Oklahoma Cemetery Records Research Guide
Finding the data you want and need could depend on how far back your Oklahoma cemetery records need to go. Obviously, the further back the date of the death, the more challenging it may be to track certain records down. It all depends on how the county was with records keeping, or even the individual church or cemetery.
For Definitions of all Cemetery Terms See Symbols on Gravestones and Their Interpretations
If you are looking for information to try to help fill in missing gaps on your genealogy charts or family trees, you may want to consider using:
- Oklahoma cemetery records
- birth certificates
- marriage records
- divorce records
- death records for Oklahoma residents
In other words, there are plenty of resources available, but you may find Oklahoma cemetery records can be the most helpful. The reason for this is that some states do not allow certain vital records to be accessed by the public. You should not have this problem with Oklahoma cemetery records. Not only that but Oklahoma cemetery records can help you find as much data as anything else.
People overlook the value of Oklahoma cemetery records thinking there is not enough good, detailed data on these. The truth is you may be able to find just as much with these as with anything else. Oklahoma cemetery records may lead you to find out:
- a person's full legal name
- the maiden name of a woman
- when the person was born
- where the person was born
- whether or not they were in the military or part of another organization
- when they died
- the names of other family members
What Else to Know
You may be able to look for Oklahoma cemetery records in a variety of places too. For instance, some people find what they need at a church while others find this at their county offices. Often times using the library to check old microfilm of newspapers can also help with Oklahoma cemetery records. The bottom line is to try different approaches to looking for various data. Eventually your Oklahoma cemetery records search will pay off and help you find the information you need for your genealogy project.
Research In Oklahoma Cemetery Records
The Oklahoma Historical Society Library has the state copies of cemetery transcriptions completed by the state DAR, although this group of compilations is by no means comprehensive. A card file index at the library lists cemeteries in the DAR collection and some other cemeteries that have been canvassed. The card index is alphabetical by name of county and indicates the cemetery.
Many other cemetery records exist that are not on the card file. Published records include some for Carter, Garfield, LeFlore, Murray, Muskogee, Payne, Roger Mills, Sequoyah, and Woodward counties. The FHL hasCemetery Records of Oklahoma. 9 vols. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959–62). Also see James W. Tyner and Alice Tyner Timmons, Our People and Where They Rest, 10 vols. (Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma, 1969–78), and Madeline S. Mills and Helen R. Mullenax, Relocated Cemeteries in Oklahoma and Parts of Arkansas-Kansas-Texas (Tulsa, Okla.: the authors, 1974). The newest guide is Barbara Pierce and Brian Basore, Oklahoma Cemeteries: Bibliography of the Collections in the Oklahoma Historical Society. (Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society, Library Resources Division, 1993.
Other publications include:
- Chasteen, Jerri G. Master Index to Our People and Where They Rest: An Index to 1,043 Old Cemeteries within the Boundary of the Old Indian Territory. Pryor, Okla.: the author, 1995.
- Lemley, Marie Perrin. “Cemetery Records of Oklahoma.” Manuscript microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1993.
- Lester, Gary W. Cemetery Relocation Records of Grand and Eucha Lakes. Braggs, Okla.: Green Leaf Creek, 1995.
Famous People Buried in Oklahoma Cemeteries
| County | Name / Date / Cemetery | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cherokee | Ed (Harvester), Mister (Bamboo) 'Mr. Ed' 5/2/1905 - 5/23/1905 Snodgrass Farm |
Animal Actor. Mister Ed, a Palomino horse officially named Bamboo Harvester, was a show and parade horse who was foaled in 1949 in El Monte, California. |
| Cherokee | Lowrey Jr. , George 11/4/1904 - October 20, 1852 Tahlequah Cemetery |
Native Cherokee Chief. Born Agin'-agi'li and known as Rising Fawn, his father came from Scotland and his mother was the daughter and granddaughter of Echota Cherokee chiefs. |
| Comanche | Geronimo 1/2/1905 - 2/17/1909 Beef Creek Apache Cemetery |
Native American Indian Leader. Apache Shaman; Geronimo was the spiritual leader of a small group of Chiricahua Apaches, led by Naiche. |
| Comanche | Parker, Quanah - 2/23/1911 Fort Sill Post Cemetery |
Native American Folk Figure. He is often referred to as the last Chief of the Comanches, but the truth of the matter is that the Comanche people never elected him as a chief. In fact there was no such thing as Chief of the Comanches. |
| Okfuskee | Guthrie, Woody (Woodrow Wilson) 7/14/1912 - 10/3/1967 Highland Cemetery |
|
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Fence - Oklahoma City National Memorial |
The memorial fence is an outdoor symbolic monument to the memory of the 168 people whom died in the Oklahoma City terror bombing, April 19, 1995. The more than 200 feet of fence is an ongoing tribute which gives people the opportunity to leave tokens of remembrance and hope. |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial 'Survivor Tree' - Oklahoma City National Memorial |
Cause of death: Bomb |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City National Memorial - Oklahoma City National Memorial |
The memorial is a public-private partnership erected to the memory of the 168 people whom died in the Oklahoma City terror bombing, April 19, 1995. The monument is the largest of its kind in the United States and is managed by the US National Parks service. |
| Osage | Johnson, Ben 6/13/1918 - 4/8/1996 Pawhuska City Cemetery |
Actor. He is best remembered for his role of Sam the Lion in "The Last Picture Show" (1971), for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. |
| Rogers | Rogers, Will 11/4/1879 - 8/15/1935 Will Rogers Museum |
Humorist, Actor, Author. Born William Penn Adair Rogers the youngest of eight in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory which would later be known as Oolagah, Oklahoma to Mary America Scrimsher and Clem Rogers, a successful rancher. |
Oklahoma Cemeteries
| Cemetery Name | Cemetery City |
|---|---|
| Memorial Park Cemetery | Oklahoma City |
| Ross Cemetery | Park Hill |
| Memorial Park Cemetery | Tulsa |
Oklahoma Cemeteries & Graveyards Links
