The original homestead of W. B. Carter contained 120 acres. On
January 17, 1935, he conveyed 30 acres to W. B. Carter, Jr., that left
a total of 90 acres remaining. The legal description of the Carter
Farm when it was sold in 1943 is:
TWP 8 N, Range 30W - NE ¼ of the SE ¼ of Sec. 34 and the NW ¼ of
the SW ¼ of Sec. 35 and the N. 10 acres of the SW ¼ of the SW ¼ of Sec.
35, reserving a family burial ground forty feet square in the
center of which is the tomb of William Carter.
This sale on June 3, 1943, was to E.A. & Willie Lou Patterson,
husband and wife, and S. L. & Bulah Renfrow, husband and wife. It
appears that the Patterson’s and the Renfrow’s subsequently divided the
property and Renfrow sold his property on 4/10/78 which contained the
cemetery and the pond.
The 9.77 acre parcel includes a single family dwelling at 1210 S.
Division, Lavaca, AR 72941. The owner is listed Connie J. Chronister,
Trustee. The pasture land of 35.00 acres is also listed at 1210 S.
Division, Lavaca, AR 72941. The legal owners are listed as: Connie J.
Chronister, Trustee and Darrell P. & wife Chronister.
I ordered copies of the deeds listed below which show a sale
March 28, 1978, from Nolen E. Renfrow, acting as Executor of the Estate
of Warren G. Renfrow, deceased, to Darrell P. Chronister and Connie J.
Chronister, husband and wife, a total of 44.79 acres. (The pond and
cemetery are on this property.)
The legal description on this Fiduciary deed shows the legal
description as:
Part of the Northeast Quarter, Southeast Quarter of Section
34, and part of the Northwest Quarter, Southwest Quarter, Section 35,
and part of the Southwest Quarter, Southwest Quarter, Section 35, all
being in Township 8, North, Range 30 West, Sebastian County, Arkansas,
more particularly as follows:
Commencing at the Southeast corner of the Northeast Quarter,
Southeast Quarter of said Section 34, said corner being the point and
place of beginning; thence running West 330.0 feet thence North 330.0
feet thence East 330.0 feet thence North 255.0 feet; thence West
1311.08 feet to a point on the centerline of Arkansas Highway 255;
thence North along said centerline 240.0 feet; thence East 2631.0 feet;
thence South 0 degrees 16 minutes East 1155.03 feet; thence South 89
degrees 59 minutes 40 seconds West 1325.3 feet; thence North 330.0 feet
to the point and place of beginning, containing 44.79 acres, less and
except public road rights of way and any easements of record.
NOTE: THE ABOVE LEGAL DESCRIPTION DOES NOT
CONTAIN THE PHRASE RESERVING THE CEMETERY! THEREFORE, DURING
SUBSEQUENT SALES FROM 1943 TO 1978, THIS PROVISION WAS DELETED FROM THE
DEEDS.
|
Date |
Book |
Page |
Legal |
Acres |
Parcel |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
12/6/2000 |
QCD |
|
PT NE SE |
|
69359-0182-00000-00 |
|
4/10/1978 |
284 |
90 |
PT NE SE |
1.00 |
|
|
4/10/1978 |
284 |
88 |
PT NE SE |
8.77 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
12/6/2006 |
QCD |
|
PT SW SW & PT NW SW |
35.00 |
69359-0206-00000-00 |
|
4/10/1978 |
584 |
90 |
PT SW SW & PT NW SW |
35.00 |
|
|
On the original Carter Farm was a pond and the small cemetery
containing the tomb of William Brown Carter and graves of two of his
infant children. The two infants were buried in the ground, without
markers, and W.B. Carter was buried in the tomb above ground, also
unmarked. The tomb consisted of very huge slabs of rock about 12"
thick. (See photo 1) At December 2006, location of what remains of the
cemetery is: 1210 S. Division, Lavaca, AR 72941. (See photos 2 & 3)
|
Obit of William Brown Carter
Source:
Southwest American Newspaper, Fort Smith, AR
April 1, 1940 - William Brown Carter Lavaca, AR March 31
- Special funeral services for William Brown Carter, 80 years
old, farmer of near Lavaca who died at the home Saturday night
was conducted at the residence Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Rev. J. B.
Ray, Methodist minister of Lavaca officiated. Burial was at the
Carter Cemetery.
Survivors include his wife, two sons, Billy and Guy
Carter of Lavaca and two daughters, Miss Eva Carter of the home
and Mrs. Virgil Langford.
Right: Photo 1
Blanche Olivia (Brown) Carter widow of William Brown Carter |
|
|
Buried in the Carter Cemetery were:
1. William Brown Carter, born 2-3-1860 in Bates County
MO. died Mar 30, 1940 in Lavaca AR. He is buried in a tomb
above ground. (Attached is a photo of my grandmother (Blanche
Olivia (Brown) Carter standing in front of the tomb - Photo 1)
He is the great grandson of Charles Carter of "Shirley",
Charles City, VA. born 1732.
2. Nora Lavenia Carter, born 6-23-1896 in Lavaca, AR - died
10-10-1897 in Lavaca, AR.
3. Dibber Carter, born 12-9-1898 in Lavaca, AR - died 1-2-1899
in Lavaca, AR.
Left: Photo 2 - All that is left of the cemetery. |
June 2000. - Vernon Carter talked to a Mr.
Herman Hobbs in Lavaca, AR and he showed Vernon the cemetery on
the old farm which was still there, fenced off from the
surrounding homes. Mr. Hobbs also provided his and his
daughters telephone numbers for contact purposes. It appears
the tomb was not demolished until after June 2000. (Mr. Hobbs
is the father of the current owner Connie Chronister.)
November 30, 2006 - When I telephoned Connie J.
Chronister, daughter of Herman Hobbs, she stated that she was
aware of a cemetery with one grave on it, but she doesn’t know
what happened to the tomb, nor the rocks or the bones of my
grandfather. She also stated that they had owned the property
for 30 years.
As of this date, December 2, 2006, I presume that the two
infants are still buried there since they were buried
underground. (See photo 2) As to my Grandfather’s remains, we
don’t know. When the stones were removed, the remains of my
Grandfather and perhaps some remnants of the casket were
obviously uncovered, but we do not know what was done with
these remains by the person who razed the cemetery.
Right: Photo 3 - Map of the location of the Carter
Cemetery. |
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