson, W.T. – September 10, 1857 – June 27, 1915 - [W.T. was William] - McDearman Family Cemetery

McDearman – June 24, 1893 – July 29, 1893 - Baby daughter of J.A. & Ida McDearman - McDearman Family Cemetery

McDearman, Harriet – August 19, 1871 – April 30, 1930 - Daughter of J.S. & S.J. McDearman - McDearman Family Cemetery

McDearman, John S. – December 28, 1832 – March 15, 1913 – Hick’s Ark. Vol’s. C.S.A. – Husband of Sarah J. - McDearman Family

Cemetery – (Obit)

McDearman, Mattie – July 18, 1862 – March 11, 1882 – Daughter of J.S. & S.J. McDearman - McDearman Family Cemetery – (Obit)



McDearman, Minnie Ellen – January 30, 1873 – February 22, 1938 - McDearman Family Cemetery - (Obit)

McDearman, Rena Bell – January 31, 1886 – July 17, 1887 - Daughter of J.A. & Idea McDearman - McDearman Family Cemetery

McDearman, Sarah J. – June 10, 1836 - February 15, 1918 - Wife of J.S. McDearman - McDearman Family Cemetery – (Obit)

Perkins, Gertrude – June 15, 1915 – September 25, 1915 - McDearman Family Cemetery

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

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.