Little Cussetah Cemetery Information

Location

The Little Cussetah Cemetery is a 2.5 acre area located in the North West corner of Section 25, Township 13N, Range 13E of Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. Little Cussetah may be reached by driving 4 miles east from the intersection of Highway 75 and 62 (at the south edge of Okmulgee, OK), then south for 2 miles.

History

The first grave placed in the cemetery was about the year 1894. It was a new-born baby, still birth. The land belonged to the Creek Indian Nation and was leased to S. W. Fisher. Mr. Fisher had leased several acres from the Creek Indian Nation to start a cattle ranch. The father of the baby was working for Mr. Fisher. There was no cemetery available, so it was decided to bury the baby up on the hill. It wasn't long after the first grave was placed there, until there were several more. It became known as a cemetery, and all the people used it. No one knows all the people who are buried there.

When the Creek Indian Nation land was allotted to the tribal members, the member, who received the land where the cemetery is located, was going to close the cemetery. Many of the families at that time had relatives buried in the cemetery. Although they knew that they were going to have to leave the area, they wanted the cemetery to remain. As far as I know, they raised enough money to but 2 ½ acres of land, and had it surveyed and platted for a cemetery. That was about 1912. To my knowledge, Mr. Waldo Ely and Mr. William M. Dillsaver, were to watch over the cemetery. Mr. Ely moved from this neighborhood about 1916 and no one took his place, to my knowledge. Mr. Dillsaver served until his death on August 15, 1949.

After the death of my father, W. M. Dillsaver, I tried to find someone in which to give the plat map and the cemetery records. The record shows that the 2 ½ acres of land was purchased by an organization know as the Cussetah Cemetery Association. I was unable to find records of any kind about the Cussetah Cemetery Association, who the secretary was, the members were, or anything about them.

Written by Robert L. "Pete" Dillsaver

Additional Information

In the cemetery, there are four tombstones dated before 1900. There have been about 250 graves identified and located, but there are many more with only a sand rock, iron pipe, cemetery marker frame with no information, or nothing at all to identify or mark the grave locations. There have been only about 15 new graves added since 1970, and then only by families who already owned lots in the cemetery. Because of the many unmarked graves, no new lots can be sold.

After years of neglect, the grounds were cleared of tall grass, briars, and trees in 1974. Some stones were broken and misplaced during the clearing. A recording of the tombstones was taken on February 5, 1974 and again in 1985.

Again, the cemetery fell into neglect, and in the year 2001, Marine Daniels and Walter Edmonds took over the maintenance of the cemetery. It was mowed and cleared of debris and a recording of the stone and grave locations were taken.

The latest recording of the stones was taken in May, 2001. The information in this book is a combination of information obtain from the original cemetery records recorded by W. M. Dillsaver, the recordings in 1974 and 1985, from family members who have people buried there, and from a physical inspection in 2001 by Marine Daniels, Walter Edmonds, and Junior & Peggy McKay.

Prairie Bell School and the Little Cussetah Cemetery

The original Prairie Bell School location was about one mile south and one mile east of it's current location. It began in the Little Cussetah Cemetery at the current location of the cemetery. The date is unknown, but the cemetery was in use at the time the school was built. The school was a small wooden building about 16 X 20 feet.

All grades were in one room, but usually the younger children set on one side of the room and the older ones on the other.

About 1906, a larger building was built in a new location for the Prairie Bell School which was at the present school location. One morning when the new school was completed, the teacher marched all the kids over to the new school. The old building remained in the cemetery for several years and was occasionally was used to hold funerals.

Additional Note

Mr. S. W. "Bud" Fisher, the man who was leasing the land when the Little Cussetah Cemetery was first started, was an uncle to Pete Dillsaver. Family lore states that Mr. Fisher rode with Quantrill and maybe with the James and Dalton Gang. He was at least friends with them and they would come by Mr. Fisher's house and eat and visit.

Author of this publication
Junior & Peggy McKay

Map of Cemetery

© Junior & Peggy McKay