THIS CEMETERY TRACES ITS ORIGINS TO 1876, WHEN NOTED
PIONEER MINISTER NOAH T. BYARS HELPED ESTABLISH LIVE
OAK BAPTIST CHURCH.  THAT YEAR CIVIL WAR VETERAN SILAS
H. WOOD MOVED HIS EXTENDED FAMILY FROM MISSISSIPPI
AND SETTLED ON LAND WHICH INCLUDED THIS SITE.  THE FIRST
RECORDED BURIAL WAS THAT OF D. O. MELTON IN 1876.  WOOD
DONATED ABOUT THREE ACRES WHICH INCLUDED THE GRAVEYARD TO
LIVE OAK BAPTIST CHURCH IN 1884.  KNOWN EARLIER AS
GHOLSON, A NAME IT SHARED WITH AN AREA SCHOOL.  LATER
IT WAS NAMED ELKINS FOR THE TOWN THAT DEVELOPED HERE.

THE CEMETERY CONTINUED IN USE AS A COMMUNITY GRAVE-
YARD UNTIL INTERMENTS CEASED WHEN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF CAMP BOWIE HERE DURING WORLD WAR II RESULTED IN
THE TEMPORARY DISPLACEMENT OF THE ELKINS COMMUNITY.
CAMP BOWIE WAS DISCONTINUED IN 1947, AT WHICH A
RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPED AND THE CEMETERY WAS
AGAIN IN USE.  BURIED HERE ARE MANY OF THE AREA'S
PIONEER FAMILIES AND THEIR DESCENDANTS; VETERANS OF
WORLD WAR II, AND AT LEAST THREE CIVIL WAR VETERANS,
INCLUDING CONFEDERATE LIEUTENANT COLONEL ISAAC A.
MELTON, WHOSE FUNERAL IN 1910 WAS ATTENDED BY FELLOW
CONFEDERATE CIVIL WAR VETERANS AND MASONIC FRIENDS.

THE CEMETERY IS MAINTAINED BY THE ELKINS CEMETERY
ASSOCIATION AND CONTINUES TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY