1902 :: Revised Ordinances of the City of Rockdale

Topics include . . . placing boxes, barrels, etc., on sidewalks, and wagons, etc., on streets . . . selling corrupted or unwholesome food, etc. . . . innkeeper, physician, etc., shall report persons sick with smallpox, etc. . . . leaving and visiting infected houses . . . unlawful burial in the City Cemetery . . . hanging in effigy . . . failing to work street . . . Rockdale Reporter. (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 09, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 13, 1902 Page: 7 of 8 

1922 :: Death of John Ellis

Mortuary. John Ellis, one of the oldest citizens of Rockdale, died at the home of his daughter south of town Tuesday and was buried Wednesday in the new city cemetery, Rev. G.S. Tumlin, pastor of the Baptist church, officiating. Decedent was 68 years of age and came to Rockdale in the early days of the town's life. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 2, 1922 Page: 2 of 8

1913 :: Death of Jim Arthur

Mortuary. Jim Arthur died at his home here Monday night of pneumonia after having been ill only nine days. He leaves a wife and three children to mourn his untimely death. Mr. Arthur was about thirty years of age and was well liked by all who knew him. The remains were laid to rest in the new City Cemetery Tuesday afternoon under the auspices of the W.O.W. Camp of Rockdale, of which deceased was a member. Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, March 06, 1913

1947 :: Death of Mary Sanders

Mary Sanders, one of Rockdale's old time colored folk, died at her home here Friday after a long illness. Funeral services were held Wednesday. Mary was a member of an early day colored family of Rockdale, the older members having come to Milam county with the family of the late Judge English of Cameron, before Rockdale was founded. Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, December 11, 1947

1966 :: Mrs. Alma Lewis Dies Friday at Local Hospital

Mrs. Alma Lewis, 81, daughter of one of the first early-day residents of Rockdale, died at 1:35 p.m. Friday in Richards Hospital. She had been in failing health the past three months and in the hospital four weeks.

Funeral services were held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Phillips & Luckey Chapel with burial in Oak Lawn Cemetery. The Rev. D.D. Simpson and the Rev. Allen Cearley, Baptist ministers of Rockdale and Milano, officiated. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Rockdale.

Born in Rockdale on Feb. 9, 1885, she was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Scott, both deceased. She was one of 12 children. Her father, a photographer, was a passenger on the first train that came to Rockdale when the railroad extended its line this far west. He was one of the first city councilmen in Rockdale.

She and Valdie Lewis were married here in 1902 and six children were born to them, an infant preceding her in death. Her husband died Oct. 3, 1947.

Survivors include a son, C.D. Lewis of Lufkin; four daughters, Mrs. E.A. Tucker of Houston, Mrs. V.B. Douglas of Los Angeles, Mrs. Alvie Blackmon of Milano, and Mrs. D.E. Taylor of Milano; two sisters, Mrs. Sue Hill of Longview and Mrs. Billie Neal of Longview; nine grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and one great great grandchild.

Pallbearers were Gordon Mason, Holice Mason, Arnold Mason, Wayne Tucker, Michael Johnson, and Charlie Tucker. Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, December 08, 1966

1936 :: Burial of Ed Henke

ROCKDALE, Tex., Sept. 8. -- Funeral services for Ed. P. Henke, 54, Rockdale merchant, who was found dead at his place of business here Sunday, were held at the home Monday afternoon. Interment was in Oak Lawn cemetery. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Rosa Brockenbush Henke; an aged father in Germany; two sisters, Mrs. Anna Bollen of New Braunfels, Mrs. Charles Richter of Rockdale, two brothers, Henry and Will Henke of Thorndale. San Antonio Express, September 09, 1936

1967 :: Death of W H Vesey

On the 11th day of August . . . in the year 1967 . . . William Henry Vesey dies at Richards Hospital in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas . . . he is listed as being 96 years of age at the time of his death . . . his residence is listed as 821 Ackerman . . . and burial was to be on the 13th day of August at IOOF Cemetery . . . 

