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Temple Masonic Cemetery
Temple, Cotton County, Oklahoma

GPS: 34.253054, -98.237025
Cache Twp, Sec 34

Contact:
P.O. Box 394, Temple, OK 73568

Contributed by Lori Hedges [babycat_lori@yahoo.com]
first submitted: Jun 17, 2006, last updated: Apr 9, 2016
Total records = 2,998

To reach this cemetery from the intersection of Commerical and School Rd in Temple, go south 2 miles. Cemetery is on the West side of the roadway.

This is a pre statehood cemetery, The cemetery was established in 1902 on a ten-acre plot of land one half mile south of what was then known as Botsford, Oklahoma. The ten acre plot was deeded to the cemetery by Ed and Lottie Kloeckler. That same year the town was moved one half mile north to the Rock Island railroad tracks and renamed Temple.Many of the old grave stones on this site are still standing. The oldest being dated August 30, 1902.

The cemetery was first under the supervision of the Cache Township Trustees. Later it was acquired by the Masonic Lodge and became known as the Temple Masonic Cemetery. As the original cemetery became filled, more land was needed and another ten acres was purchased from Charles Lefever of Stockham, Nebraska in 1908. This ten acre tract is just south of the original cemetery site. Later in 1931, Mr. Lefever deeded five more acres of land to the trustees of the Masonic Lodge thus making a total of 25 acres in the cemetery area. The Masons continued supervision until July 1943 when it was deeded to the City of Temple who was the governing body until November 1945. On that date it was transferred back to the lodge that in turn deeded it to the Temple Cemetery District, a division of the county in 1948. After a few years the Masons again acquired control until it was transferred to the Temple Cemetery Association August 2, 1977.

There are no plot signs or section names at this cemetery. I do have pictures of all stones and also have my original copy that I typed out in the order that I transcribed this cemetery. I broke it down in sections and can easily locate the graves.

I last walked and read this cemetery in November 2015. This contains all known or visible burials.

- Lori Hedges

Cemetery Records Index

Abbreviations:

b. birth date
d. death date
m. marriage date
i/n: inscription and/or notes
ss: shared tombstone

Files:

Surnames A to C
Surnames D to G
Surnames H to L
Surnames M to R
Surnames S to Z

Miscellaneous Records

The following records come from unreadable, or difficult to read tombstones...

??, ??, i/n: 10 un- readable stones
??, ??, i/n: A place is vacant in our hearts which never can be filled
??, George D., b. May 25 1853, d. Nov 18 1914, i/n: ck last name camera didn’t pk up where I picked up at edmonson nw section
??, Jessie & Lennie, b. no date, d. no date, i/n: "parents of opal, lee, irma, ruth ellen, mildred, velma joyce"
??, Joyce Estelle, b. Aug 15 1930, d. Jan 16 1933
??, June, d. 1942, i/n: no last name or dob
??, unreadable stone
??, unreadable stone
??, unreadable stone
??, unreadable stone
??, unreadable stone
??, unreadable stone
??, unreadable stone
??, unreadable stone
??, unreadable stone
??, unreadable stone
baby, b. Mar. 1926, i/n: baby of H. W. T.
MRD, i/n: No name no dates
unreadable, b. Aug 5 1869, d. Nov 15 1909