John M. Smith - Childress Cemetery - Childress, TX - Woodmen of the World Grave Markers/Monuments on Waymarking.com

Understanding that death dates don't necessarily indicate when a headstone was placed, it's difficult to even speculate what went on here. Mrs. Smith passed on in August of 1916, and Mr. Smith followed within a year (July of 1917). Mr. Smith's headstone is a typical short tree trunk complemented on each side by logs. The family name,"Smith", is on the base, while the Woodmen of the World emblem appears on the scroll at the top. On the front of the monument is this inscription:'

Father
John M. Smith

Born Nov. 21, 1854
Died July 14, 1917

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Mrs. Smith's headstone has nothing to suggest membership in any Woodmen organization, like the Woodmen Circle. It is of gray granite, with an open book at the top, and "Thy Will Be Done" above a rose. "Mother" is on the plinth, and the inscription reads:

Laura E.

Wife of
J.M. Smith

Born
Oct. 30, 1855

Died
Aug. 9, 1916

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Gone but not
forgotten.

A precious one from us is
gone,
A voice we loved is stilled.
A place is vacant in our
home
Which never can be filled

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Where this becomes interesting is the tree trunk that has been cut and placed between the two headstones. The top section leans on Mr. Smith's headstone, while the bottom of the trunk has been cut so as to mesh with the bottom of the headstone and the plinth. A piece of bark is peeled back at the center, and "Father" and "Mother" are at the top and bottom of that section. In between is an epitaph, at an angle:

Sleep thy
last sleep
free from care
and sorrow

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The work done on the tree trunk looks to be about as good as one might get, but it is a very strange addition: One wonders what brought this about.

Was the inscription legible?: Yes Location of Marker/Monument: Cemetery

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