White Oak Cemetery

Griffithville, Arkansas

Photos by Leroy Blair

This Cemetery is also known as: None known

GPS Location: 628137-3881877

Arkansas Archeological Survey site #: 3WH0743

Number of Marked Graves: About 50

Number of Unmarked Graves: Unknown

The last complete survey of this cemetery was: February 19, 2001 By Leroy Blair

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

Point of contact for cemetery. No known contact person.

"White Oak Graveyard," as it was called by Robert N. Boggan when he prepared a list of burials here in 1970, is located on the SE

1/4 of Section 12, Township 5 North, Range 6 West near the center of Section 12. Boggan, a former resident of White County, was

director of the Arkansas Veterans Service Office when he prepared a listing June 27, 1970, for publication in the White County



Historical Society’s

White County Heritage

annual history. To get to this cemetery, he wrote, "proceed from Griffithville on highway

#11 east to John Holloway grocery store about eight miles. Go west from the store one half mile on gravel road to Roland Hodge

residence. Turn north ¼ mile through the west end of field to the dim road that leads to the cemetery about one hundred yards into

the woods."

For his visit, Boggan "took with me my father Troy P. Boggan of RFD #1, Box 117, Griffithville, who was born January 22, 1893, of

the same address, and his sister Mrs. Vesta Holiday of Griffithville. Both are of sound mind and memory. Mrs. Vesta Holiday was

born in November 1887. The following is what I copied from markers on graves. The ones with asterisks were from memory."

Thirty years later, April 17, 2000, his list was updated by Gerald Torrence, a White County Historical Society member, who found 25

more old burials than Boggan listed. He noted five funeral home markers with no information on them. Torrence also found a lot of

poison ivy – "the ground was covered with it."

Then on February 19, 2001, Leroy Blair of the Historical Society visited the site. There, "the man who owns the property where the

cemetery is located, Mr. Nickie Whitthaer, took me to the cemetery on an ATV. We zigzagged so much crossing creeks and bayous,

I will not try to describe how to get to the cemetery. He said there is a better way to get there when the ground is dry. I plan to go

back that way and add to this report when I do. Mr. Whitthaer said that in the summer of 2000 some people came to the cemetery

and cleaned it up some. They also placed a small sign saying ‘White Oak Cemetery.’ They also placed some new funeral home

markers at some of the unmarked graves but there is no information on them."

Blair found the graves of George Hutchins and infant Allie Vandiver which were not on the old list.

There is some evidence on early maps that this was once known as Kirkland Cemetery. There are several Kirklands buried here,

and the stone of Samuel D. Kirkland states that the Kirkland farm was nearby.

"At one time this was probably a very large cemetery," Blair reported. "If you walk around in the woods you can see signs of

unmarked graves or an old funeral home marker with nothing on it. Mr. Whitthaer told me that at one time there was a church

beside this cemetery. On our way back from the cemetery he took me to a place in a pine grove which he said is the location of the

graves of an entire family that was burned to death in a house fire. He did not know the names or dates. I am pretty sure this pine

grove is the location of an old graveyard. It is on a high mound in the pines. When the pines were set out, this small area was left

as is, with oak and other hardwood trees. You can plainly see at least four depressions in the ground, all running the same

direction. He said he was told the reason they were buried here was the area was flooded and White Oak Cemetery was not

accessible."

The comments in quotation marks in the list of burials are from Robert Boggan’s report in 1970.

Bird, W.B. – May 11, 1860 – September 11, 1899 – "son-in-law of J.D. Tevis. W.B. Bird was reported to not be of the best character in

the community"



Boggan, Clarence*, son of William P. Boggan – died January 17, 1916

Boggan, Mattie Alice (Claunch)*, wife of William Pet Boggan – (died) 189? in the month of May with T.B.

Boggan, Paul*, son of W.P., brother of Troy – "died with lung trouble in 1905. Had had pneumonia and measles. Size 190 pounds, 6-

2. Very strong. Sick one week. Age at death 27."

Boggan, Silas Bruce*, brother of Troy P. and Paul Boggan and son of William Pet. Boggan – "born 1898 at Griffithville, died June 20,

year unknown, at about the age of 36" … "Cedar tree by William Pet Boggan’s grave was trimmed by Phillip Long at the time of

burial in 1903; stumps of limbs still there solid" [in 1970] … "Two infant graves joining William Pet Boggan on west side were

grandsons. Dates of birth unknown – one Ralph Holiday and one son Billy Holiday, the children of Earl and Vesta Holiday"

Boggan, William P., 2

nd

Lt. Co. H. 2

nd

Miss. State Cavalry CSA – (died) 1903 at age 57 – "came from Lewisburg, Mississippi, in 1877

to West Point, Ark., then to what is now Griffithville."