At the time of Mr. Vesey's death, his was listed as being self-employed in the business of "Concrete construction" . . . on the 1910 census, both he and his father (1845-1918) were listed as bricklayers . . . in 1920 he and his oldest son are enumerated as brick masons . . . in 1930 he is listed as a cement and brick contractor . . . in 1934 his name is mentioned in the following article regarding the new entrance for the New City Cemetery in Rockdale . . . aka Oaklawn or Oak Lawn Cemetery . . . 

Rockdale Reporter and Messenger

June 7, 1934

NEW ENTRANCE FOR CEMETERY 

New City Cemetery is Named Oak Lawn Cemetery; Work Started on Entrance

The ladies of the Rockdale Cemetery Association last week let a contract to W.H. Vesey for the erection of an ornamental entrance to the new city cemetery, and Mr. Vesey began work on the job Monday.

Incidentally, the Association, by resolution has given the cemetery a name, and it is hereafter to be known as Oak Lawn Cemetery. That name will appear above the ornamental gateway now being erected.

The new entrance will cost several hundred dollars and will be paid for from funds which the Association has been accumulating for the past ten years for the purpose. These funds were derived from various entertainments and donations, over a long period, and have been kept separate from maintenance funds and saved for the purpose.

The entrance will be very handsome in its construction of two colors of face brick, with concrete foundations and an ornamental iron gate set in an appropriate archway, with the name of the cemetery inscribed above. It will face west on Pear street, and the driveway will lead through the newer section of the grounds.

The ladies are deserving of congratulations and commendation for this splendid civic accomplishment.

P.S. . . . based on the similarities of the entrances to these two cemeteries, it does seem quite probable that the Veseys also did the entrance for the Odd Fellows Cemetery . . . 

Photos and collages by benotforgot.

1952 :: Death of Bud Selman

W.M. Selman, 82, former Rockdale citizen, was found dead in his bed Thursday morning at his home in Temple. Mr. Selman had suffered with a heart condition for a number of years. He moved to Temple with his son about ten years ago after the death of his wife.

The body was brought to  Rockdale and funeral services were held from the chapel to Phillips and Luckey funeral home Friday afternoon. The Rev. Hal Cunningham officiated and burial was made at Oak Lawn cemetery.

Survivors include a son William C. Selman of Temple and a grandson, Richard Glenn Selman of Denton. Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, July 17, 1952

1948 :: Death of Robert Lee Yoakum

Robert Lee Yoakum, 16 year old student of Rockdale high school and son of Mr. and Mrs. George Yoakum, was killed Monday afternoon between 2:30 and 3 p.m., when he came in contact with a live wire while moving a house at Caldwell.

Young Yoakum was working with his father and a brother, George Jr., on a house-moving job. The wire across the highway was believed to be dead at the time the house was being moved under it. 

George Yoakum, Jr. was knocked out but not seriously injured and does not remember what happened, he said.

Funeral services for Robert Lee Yoakum were conducted from the Phillips and Luckey Chapel Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., with Rev. Howard Mitchell officiating and burial at Oak Lawn Cemetery. A huge crowd attended, attesting to the popularity of young Yoakum. 

Pallbearers were fellow teammates of the 1948 football team: Walter Heckendorn, James Caffey, Henry Hall, Jack Crane, H.D. Maxwell Jr. and George Haley.

A star athlete and member of the FFA judging team that won second place this year, Robert Lee Yoakum was one of the favorite students of the entire Rockdale high school among both students and teachers. "He was always so willing, so able, and he will be sorely missed," in the words of so many of his friends in school.

He was active in all school activities, lettered in football, and played basketball and tennis. He was named a Lone Star Farmer at the State FFA convention at Houston last week, and during the year served the local chapter as reporter. He had always been very active in chapter work. He was an individual prize winner at the soil conservation contest at Taylor last fall.

Robert Lee Yoakum was born Nov. 2, 1931, near Rockdale, and would have been seventeen years old next November. He would have been a member of the R.H.S. senior class this coming term.

Besides his mother and father he leaves three brothers: Herbert, Vernon and George Yoakum Jr., and two sisters, Mrs. James Burch of Meridian and Mrs. John Yoakum of Rockdale, besides a number of other relatives. Rockdale Reporter, June 24, 1948

1960 :: Galveston Accident

Walter Davenport, a Galveston ambulance driver, answered an accident call and recognized one of the dying victims as his own daughter. While pulling the two victims from the wreckage of their automobile, Davenport suddenly cried, "Good Lord, that's my daughter." 

