In Memory Of…Rubottom Cemetery

Hello all! Welcome back to the Hogue Connection. In this post, I’d like to revisit, virtually, the Rubottom Cemetery and all of the ancestors we have buried there. With the help of FindAGrave, I went in and created my own virtual cemetery and transferred it here to share with everyone.

I’ll go through each entry, and let you now how we are related to each individual, and tell a little story about them if I know of any. Since Charley and Nora Hogue lived in the area so many years, I’ll base the relationships on them; you can figure out their connection to you on your own. If you were to go back to visit Rubottom Cemetery today, you might think that there were more people buried there than there are folks in the actual town of Rubottom itself. You wouldn’t be too far off.

Cemetery Founded by William P. Rubottom

Unfortunately, the founding of Rubottom Cemetery did not go down as William might have expected it to.

William Penn Rubottom, was born 9 Jan 1852 in Mississippi. He came to Indian Territory as a young man. William married Matilda E. Sorrells (who was 1/8 Choctaw), and settled on several hundred acres of land that would soon become the town of his namesake. William owned the cotton gin here, as well as the blacksmith shop, a grist mill, and the building that housed the area’s general store.

William would soon donate land for a Baptist church, as well as the land for the Rubottom Cemetery. He became one of the first interments there on 3 Dec 1901. According to news reports (here and here) he went out to check on his cattle when he was shot and killed. Henry Pruitt was accused, and tried for the crime. He was later acquitted. Since William is a cousin via marriage, here is his FindAGrave link:

William Penn Rubottom                               9 Jan 1852 – 3 Dec 1901

Cousin Wayne Warthen says his dad, Guy, used to tell the story of digging a grave at the Rubottom Cemetery. Guy was only a kid, but went to help others dig the grave around 1917 or so. They were digging back by the old oak tree at the back of the cemetery. It got late and they were tired, so they went home and came back the next morning. They were very surprised to find a body in the hole, likely that of a discarded horse thief!

Our Kin Buried Here

The following list is in alphabetical order by burial name. It is taken directly off of the FindAGrave listing in the virtual cemetery I created, with a few additions. Maiden names are also included where applicable.

Minnie Viola Rubottom Forkner         20 Nov 1893 – 7 Feb 1969

• Minnie is the daughter of W.P. Rubottom and Matilda Sorrells. She married John Harvey Hogue (see below) in 1907, and remarried after his death in 1917. We lost three Hogues that year.

Analiza Elizabeth “Ann” Gatlin              18 Aug 1850 – 5 Feb 1934

• Analiza is Nora’s mother and my great great grandmother. Nora joined the Rubottom Cemetery Association and paid dues monthly during the Depression. I think these funds were used to bury Analiza after Nora left for California.

Felix Gatlin                                                       1871– Oct 1895

• Nora’s brother. I don’t know much about Felix. There is some confusion that his name is John Felix, but that seems to be another Gatlin from another branch. Still trying to figure that one out.

Mark Alexander Gatlin                           3 Aug 1834 – 12 Nov 1908

• Nora’s father, my great great grandfather and Analiza’s husband. Remember we’re short a few branches here. Mark and Ann were first cousins.

Rufus W. Gatlin                                       30 Aug 1876 – 22 Jan 1904

• Nora’s brother. Don’t know much about Rufus, either. Need to spend some time flushing out info on Nora’s siblings! Rufus died shortly before the birth of his daughter by his second wife.

Walter C. Gatlin                                       8 Nov 1889 – 21 Dec 1910

• I guess it would be silly to say it, but Walter’s story is one of the sad ones here. I mean, it’s a cemetery after all. Anyway, Walter, Nora’s brother, was noted on the 1900 census as “demented”. He went missing 19 Dec 1910. Anna put up a reward for his return. His body was found 24 Apr 1911, near Reck, OK, about 15 miles north, hands and feet missing. He was identified by the clothing he was wearing.

Charles Sherman “Charley” Hogue            15 Jan 1865 – 24 Jul 1917

• Charley is buried in the plot that was first purchased by Charley and Nora for their stillborn daughter, Mary Ann, in 1905.

Charlie Rufus Hogue                                   25 Sep 1884 – 11 Nov 1966

• Son of Sherman Hogue (see next entry). Charley’s first cousin, once removed.

Daniel W. “Sherman” Hogue                            12 Jan 1862 – 28 Aug 1946

• Son of James L. Hogue, who is the brother of William M. Hogue, Charley’s father and my great great grandfather. He came out to I.T. through Texas about 10 years after Charley. Charley and Sherman were first cousins. Not sure where the Sherman name originated.

Ermine Jane Gahagan Hogue                         6 Aug 1888 – 30 Nov 1975

• Wife of William Hamilton Hogue (see below).

