ALTOGA CEMETERY - ALTOGA CR972, east of Melissa
Latitude 33 06 02N
Longitude 976 39 55 W
FIRST INTERMENT 45 YEARS AGO
IN ALTOGA CEMETERY
NOW CONTAINS NEARLY 500
GRAVES-GROUNDS ARE WELL KEPT.
McKinney
Courier, November 27,
1926, p. 2
This editor was among the large
concourse of friends who attended the funeral and burial of the late R. G. Welsh
at the Altoga cemetery, ten miles northeast of McKinney, on the afternoon of
Thanksgiving day.
The first interment in that
cemetery was made just forty-five years ago. At the present time, we were told
that it now contains nearly five hundred graves.
The first person to be buried
there was Mrs. Elizabeth H., wife of John Mantooth, who died November 22,1881.
She was the mother of Woots and Bill Mantooth and of Mesdames J. A. Moreland and
L. T. Moreland, all prominent Altoga Citizens and early settlers, now all four
deceased. She was the grandmother of Dr. John T. Mantooth, prominent Altoga
physician and surgeon.
The Altoga cemetery is located in
the southeast suburbs of the village on the farm of the last Bill Mantooth. The
location is an elevated, gently sloping one, and is ideal as a place of
sepulcher for Altoga and a wide radius of surrounding territory. The dirt is of
a graying color, unusually well adapted for excavating purposes. No rock is
encountered and graves are easily and quickly dug by the use of the spade and
shovel only. The drainage is also most desirable.
Near the entrance of the
cemetery, a large memorial tabernacle has been erected and comfortably seated.
The sidings are swung on hinges and can be lowered or elevated according to the
state of the weather and prevailing temperature. In our opinion, every cemetery
should build and equip such memorial auditoriums for the use and protection of
the public against the varying weather conditions.
Joe Bagwell is
sexton of this old cemetery, which he keeps clear of weeds and grass and which
presents a most creditable appearance. However, it is a pity that the founders
of this otherwise ideally located cemetery, did not plot it in the beginning
into a better system of lots, street and passageways running through it. As this
was not done, the graves are not in as orderly arrangement as they otherwise
would have been. Many old settlers are buried there. Some of their graves are
marked by imposing tombstones and monuments.
Historical marker, 1997.
ALTOGA
CEMETERY
THIS
CEMETERY HAS SERVED THE ALTOGA AREA SINCE 1881,
INCLUDING WHAT WAS ONCE THE
JOHNSON COMMUNITY
TO THE SOUTH AND THE ARDATH COMMUNITY TO THE WEST.
THE
EARLIEST RECORDED BURIALS ARE THOSE OF THREE-Y
EAR-OLD IDA LEOMY PARKER IN JULY
1881 AND ELIZABETH
HUMBARD MANTOOTH IN NOVEMBER 1881.
WILLIAM
MANTOOTH DONATED ONE AND ONE-THIRD ACRES
OF LAND FOR THE CEMETERY IN 1894.
ANOTHER TWO AND
ONE-THIRD ACRES WERE LATER ADDED TO THE SITE.
A TABERNACLE TO BE
USED FOR FUNERALS WAS ERECTED
IN AUGUST 1914. IT WAS BUILT BY LOCAL MEN WITH
FUNDS
RAISED BY THE WOODMEN OF THE WORLD WITH EVENTS
SUCH AS ICE CREAM SOCIALS
AND PIE SUPPERS. THE TABER-
NACLE
IS STILL USED EACH MAY FOR OBSERVANCE OF
DECORATION DAY.
THE CEMETERY CONTAINS
MORE THAT 720 GRAVES, INCLUD
ING ABOUT 40 UNMARKED GRAVES. BURIED HERE ARE EARLY
SETTLERS TO THE AREA, THEIR FAMILIES, AND VETERANS OF
THE CIVIL WAR (BOTH
CONFEDERATE AND UNION SOLDIERS),
WORLD WAR I, WORLD WAR II, AND THE KOREAN
CONFLICT.
THE
ALTOGA CEMETERY ASSOCIATION, FORMED IN 1971,
MAINTAINS THE GROUNDS THROUGH A
PERPETUAL CARE
TRUST. THE GRAVEYARD CONTINUES TO SERVE THE AREA AS
IT HAS FOR
MORE THAN A CENTURY.