The girl, Elizabeth Sue Davenport, 17, and her escort, Edgar Lee Henry, 20, both died at a hospital several hours after the two-car collision at an intersection. Henry's family lives in Rockdale, Texas, but he had been living in Galveston for some time. 

Driver of the other car involved in the wreck was indentified as J.... T P.... of Houston. Police said skid marks indicated Price ran a stop sign. He was charged with two counts of neglicent homicide and one of failure to yield right-of-way. 

Davenport, after finding his daughter and her companion in their wrecked car, continued with his work, placing them in his ambulance and taking them to the hospital. El Paso Herald-Post, Courier Gazette, Pampa Daily News, June 6, 1960

1922 :: Death of Little Velma Ashby

Rockdale Child is Victim of High Powered Electric Wire

Little Velma Ashby Meets Instant Death by Electrocution When Hand Comes in Contact with Texas Power & Light High Voltage Line. 

One of the most distressing tragedies that has ever happened in Rockdale occurred Friday, resulting in the death of little Velma Ashby, thirteen year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B. Ashby, who met her untimely end by coming in contact with a high powered electric light wire. 

The child was across the street from her home in the yard of J.D. Hamilton, playing with the Hamilton children. She climbed into a chinaberry tree to gather some of the sweet-smelling blossoms. It so happened that two uninsulated wires of the Texas Power & Light Company ran through the foliage of the tree, and little Velma evidently grasped one or both of the wires, receiving the full charge of the 2,200 volts of electricity, and evidently resulting in instant death. Her body slipped and caught by the feet in a tangle of small limbs, leaving her hanging by her feet, head down, some eight or ten feet from the ground. 

The children gave the alarm and Tom Marrs, from across the alley, ran over with a ladder and assisted by his son, Wynette, and Miss Laura Hamilton, got the body down. Life was then practically extinct the child gasping once or twice after being taken down. Physicians were soon on the grounds and pronounced death due to electrocution. 

The funeral was held Saturday morning at ten o'clock, being conducted by Rev. B.B. Blaylock of Temple assisted by Rev. G.S. Tumlin of this city, and the unanimous interest and sympathy of the people of Rockdale was evidenced by the large attendance and many beautiful flowers. The attendance of children was particularly notable. Velma was in the sixth grade at school and was popular with her classmates who grieved sorely at her death. Interment was at the New City Cemetery [i.e., Oaklawn], the religious services being conducted at the grave, where the consoling words of Bro. Blaylock, and the tender prayer of Bro. Tumlin brought comfort to the bruised hearts of the stricken family. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, Thursday, April 27, 1922

1931 :: Death of Little Mary Ann McCarty

Little Mary Ann McCarty, born to Mr. and Mrs. Barney McCarty, Saturday morning at the home of Mrs. McCarty's mother at Rockdale, Texas, died that afternoon and was buried at sunrise Sunday morning by a group of friends. Rev. L.E. Strickland, pastor of the Rockdale Baptist Church, officiating. Friends of Mr. and Mrs. McCarty in Lockhart sympathize with them in their sad bereavement. Lockhart Post-Register, October 8, 1931

1930 :: Death of Mrs. Mary Neely Thompson

Rockdale, Texas, Oct. 3. -- Funeral services for Mrs. Mary Neely Thompson were held from the family home, the Rev. G.B. Carter, pastor of the Rockdale Methodist Episcopal Church, officiating. Burial was made in the new City Cemetery. She is survived by a son, Jess Thompson of Rockdale; a daughter, Mrs. Blanche Russell of San Antonio, and her mother, three brothers and five sisters. Dallas Morning News, October 4, 1930 

1950 :: Death of Preston H. Harriss

Preston H. Harriss Succumbs at Rockdale. Rockdale, Texas, Feb. 10. -- Funeral services for Preston H. (Boots) Harriss, 42, who died suddenly Wednesday, were held here Thursday. The Rev. T. Miller Smith officiated. Since a young man he had been associated with lumber and oil interests. He leaves his wife, Mrs. Flora Scheihing Harriss; three children, Johnny, Virginia and Bobby Harriss; two brothers, Lon Harriss of San Antonio and Dr. W.D. Harriss of McKinney; four sisters, Mrs. Bryan Bernard of Austin, Mrs. Buford Hall of California, Mrs. J.C. Oliver of Dallas and Mrs. E.H. Rinn of Rockdale. Dallas Morning News. February 11, 1950.

