I wrote on January 21, that I was ready to pick up the threads of my research on this project. Two days later, Wuhan, China was locked down. Needless to say, as the novel coronavirus has turned the world upside down, I have focused little attention on the story of Bois d’Arc Lake and the Wilks and Bonham Cemeteries. Today, I am making another attempt to pick up the threads and regain momentum. I’ve decided that I might best serve myself and my readers by starting this reboot of my reboot with a summary of current status, open questions, and lines of investigation.
In terms of status, the two cemeteries have been completely evacuated and the area in which they were located incorporated into what will be the basin of the new lake. In total, 34 graves were evacuated at the Wilks Cemetery site. Of those, 21 were marked and 13 were unmarked. Of the 21 marked, the identify of 16 are well documented. A well-informed assumption can be made about 4 other graves that were marked with stones bearing only initials. The grave in the Cagle family row marked SHH remains a mystery. Nine of the unmarked graves were found to the east of the Cagle family row, and appeared in initial assessments by the archeological team to be older than the Cagle burials (the first known Cagle burial was in 1850, the last in 1861). One of the unmarked graves was found at the end of the Cagle family row, and the remaining three unmarked graves were found between the Cagle family row and the Wilks family row (the first Wilks burial occurred in 1869, the last in 1932). At the Bonham Cemetery site, 23 graves were excavated. Only two were marked (dating from Dec., 1865 and Jan., 1866). The scientific assessment of all the remains is now underway. In addition to gender and approximate age, I hope science will shed light on how and when many of the occupants of the unknown graves perished. I also hope it will allow them to be placed in family groups. While waiting on the results, my research has centered on the following open questions and lines of investigation.
Is the grave marked JHC that of John Cagle, youngest son of Susan and Martin Cagle? The last record I have found of John is in the 1870 Census. At that time, he was living in the household of Henry Black and serving in the occupation of Stock Driver. In Oct of 1864, the estates of Susan, Edward, and Robert Cagle were probated. The heirs were the three remaining children of Susan and Martin Cagle, Frances Cagle Hale, Mary Cagle, and John Cagle. The land containing the Wilks Cemetery site was part of their inheritance. In August of 1873, the Cagle heirs sold the land to the Wilks brothers Madison Solomon, Newton, and Milton. The signatories to that sale included Frances Cagle Hale and her husband and Mary Cagle Russell and her husband. John is not mentioned.
Who is SHH? Lying in the Cagle row, with Cagle family members to either side, SHH must be an extended family member. Could SHH be a Hale? As yet, I have found no records that shed any light on these questions.
Where is the child, Susan Cagle? This daughter of Susan and Martin Cagle, mentioned in family memoirs written by Thomas C. Hale, husband of Frances Cagle Hale, is missing from official records. Could she be the unmarked grave in the Cagle row? If so, why is there no marker for her? Could she be SHH? If so, she must have lived to marry, but she is not included in any of the census records that clearly document other members of the family.
Who owned or occupied the land from the time of James Kerr’s patent until it came into the hands of the Cagles? The deed records are oddly silent, and if the nine easterly graves are older than the earliest Cagle burials, this silence begs to be broken.
Do the three graves between the Cagle and Wilks rows belong to either of these families?
Where is little Alvie Wilks? Her death certificate states that she was buried in the Wilks Cemetery, but unlike the beautifully marked graves of the other Wilks family members, there is no stone for Alvie.
At the Bonham site, with only two marked graves to go on, the questions loom larger. Could these graves represent a migration cluster caught by an epidemic at the end of their migration from Arkansas to Texas? The excavation did yield some evidence of these graves being more hastily executed. And while I have done lots of research into the chain of ownership of the land containing the Wilks Cemetery site, I have completed very little research on the chain of ownership of the land containing the Bonham site. Perhaps there are uncovered clues waiting for me there.
Bonham Cemetery Site, July 2019. Photo by Wanda Oliver.
Bois d’Arc Lake Dam Construction, viewed from approximate location of Wilks Cemetery, July, 2019. Photo by Wanda Oliver.
Story by Wanda Oliver.