FIRST INTERMENT 45 YEARS AGO IN ALTOGA CEMETERY
NOW CONTAINS NEARLY 500 GRAVES – GROUNDS ARE WELL KEPT.
McKinney Daily Courier Gazette, November 27, 1926
This editor was among the large concourse of friends who attended the funeral
and burial of the late R. G. Welsh at the Altoga cemetery, ten miles northeast
of McKinney, on the afternoon of Thanksgiving day.
The first interment in that cemetery was made just forty-five years ago. At the
present time, we were told that it now contains nearly five hundred graves.
The first person to be buried there was Mrs. Elizabeth H., wife of John Mantooth,
who died November 22,1881. She was the mother of Woots and Bill Mantooth and of
Mesdames J. A. Moreland and L. T. Moreland, all prominent Altoga Citizens and
early settlers, now all four deceased. She was the grandmother of Dr. John T.
Mantooth, prominent Altoga physician and surgeon.
The Altoga cemetery is located in the southeast suburbs of the village on the
farm of the last Bill Mantooth. The location is an elevated, gently sloping one,
and is ideal as a place of sepulcher for Altoga and a wide radius of surrounding
territory. The dirt is of a graying color, unusually well adapted for excavating
purposes. No rock is encountered and graves are easily and quickly dug by the
use of the spade and shovel only. The drainage is also most desirable.
Near the entrance of the cemetery, a large memorial tabernacle has been erected
and comfortably seated. The sidings are swung on hinges and can be lowered or
elevated according to the state of the weather and prevailing temperature. In
our opinion, every cemetery should build and equip such memorial auditoriums for
the use and protection of the public against the varying weather conditions.
Joe Bagwell is sexton of this old cemetery, which he keeps clear of weeds and
grass and which presents a most creditable appearance. However, it is a pity
that the founders of this otherwise ideally located cemetery, did not plot it in
the beginning into a better system of lots, street and passageways running
through it. As this was not done, the graves are not in as orderly arrangement
as they otherwise would have been. Many old settlers are buried there. Some of
their graves are marked by imposing tombstones and monuments.
ALTOGA
CEMETERY TABERNACLE
History.
The
tabernacle, sometimes called a shed, was erected in August 1914. According to
Lee Stiff, the shed was built under the supervision of Riley Moore of Chambliss
and it took about a month to build. The builders were: Green Johnson, Al Lawson,
Elmer Lawson, Roe Lawson, Will Terrell, Luther E. Mitchell, and Lee Stiff. The
lumber was bought from the Wilcox Lumber yard in McKinney.
An
article, describing the tabernacle, appeared in the McKinney paper June 23,
1918, the obituary of Jeremiah Lawson.
ALTOGA ENTERPRIZE – Large, cool,
Tabernacle In Cemetery for Funeral Assemblages. One of the editors of these
papers attended the burial of the late Jerry Lawson at the Altoga cemetery 9
miles northeast of McKinney, Friday afternoon. The attendance was large from the
Atloga vicinity where the deceased resided for many years and was held in high
esteem. Funeral services were held under the large shed or tabernacle in the
cemetery by Dr. J. J. Pierce, assisted by Dr. E. B. Fincher, both of McKinney in
which city the deceased resided during the last six years of his life. The day,
the longest of the year, was an extremely hot one, but the sorrowing relatives
and friends were sheltered from the burning rays of the sun by the big covered
shed which admitted the breezes from any direction from which it might be
blowing as it is open on all sides. The shed look to be about 40 foot square,
with high conical roof and is an ideal accommodation in which to hold services
in the cemetery, protecting the mourners from the elements of whatever
character. Altoga’s enterprize in this respect is unsurpassed by that of any
other town or community in the county. It could be modeled after with profit by
an town or community any where in our county.
Altoga
CEMETERY
INDEX
- Recommended citation:
Altoga Cemetery - Altoga,
"CEMETERIES OF COLLIN COUNTY."
Collin County, Texas History and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of
Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13, 2004 ].
The Altoga
Cemetery is currently being transcribed. | 