Jodie Lee Hogue                                             17 May 1900 – 11 Aug 1917

• Youngest child of Sherman and Roxie Hogue. Died young, but not sure why.

John Harvey Hogue                                          23 May 1888 – 29 Oct 1917

• Son of Sherman and Roxie.

Lora Etta Carnahan Hogue                                  17 Jan 1873 – 6 Jan 1938

• Wife of John Calvin Hogue, Charley’s brother. The Carnahans were early pioneers in this area. Lora moved to Phoenix with John and died there. John moved back to live with his son Melvin in Seminole, OK. Melvin passed away later that year. John died in 1939.

Lillian Chlodele Cox Hogue                                  27 Jun 1912 – 5 Aug 1942

• First wife of Coleman Hogue, who is the oldest son of Charlie Rufus Hogue and his wife Ruthie (see below).

Roxana “Roxie” Welch Hogue                               6 Sep 1861 – 10 Jan 1945

• Wife of D.W. Sherman Hogue. They married in 1880 back in Stecoah, NC. There are many Welch families in that area.

Ruthie Ruer Rubottom Hogue                             26 Sep 1888 – 12 Jan 1973

• Daughter of W.P. and Matilda Rubottom. Wife of Charley Rufus Hogue.

Vida May Hogue                                                   21 May 1907 – 9 Feb 1965

• Oldest child of Charlie and Ruthie. Was living with parents in 1940. Never went to school or got married as far as I could tell.

Walter D. Hogue                                                  11 Oct 1897 – 22 Sep 1978

• Son of Sherman and Roxie.

Walter Joseph Hogue                                            20 Jan 1899 – 23 Aug 1918

• Oldest child of John C. Hogue and Lora. My grandpa remembered him dying of some kind of stomach ailment.

William Hamilton Hogue                                     22 Apr 1882 – 19 Feb 1934

• Second oldest son of Sherman and Roxie.

Oma Elizabeth Hogue Ivins                             28 Jan 1909 – 18 Sep 1992

• Oldest child of John Harvey and Minnie Rubottom Hogue.

Flora M. Hogue Lawson                                 18 Mar 1892 – 30 Sep 1982

• Flora is the daughter of Sherman and Roxie and wife of the next on the list, Jodie Lawson.

Joseph E. “Jodie” Lawson                               16 Jan 1888 – 23 Jun 1973

• My grandpa remembers Jodie quite well. Jodie’s grandmother was a Hogue and married one as well. His grandmother is Piercy M. Hogue, daughter of William M’s brother Daniel. To me, he is a third cousin, once removed.

Ruby Lee Williams Robeson                              20 Sep 1904 – 11 Dec 1937  

• Another sad story. I don’t have specifics here, but Ruby Lee married Edgar Albert “Ab” Robeson in 1923. Ab is Eb Robeson’s twin brother. Eb married Charley and Nora’s daughter Fannie May a year earlier. Ruby is Lonnie Williams’ sister. Lonnie took care of the cemetery for years until his death in 1988. Here is his FindAGrave page. Ruby apparently gave birth to triplets, but all died as infants. Ruby would die of cancer at age 33.

      Alma Lee Robeson 1926 – 1928

       Alta Faye Robeson 1926 – 1928

      Alvin Robeson Jan 1926 – Jun 1926

Mandy Gatlin Walker                              1 May 1892 – 4 Apr 1916

• Mandy is Nora’s sister. She married W. Claud Walker and had two daughters with him before passing away at only age 23. It’s weird to see “Granny” on her tombstone. A new one may have been purchased later on.
• Next, another tragedy. Betty and Juanita are the daughters of Guy Warthen and his wife Rena Chitwood. Rena is the daughter of Nora’s sister Josie Gatlin. They had a rough start at the beginning, but ended up with five children, including contributors to this blog, Wayne, Ray, and Barbara.

Betty Jean Warthen                                   2 Feb 1931 – 15 Feb 1931

Juanita Louise Warthen                            9 Apr 1930 – 9 Apr 1930

• Will and Ora Fletcher Warthen are the parents of Guy Warthen.

Ora Lee Fletcher Warthen                           3 Aug 1872 – 27 Apr 1943

Will Allen Warthen                                    25 Jan 1863 – 18 Aug 1945

Rubottom Cemetery does hold many sad stories, but I feel it’s an important part of our family history. It is also important to remember and honor the ones we’ve lost. If anyone out there has anything they’d like to add, or correct, please send it along. As always, I would love to hear from anyone related to these ancestors and kin. If you want to go back to the Home Page, click here. Thanks for reading my blog here at The Hogue Connection!