Cemetery Menu
PIGEON HILL CEMETERY
aka Oak Grove Cemetery 
est. 1872
Located in Union County, Arkansas just off of State Hwy.63
(used to be Hwy.15
that ran from El Dorado to Moro Bay) & northwest of Moro
Bay State Park which is
located on the east side of the Ouachita River, while the
cemetery is on the
west side of the Ouachita River, along Pigeon Hill Landing
Road. The road is
now named Oak Grove Road and the Oak Grove Missionary
Baptist Church, est. 2001,
is located about 300 ft across the road from the cemetery.
The church did not
exist until sometime in the 1930's. Although, some refer to
the cemetery as the
"Oak Hill Cemetery", because of the church &
because they assume responsibility
for maintaining the cemetery.
In or about 2002, the cemetery had been cleaned up and
surrounded by a chain
link fence. There were only a few marked graves, even though
an area of about
2 acres had been cleared and fenced in. According to the
history of the cemetery
there were originally five acres used for the cemetery.*See
attached article
concerning the history of this cemetery. Inventoried first
time on October 31, 2002.
New survey April 11, 2012: I revisited this cemetery to do a final update.
Many
improvements have been made & there is now a historical sign placed near
the
entry
gate to the cemetery. There have been several burials there since my last
visit.
Posted July
2012. *
Last Updated September 2019
Janice Holzer JCSH432@gmail.com
GEORGE STUART
BENSON
9-26-1898 to
12-15-1991
*Born in Dewey
County, Oklahoma
*S/of Felix
Benson & Erma Rogers Benson
*Md: 7/2/1925, 1st wife, Sallie
Ellis Hockaday (died 1981)
*Father of two
daughters (names unknown)
*Sallie & her
husband, George, as newlyweds, journeyed
to China to
serve as missionariesfor the Churches of Christ.
They were
forced to leave for a period of time, due to a
Communist
uprising. Eventually, they
returned &
starting the Canton Christian/Bible School.
*Sallie was
helpmate to her husband, who became
the head of
Harding College in Arkansas.
*Md: 2/22/1983, Marguerite O'Banion (She had been
his secretary
for over 40 years.
*George was
the 2nd president of Harding College.
(now known as
Harding University)
George is best
recalled as a 'Crusader against Communism.'
*He founded
the National Education Program (NEP) at Harding.
This
organization was designed to promote American values
along with the
free enterprise system. In the 1950's,
Benson
wrote a weekly
column "Looking Ahead". Published in over
4,000
newspapers. *He spoke on a weekly radio
program
"Land of
the Free", carried on 300 stations (1950's)
*Arkansas
Democrat Sunday Magazine chose Benson
as "Arkansas
Man of the
Year" (1953) Oklahoma Christian
College asked
Benson to
serve as Chancellor in 1957. Benson
retired in
April 1965.
*Remained the President of the NEP.
*He took on
the contruction of Christian Schools & a
Christian
Junior College in Zambia, Africa,
Inducted into
Oklahoma Hall of
Fame in 1972. Benson was nominated for
the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981.
This biography
info was by humbly presented by
Audrey
Burtrum-Stanley / Arkansas.
*Some say George
Benson is not buried in this (aka) Oak
Grove Cemetery / known as Pigeon Hill Cemetery.
They
support that he is buried at OAK GROVE CEMETERY,
Searcy, White County, Arkansas It is definitely more
reasonable to believe he is buried in
this cemetery,
since he spent most of his adult life
in the area of
where this cemetery is located. No marker.
SALLIE ELLIS
HOCKADAY BENSON
*Died Dec 1981
*Wf/of George Stuart Benson
*Benson &
his wife returned to the US to head Harding College. The
school was
over $80,000 in debt. Benson went to
area businesses
for help,
presenting a three point message of: (1) Faith in God;
(2)
Constitutional Government (3) Free
Enterprise System. The
debt was paid
off in 1939.
GLENN ALBERT
BLACK (68)
7-12-1945 to
9-11-2013 *OB
*S/of Ora Iberia Lockwood
(1918-2003) & Albert Horace
Black(1913-1960) of Urbana.
*Preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Henry Lockwood &
Virdy Lockwood McCormick.
*Pastor-Member of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church. / Auto Mechanic
*Wife of 48 yrs, Dorothy Sue Fife
Black
RONNIE BLACK
12-25-1945 to 12-20-2004
*Md:7/14/1965 Betty Jo Black “Precious Memories”
“I’ll Be Waiting On The Bank Of The Big River In Heaven Drawing Your
Picture In The Sand”
& BETTY JO
BLACK 6-27-1948 (One date)
*Betty shares a double headstone with Ronnie Black.