Brantley, Mr.* – "One grave some fifty feet to the southwest and raised grave or mound… Mr. Brantley died February, 1902. The

ground was frozen ice on timber but the ground was frozen ice" … [when it began to thaw and rain] "Andrew Boggan, William (Bill)

Harris, Pat Wallace and Jes Petty and Will Adamson and Doug Garner tried to dig a grave but was unsuccessful because the grave

run full of water. These men cut saplings or small hardwood trees and made a pen shaped like a pyramid around Mr. Brantley. They

covered him with leaves, snow, sticks and debris and buried him on top of the ground. Some citizens in this community tried to

prosecute these men for not burying him the proper depth. After weather warmed up, these same or most of these men piled dirt

on him for a better burial. This story was told to me by Troy P. Boggan and Vesta Holiday. They also stated their father William Pet

Boggan told or advised his son Andrew to make sure this grave got covering put on it."

Following is a list of known burials in this cemetery.

Bird, W.B. – May 11, 1860 – September 11, 1899 – “Son-in-law of J.D. Tevis - "White Oak Cemetery

Boggan, Clarence – “Died about 1911 or 12 in February - Son of William P. Boggan - "White Oak Cemetery

Boggan, Mattie Alice (Claunch) – Died May 189? with T.B. - Wife of William P. Boggan - "White Oak Cemetery

Boggan, Paul - Died 1905 - Age 27 - Son of W.P.Boggan - Brother of Troy Boggan – White Oak Cemetery

Boggan, Silas Bruce - 1898 - June 20, ???? - Brother of Troy P. & Paul Boggan - Son of William P. Boggan – White Oak Cemetery

Boggan, William Pet -1846 - 1903 - Miss. State Cavalry CSA - Husband of Mattie A. - Father of Troy Pet &Vesta Holiday – White Oak

Cemetery – (Obit)

Cain, David W. – August 9, 1893 – March 7, 1980 – Pvt. U.S. Army - WWI - Husband of Letha Cain – White Oak Cemetery.



Cain, Letha – August 18, 1904 – December 22, 1945 - Wife of David W. Cain – White Oak Cemetery

Claunch, William – Died about 1885 – Brother to Mattie Alice Boggan

Dollar, (plot) – Stone broken off & missing – White Oak Cemetery

Dollar, Marrey R. – October 25, 1930 – February 3, 1931 – White Oak Cemetery

Dollar, Louie Dean – August 8, 1928 – February 29, 1938 – White Oak Cemetery

Dorris, Annie – December 25, 1872 – February 28, 1875 - DS with Johnny Dorris – White Oak Cemetery

Dorris, Johnny – March 31, 1866 – August 13, 1871 - DS with Annie Dorris – White Oak Cemetery

Edwards, Jerry* – Died about 1901 at about middle age - (Unmarked) – White Oak Cemetery

Griffin, Dr. Sam – About 1850 - Died about 1923 - 1930 - Practiced medicine in community – White Oak Cemetery

Hews, Vinia – March 23, 1897 – April 6, 1959 – White Oak Cemetery

Holiday, Billy – No dates - (Unmarked grave) – White Oak Cemetery

Holiday, Ralph – No dates - (Unmarked grave) – White Oak Cemetery

Huddleston, Jissi – Father – No other information – White Oak Cemetery

Huddleston – Wife – No other information – White Oak Cemetery

Huddleston, Ada May – Died 1947 – Infant daughter of Albert J. & Fern Holloway Huddleston – White Oak Cemetery

Huddleston, Ada Vickers – July 23, 1893 – March 28, 1928 – DS with Virgil Turlin Huddleston – White Oak Cemetery

Huddleston, Virgil Turlin – 1878 – March 1926 – DS with Ada Vickers Huddleston – White Oak Cemetery

Hutchins, Charles – February 20, 1901 – October 28, 1919 – On stone with Florence, George Jr., Lillie, Mattie M. Samuel & Silas

Hutchins – White Oak Cemetery

Hutchins, Florence – November 22, 1896 – August 5, 1898 - On stone with Charles, George Jr., Lillie, Mattie M., Samuel & Silas

Hutchins – White Oak Cemetery

Hutchins, George Jr. – November 9, 1865 – October 24, 1922 - On with Charles, Florence, Lillie, Mattie M., Samuel & Silas Hutchins

– White Oak Cemetery



Hutchins, Lillie – October 18, 1894 – February 28, 1912 – Daughter of George & Mattie - On stone with Charles, Florence, George Jr.,

Mattie M. , Samuel & Silas Hutchins – White Oak Cemetery

Hutchins, Mattie M. – November 9, 1876 – March 4, 1912 - On stone with Charles, Florence, George Jr., Lillie, Samuel & Silas

Hutchins – White Oak Cemetery

Hutchins, Samuel – December 25, 1911 – August 11, 1934 - On stone with Charles, Florence, George Jr., Lillie, Mattie M. & Silas

Hutchins – White Oak Cemetery

Hutchins, Silas – May 14, 1908 – May 30, 1908 - On stone with Charles, Florence, George Jr., Lillie, Mattie M. & Samuel Hutchins –

White Oak Cemetery

Johnson, Lee T. – October 30, 1902 – August 6, 1959 – White Oak Cemetery – (Obit August 8, 1959 paper)

Johnson, Thomas – August 25, 1855 – April 10, 1943 - Father of Lee T. Johnson – White Oak Cemetery

Kirkland, Lilly – No dates listed – White Oak Cemetery

Kirkland, Milton – No dates listed – White Oak Cemetery

Kirkland – Mother – No dates listed – White Oak Cemetery

Kirkland – Father – No dates listed – White Oak Cemetery

Kirkland, John – No dates listed – White Oak Cemetery

Kirkland, Samuel D. – January 8, 1890 – March 9, 1957 – White Oak Cemetery

McLoud, Kate (Boggan) – August 8, 1854 – February 25, 1918 – Sister to William Pet Boggan – White Oak Cemetery

McLoud, Terry S. – December 12, 1887 – December 13, 1887 – Son of George & Julia Britian McLoud – White Oak Cemetery

Muray, Maggie – August 1, 1874 – August 14, 1940 – White Oak Cemetery

St. Cloud, Perry – Born & died December 12, 1897 - Son of George & Julie Brittian – White Oak Cemetery

Story, James & wife* – Dates of birth & deaths unknown – White Oak Cemetery.

Tevis – “Four graves covered with concrete & unreadable markers next to Mary Tevis. Her grave is covered the same way,

probably Tevis family members.” – White Oak Cemetery

Tevis, Infant – Born & died November 13, 1877 - Son of J.D. & ME. Tevis – “two more children unreadable markers are probably

Tevis children” – White Oak Cemetery



Tevis, Mary E. – September 5, 1855 – November 11, 1898 - Wife of J. D. Tevis – White Oak Cemetery

Vandiver, Allie – May 15, 1907 – September 5, 1907 – White Oak Cemetery

Vandiver, Alvin Herbert – July 11, 1915 – May 15, 1932 - Son of Thomas L. & Maggie Vandiver – White Oak Cemetery

Vandiver, Lewis A. – August 30, 1865 – May 22, 1940 – White Oak Cemetery

Vandiver, Lorene – October 22, 1909 – January 19, 1919 – Daughter of Thomas L. & Maggie Vandiver – White Oak Cemetery

Vandiver, Losie Elmo – August 9, 1918 – October 1920 - Child of Thomas L. & Maggie Vandiver – White Oak Cemetery

Vandiver, Mary F. (Dowdy) – October 5, 1856 – Died about 1899 – Wife of Phillip J. Vandiver – White Oak Cemetery

Vandiver, P.J. – October 5, 1846 – July 7, 1898 – Father of L.A. & Thomas Vandiver - Husband of Mary F. (Dowdy)Vandiver – White

Oak Cemetery

Vandiver, Rosa Ellen – September 3, 1904 – September 1905 - Daughter of Thomas L. & Maggie Vandiver – White Oak Cemetery

Vandiver – September 3, 1904 – September 1905 – White Oak 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.