On December 6, 2018, Jeff McKito arranges another visit to the Wilks Cemetery disinterment. In the weeks since we were last on site in October, the number of unmarked graves has grown from ten to thirteen. There is an unexpected grave in the Cagle family row, and there are two additional burials to the east of the row of unmarked graves previously discovered. These plus the 3 burials between the Wilks & Cagle rows brings the total to thirteen.
In addition to the unmarked graves, there are a couple of other surprises. The grave marked by the Bois d’Arc posts - the grave that we had speculated might be that of Alvie Wilks - was found to be empty. I asked Cody if it was possible that the remains had decayed to dust and he did not think that likely. The remains of one-day-old, Infant Son Wilks, had been found in excellent condition. If the remains of a newborn buried in 1881 were intact, then any burial in the cemetery should have some discernible remains. He thinks it truly was a false grave. We are left to ponder when the Bois d’Arc markers were added, by whom, and why they believed they were marking a grave. Who did they intend to honor and why had the true location of that person’s burial site been lost?
In the Cagle row, one of the graves marked by a foot stone was also empty, though the total number of graves in the row was one more than expected. This an indication that perhaps the Cagle monument and markers were also added at some later time, as they are out of alignment with the actual burials.
Second visit to excavation, photo by Wanda Holmes Oliver.
Recovery team at work, photo by Wanda Holmes Oliver.
Taking measurements, photo by Wanda Holmes Oliver.
At this point the layout of the cemetery precedes from east to west in five irregular rows. At the extreme east are two graves, followed to the west by a row of seven graves. Then we have the row of marked and unmarked Cagle graves, eight in total. Wedged between the Cagle row and the Wilks row, the westernmost, are three graves, all of children or babies. The Wilks row contains fourteen graves as expected, all marked, making a total of 34 graves at the Wilks Cemetery site.
For illustrative purposes only.
The easternmost graves are thought to be the oldest burials. Moving from east to west the burials are more decadent - fancier caskets and coffins, more buttons, etc. Coffin and casket screws, found in abundance, and very identifiable right down to the manufacturer, will provide important details about the approximate timing of the unexpected burials once the team is back in the lab and can analyze them. The timing of the burials will be a critically important clue when forming hypotheses about who these people might be and how their story fits into the overall picture. Imagine - something as humble as the screw that affixed the lid may hold an answer to some of the mysteries here. The idea fills me with a sense of wonder and irony.
Other details serve to bring into focus the living people who were resting here. One of the children from the Cagle row shows severe remodeling of the bones, indicating a serious, long-term infection. One of the adults from the Wilks row suffered from gall stones. Thomas Wilks had broken his leg at some point well before his death, and most probably walked with a limp, one leg being noticeably shorter than the other. The hair of Margaret Wilks and of an adult female in the Cagle row were dressed with hair pins. Florence Wilks’ hair was arranged with a decorative comb. One of the coffins showed clear traces of white paint. But the most heart breaking of all the grave artifacts is the little red pocket knife in the shape of a dog buried with 8-year-old Charles Jefferson Wilks. It so embodies the love and the grief with which his parents laid him to rest and reminds us all of our common humanity.
Though there is some scraping still to do to the south and west, we are told that the pattern of graves found so far makes it unlikely that more graves will be found at the Wilks site. Furthermore, no graves have been found outside the fenced area of the Cemetery. Strangely enough, before the disinterment began, that was precisely where we thought we might find unmarked graves.
Detail of scraping, photo by Wanda Holmes Oliver.
Sections cleared, section remaining, photo by Wanda Holmes Oliver.
As we are preparing to leave, Cody gives us an update on the Bonham site. The work there has not yet begun. With reassurance from Jeff that he will keep us posted, we drag ourselves away.
Story by Wanda Holmes Oliver.