Ladonia Cemetery

Ladonia Cemetery, the principal burial ground for members of the Ladonia community, has historically been divided into two sections: the I.O.O.F. (Odd Fellows) cemetery and the Presbyterian cemetery. The oldest recorded grave, that of Joe Shelby (d. 1866), infant daughter of J.E. and S.T. Shelby, is located in the Presbyterian cemetery section. Also in that section is the Stranger's tomb, marking the grave of an unknown traveler who died in October 1867. Another early burial is that of William Lovelace Foster (1830-1869), a Civil War veteran and pastor of Ladonia's First Baptist Church at the time of his death. The I.O.O.F. section was originally maintained by the local Odd Fellows Lodge, and its earliest recorded grave is that of Mrs. F.T. (Marie) Hockaday (1838-1881). The lodge cared for its section until about 1902, when management of the two sections was merged. Those interred in the cemetery include veterans of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II, early settlers of the area, Fannin County officials, and many generations of Ladonia citizens.

Ladonia, Texas · United States