LULA BROWN
1-15-1878 (One
date)
*From an earlier survey done in 1992-not found in 2012.
HENRY
BUTLER (? b:1835) died 3-6-1901 (One
date)
*Stone broken
in 3 pieces. *Some info from earlier
survey in 1992.
*Broken pieces
of his tombstone lying amongst other broken tombstones belonging
to Sarepta E.
Justice / G.R.J, Gussie Justice & Thomas S. Davis.
LUCY BUTLER (b:1850 not
on marker) died
7-21-1921 (One date)
"Presented
to Mother by baby Mollie."
DENISE
LeANNA CAMERON 2-6-1984
to 2-20-2005
*Daughter of Kenny & Sigrid Cameron; Sister of Jennie;
Fiance of Joshua
Adam Fife; "Her life is
eternal. Though gone she is never
forgotten. After time we
will meet again for death is but another life"
CHRISTINE FIFE COX
(76) 9-22-1936 to
11-12-2012
*D/of Chester
Fife(1913-1968) & Tommie H. Fife (1915-1974) *OB
Interment
under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home, Farmerville, LA
*Preceded in
death by her sons, Allen Cox & Chester Ruben, her parents,
& a sister,
Bennie Mitchum.
HAYWOOD
DAVIS 10-10-1857 to 11-16-1884
*From an earlier survey done in 1992- not found in 2012.
THOMAS
S. DAVIS 12-17-1863
to 3-6-1892
*Stone broken in 4 pieces. Dates are pretty much illegible
*Broken pieces of his tombstone lying amongst other broken tombstones;
others
belonging to Sarepta E. Justice / G.R.J, Gussie Justice .
JUANA
De La CRUZ 6-24-1932
to 6-23-2008 *OB
*Born in Pichataro Michoacan, Mexico to
J Jesus De La Cruz & Magdalena Miguel
*Late
husband, Espiridion Gonzalez; *late son, Ricardo Gonzalez;
*late brother, Tomas De La Cruz
*Nice homemade white wooden cross with name &
dates painted in black. Age 75.
*Member of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church *Young's Funeral Directors
MM
GERALD
LYNN DONTJE (72)
1-29-1940 MI to
4-23-2012 AR *OB
*S/of late Roger Dontje &
Marjorie Dontje (1946-2012 MI ) born in Pontiac, Michigan
*US Navy Veteran *Husband of Margaret Camille Glass *Md: 3/8/1974
*Preceding him in death, his father, Roger Dontje; son, Joseph Dontje;
brother,
Gordon Dontje; sister, Annette Buttema;
grandson, Jordon Frisby.
& MARGARET
CAMILLE GLASS DONJE(66)
1-29-1946 El Dorado, AR to
4-26-2012 *OB
*D/of Ocie & Leola Gilbert Glass; *Wife of Gerald Lynn *Retired LPN
*”We Trust Our Loss Will Be
Their Gain And That With Christ They Are Gone To Reign”
JOSEPH IRA "Joe" DONTJE
6-27-1973 to
12-22-2008
*S/of
Gerald Lynn Dontje (1940-2012) & Margaret Camille Glass Dontje(1946-2012)
*Father
of Dyland & Taylor "Love
Illumes The Realms of Night"
EDDIE J. "Booty" ELLIOTT
2-5-1947
to 1-6-2006 (Dad)
*Md:3/13/1982 Beverly Joy Shaw
"In
the Loving Arms of Jesus"
&
BEVERLY JOY "Skinney" SHAW ELLIOTT (63)
2-23-1948 GA to
6-19-2011NC
*D/of
Ruth & Pierce Shaw. *Died in Greenville, NC.
*Wife
of Eddie J. "Booty" Elliott. (Mom)
*Member
of First Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Smackover.
*Preceded
in death by her father; her brothers, Charles, Glenn, Tim &
Red
Shaw; & her husband, Eddie J. "Booty" Elliott.
*Bailey
Funeral Home of El Dorado, AR.
FIFE there is a
black marble tombstone marking the Fife Family plot.
Nearby there is a single
headstone with only the name FIFE
on it (name
area left blank) has an angel etched into granite.
CHERYL ANN FIFE 11-02-1971 to 6-21-2010
"U R My
Sunshine" *No surname given.