1902 :: Death of William Pleasants

Ennis, Ellis Co., Tex., Nov. 28. -- William Pleasants, a young man from Rockdale, died here Thursday evening at the home of his sister, Mrs. C.W. McKenney. The remains were taken to Rockdale today for burial. Dallas Morning News, December 1, 1902 

1953 :: Polio Victim Buried

Mrs. Raymond Elliott, Polio Victim, Buried. Special to The News. Rockdale, Texas. -- Funeral services for Mrs. Raymond Elliott, 26, polio victim who died in an El Paso hospital, were held from Phillips & Luckey Chapel here, with burial in Oak Lawn Cemetery. Mrs. Elliott, the former Bertha Mae Seelke of Rockdale, was stricken two weeks ago while with her husband, Staff Sergeant Elliott, who is in the Air Force at Las Cruces, N.M. Besides her husband, she is survived by two small daughters, Marsha Carroll and Patricia Lee, and her mother, Mrs. Dora Hunt Seelke of Austin. Dallas Morning News, October 21, 1953

1930 :: J.J. Hairston Dies

Rockdale, Texas, June 11. -- J.J. Hairston, 82, died at his home in this city Monday. Mr. Hairston was a pioneer citizen of Milam County and Rockdale. He was engaged in the cattle business for many years but retired several years ago on account of declining health. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. J.J. Hairston, and the following children: Commissioner R.A. Hairston of this precinct, Miss Martha Hairston, Mrs. R.L. Orr of Rockdale, Mrs. George A. Marsch and Miss Alma Hairston of Shreveport, La. A granddaughter, Mrs. James Lanning of Rockdale and a grandson, Kenton K. Hairston of Denver, Colo., who were reared by the grandparents, and Postmaster H.H. Turner and other grandchildren of Rockdale and over the State survive him also. Funeral services were held Tuesday. Dallas Morning News, June 12, 1930

1891 :: SAAP Depot

Dallas Morning News, July 29, 1891. The tracklayers of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass railroad recently completed the road to Rockdale, Tex. A couple of days after the switches were put in and work on a depot begun, which is located on an elevated plat of ground between the International and Great Northern freight depot and city cemetery. Work on the depot will be pushed rapidly forward.

1905 :: Death of H. Vogel

Dallas Morning News. July 5, 1905. Fatal Accident at Rockdale. Special to The News. Rockdale, Tex., July 4. -- H. Vogel, president of the Diamond Coal Company, and one of the wealthiest men in this section of the country, sustained an accident yesterday, which cost him his life. [his findagrave memorial page]

1930 :: Rockdale War Veteran Dies from Shell Shock

Rockdale War Veteran Dies From Shell Shock. Special to The News. Rockdale, Texas, March 13. -- A telegraphic message was received by Mrs. J.A. Phillips of this city that her eldest son, James Kolb Phillips, had died in a hospital at Chattahooche, Fla. The immediate cause of his death was a recurrence of shell shock, resulting from his service with the American Expeditionary Force in France.


Young Phillips was brought home from France in 1919, and remained in Government hospitals at Newport News, Va., and California, for some months before being discharged as cured. After two years in New Mexico, he returned to Texas and resumed his studies at Texas A.&M. College, where he graduated in the class of 1924 with his younger brother, Charles. For the last few years he had been engaged in the citrus fruit and nursery business at St. Petersburg, Fla., with his uncle, C.L. Kolb.


He was the son of the late Dr. J.A. Phillips, and is survived by his mother, Mrs. J.A. Phillips of Rockdale; a sister, Mrs. Clyde Franklin, Rockdale; a brother, Charles C. Phillips of Vicksburg, Miss.; an aunt, Mrs. Maie Vanderventer, and an uncle, O.K. Phillips of Rockdale. The body will be brought to Rockdale for burial. Dallas Morning News, March 14, 1930