Story of History of Otero County

Greenville Cemetery

Mountain Monthly, 185th Edition, July 2003                                                                                                                                      HISTORY — Page 17

THE GREENVILLE CEMETERY MYSTERY

By Pat Rand

Approximately two miles west of the village of Sacramento, New Mexico and roughly 50 feet south of Forest Route 64, there are three markers which identify the area as a cemetery. A stone marker at the head of a concrete-covered grave reads, "Anna Gilmore Green, wife of John L Green. Born Mar. 30, 1848, Died Aug. 16. 1892." Nearby is a flat concrete slab inscribed, "E. Buckner Feb. 12, 1890 - July 11, 1884."

The third marker, a flat bronze plaque reads, Greenville Cemetery 1890:1910.  It then includes the names and dates listed on the other two markers. Following that information it reads, "Burial Site of 50+ people - many victims of a diptheria epidemic in 1892." The plaque reads that it was erected by the Sacramento Extension Club and ends with the statement "Protected by State Law 30/12/12."

This was brought to my attention by a friend, Bob Turrentine, who has property in the area and had stopped to see what appeared to be a head stone. He was intrigued by the information, and thought I would be also. A call to a mutual friend, Jesse Buckner in Carlsbad, began the process of trying to unravel the mystery. Who were these people and why were two grave markers if 50 people were buried there? Also, how many were victims of the diptheria epidemic of 1892?

Jesse had some of the information on the matter, but referred me to his daughter, Verna Reed, who sent both written material and pictures. It seems that Anna Gilmore was born In Grimes County, Texas in 1848.  Her parents were William Gilmore and Linnie Hill, both born in Alabama. The family moved to Texas about the time the Austin colonies were being formed. She met John Lee Green, who was born in Chicksaw County, Mississippi in 1847. They were married in Leon County, Texas on September 12, 1887, and became the parents of ten children —six boys and four girls. The nine older children were all born In Leon County, Texas but the youngest, Ella, was born in Seven Rivers, New Mexico in 1887 - five years before Anna's death.

Anna was a country nurse, and was very knowledgeable about herbs, which she often used in the healing process. She had managed to nurse her own children through the illness, but had contracted the disease herself while treating the Buckner children and their cousins, the Fletchers. She had suc­cessfully fought the Illness in all the Buckners except for the youngest, Elizabeth, who was only two year old when she died in July of 1892. Anna died a month later - in August.

Verna Reed sent two photographs - one of Ana Gilmore taken when she was about sixteen stars old - and one of the John Walker Buckner family on that porch with Elizabeth Buckner sitting in her father's lap. The young lad to the left of Elizabeth to the picture is John Calvin Buckner, who is Verna Reeds grandfather. Three of the children in the picture are Fletchers, whose mother was Amelia Buckner, John Walker Buckner's sister. Verna Reed is of the opinion that several of the Fletcher children also died of diptheria of 1892.

Following Anna Gilmore Green's death, Nancy Buckner, another sister of John Walker Buckner, married the widower, John Lee Green, and helped raise his children.  To further confuse the genealogy chart, Ella, the youngest child of Anna and John Green, married John Calvin Buckner, and is Verna Reed's grandmother.

A call to Lavona Bell, president of the Weed - Sacramento Extension Club - now called the Family and Community Education Club confirmed the placing of the bronze plaque by them following a picnic with their husbands at the site in the summer of 1991. She didn't know the details, except that the plaque was the brainchild of Beatrice Buckner, a long time member of the organization and a relative of the two buried there.  R. L. Posey of Mayhill checked and confirmed for me that State Law 30/12/12 was written to guarantee protection of cemeteries through out the state.

So everything is cleared up except, first - why are there only two markers if 50 people are buried there? The general belief is that the relatives were too poor to buy headstones, and probably had only wooden markers which have deteriorated over the years.  The second question to be cleared up is – how many of the 50 plus people buried there died in the epidemic of 1892?  I checked copies of the area newspapers of that date and none carried a story of the epidemic.  It would seem if 50 people in this region in 1892 died of diphtheria, the story would make the front pages of the papers.

If you know or have heard anything about the epidemic or the cemetery, that information would be greatly appreciated and we might be able to do a follow-up story.

Submitted by Virginia Stanbrough and retyped from story by Andrew Bristol.