DANIEL "Spanky" FIFE (14) 5-7-1984 to 4-8-1999
*S/of
Thomas Guy
Fife (1962-2016)
THOMAS GUY
FIFE
(53) 11-2-1962 to 1-14-2016 *OB
*S/of Sam Leamon Fife &
Virginia Gail Hickey Fife
*Grandson of the late Thad
& Cordie Fife ~ Thomas Guy & Bernice Hickey Guy
*Perry's Funeral Chapels.
(M.E.)MOSES EVANS
FRISBY 6-28-1875 to
9-5-1898
*S/of Melissa Hughes Frisby(1819-1915) & William
Jesse Frisby(1817-1905)
*Hattie Rosetta Harmon (1868-1936) *1st Md: Moses E.
Frisby in 1888 / ?1895
*Hattie Rosetta Harmon Frisby *md: 2nd,
1908, husband, Joseph E. Beck(1851-1924)
*D/of Solomon G. Harmon (b: ca 1827 SC) & Margaret Harmon (b: ca 1835 SC)
*Hattie Rosetta Harmon Frisby Beck is buried
@
New London
Cemetery, New
London, Union County, AR
*Age 23 yrs-2
mos-5 dys *Brother-in-law of Charlie
Harmon
*F/of Bessie Lorain Frisby Turbeville(1896-1987) & Charlie E.
Frisby(1899-1986)
DOYLE M. GILMORE
2-3-1951 (One date)
& TEWANA
A. GILMORE 7-16-1943 (One date)
CHARLES E.
HARMAN 8-5-1857 to
3-15-1923
*H/of
Tobitha C. Harman (1877-1913) "He is not dead but sleepeth" (Mason)
TOBITHA C. HARMAN
10-3-1877 to 5-3-1913
*Wf/of Charles E. Harman(1857-1923) "A light from our household is gone.
A voice we loved is stilled, A place
is vacant in our hearts, That never can be filled."
GEORGE HARMAN
1-26-1897 to 6-3-1909
*S/of L. J. &
M. E. Harman *Grandson of
Solomon & Margaret Harman
"Our
darling one hath gone before, To greet us on the blissful shore."
SOLOMON G. HARMAN 6-17-1826
to 1-7-1884
*H/of Margaret E. Harman "Our darling one hath gone before To
greet us on the blissful shore."
(Tombstone broken but repaired) *Footstone S.G.H. propped on base of
Charles Harman.
MARGARET E.
HARMAN 9-4-1835 to
1-2-1893
*Wife
of Solomon G. Harman *Mother of John W. Harman
(1859-1937 0
"Her
happy soul has winged it's way, To one pure, bright, eternal day.
" (Tombstone broken but repaired)
(G.R.J.) GUSSIE R. JUSTICE
3-15-1872 to 12-6-1872
*D/of R.T. &
Reppie Justice *Broken, (2012)
foot marker G.R.J, amongst rubble
pile
of broken tombstones. Old headstone is
still readable in 2012.
"Sleep
on sweet baby and take thy rest. God called the home. He thought it best."
SAREPTA E. JUSTICE
4-17-1853 to 3-22-1872
*Wife
of R. T. JUSTICE *Born in Putnam Co., GA
*Headstone
was broken & lying in a pile of other tombstones, when I first saw it.
“Blooming
youth as you pass by; As you are now so once was I;
As
I am now so you must be; Prepare for death and follow me."
ALESA SUZONNE "Suzy" TAYLOR
AYRES KING
4-18-1964
to 7-8-2008
*D/of Bennie Lojie Taylor(1935-2011) & Gladys Keaster Taylor(1950-?)
"Mother" "Forever In Our Hearts"
MITCEL KNELL
3-8-1854 to 3-17-1891
*From
1992 survey.
MELISSA ANN FIFE
LEE (46) 6-14-1967 to
9-25-2013 *OB
*D/of late Van Buren (Bill) Fife & Tewana Gilmore Fife (Doyle); *Wf/of
Butch Lee
COLE RICHARD
MITCHAM 9-9-2003 to
2-14-2004
*S/of Collete
& Kyle Mitcham
*Grand S/of Earnest F. Mitcham(1927-2008) & Bennie Lee Fife Mitcham(1933-2012)
"Chunky
Monkey" *Photo embedded "Gone But Not Forgotten
EARNEST ‘FRANKLIN’
MITCHAM(81)
3-29-1927LA to 5-12-2008AR
*Born in Laran, Union Parish,
Louisiana *Died Strong, Union Co., AR.
*S/of Ernest T.
Mitcham(1902-1983) & Bessie McBroom
Mitcham(1909-1999)
*Started working with his
father in the logging business when he was 16
years old & he continued
in the logging business until his sickness
wouldn't allow him to work
anymore. He also loved the Ouachita
River
Bottoms. His favorite
pastime was to sit on the banks of the river &
admire its beauty. Loved his
family, especially all of his grandchildren.
*Survived by his loving wife
of 57 years, Bennie Fife Mitcham
"Father" *Double Crypt
"Forever With The Lord" "Mother" ▼ *OB
& BENNIE LEE FIFE
MITCHAM(78)
12-18-1933 to
6-20-2012
*Born in the New London
community near Strong, AR
*D/of Chester Fife
(1913-1968) & Tommy H. Fife (1915-1974)
*Raised up & down the Ouachita
River in Arkansas & Louisiana,
enjoying the life style the
river provided. She hunted & fished
&
built the only floating
chicken house on the river. Active politically
to saving the river &
served on "Save The Ouachita" committee.
*Dedicated to the Baptist
faith. Perry's Funeral Chapels
*Wf/of 57 yrs to Earnest
Franklin Mitcham(1927-2008)
KENNETH
EARL MITCHAM 10-17-1954
to 4-29-2007
*Son of Earnest Franklin Mitcham &
Bennie Lee Fife Mitcham.
*Md:1/8/1972 Kathy
Telano
*On
back of black marble tombstone: "Daddys Girls" "Our Daughters Kim and Kayla
& KATHY
TELANO MITCHAM
10-9-1953 (One
date)
CASSIE
NEAL 1-15-1878 to
7-14-1878
"Sleep on Sweet Babe"
ELLA NELSON
11-30-1889 to 2-17-1890
*From
1992 survey.
ROBERT "R.G." NOLAN
12-24-1936 (One date)
*Md:6/4/1955 "Gone But Not Forgotten"
& CAROLYN S.
NOLAN 2-18-1939 (One date)
*Parents
of Terrie-Rickey-Vickie & Johnny
KATIE LOU PERRY 3-20-1933 to 10-21-2009
"Mother" "Too Well Loved To Ever Be Forgotten"
DAN LESTER
PRATT, JR.(73) 8-29-1935 to 7-6-2009 *OB
*S/of Don L. Pratt, Sr. & Sally Eunice Pepper Pratt
*Baptist
Minister for 49 years./ Retired timber surveyor for Georgia-Pacific in El
Dorado.
*Owner
of Timberland Saw Co. & Pratt Chainsaw Service.
*A
former employee of Stephen Forestry & the Arkansas Forestry Commission
*Pastor
of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church for the past 18 years.
*Md:11/3/1975 Ollie
Ruth Taylor "Gone to A
Better Land"
Interment
in Pigeon Hill Cemetery under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home.
& OLLIE RUTH
TAYLOR PRATT 8-17-1935 to
8-2-2005
RANDALL CLYDE “RANDY” SIMMONS(62)
4-17-1952 to
2-13-2015
*S/of the late Harry Leslie
Simmons & Carrie Sue Hamaker Simmons(1926-1993)
*Randall was born in Warren,
AR & died in Libertyville, Lake Co., Illinois.
*Mother, buried McFarland
Cemetery, Banks, Bradley Co., AR.
* Attended school in Pine
Bluff & Banks, AR;
*MBA-Bristol University; BA- Columbia College
*Decorated Chief Warrant
Officer with 24 yrs in the U.S. Army.
*Survived by his wife, Terrie Nolan
Simmons md: 7/30/1976
*Late brother, Leslie Wayne
Simmons, buried Hamburg Cemetery, Ashley Co., AR
BENNIE
LOJIE TAYLOR (75) 6-28-1935
to 4-3-2011
*S/of Winfred Powell & Lou Quincy
Powell
*Preceding him in death are
his parents & a daughter,
Alesa Suzonne
"Suzy" Taylor Ayres King.
*Served
as a Sgt U.S. Marines
*Md:3/18/1977 Gladys
Ann Keaster
"In Loving Memory" *Operator of Pigeon Hill Grocery.
& GLADYS ANN KEASTER TAYLOR 4-6-1950 (One date)
In the above photo – just to the right and below the
right
lower corner of the sign is a large Angel statue at
the grave of
Ronnie Black.
Arkansas State Hwy. 63 East
can be seen in this photo.
Pile of miscellaneous broken
tombstone pieces.
Across Oak Hill Road toward, the right
side of photo is a lawn area
behind the Oak Grove Baptist Church