The first thing that struck us about the Bedingfield family plot was the two dignified lines of six polished black tombstones, all alike except for the names and vital dates. The next thing that we spotted was the Woodmen of the World medallion on the waymarked tombstone. Finally, we noted that he was not the only Bedingfield man to die on 24 Jan 1919.
The waymarked tombstone for S. P. Bedingfield stands in the Bedingfield Family plot in Old Rockwall Cemetery near the back. The tombstone reads as follows"
"[WoW medallion]
BEDINGFIELD
SAMUEL P BEDINGFIELD
Nov 27 1887
Jan 24, 1919
There is rest in Heaven"
Next to him, another Bedingfield tombstone reads as follows:
"BEDINGFIELD
FRANKLIN P. BEDINGFIELD
Aug 14, 1896
Jan 24, 1919
Jesus loves the Pure and Holy"
and next to Frankin -- a THIRD Bedingfield man who died less than 2 weeks later:
"JERRY ALEXANDRIA BEDINGFIELD
Feb 26, 1903
Feb 5, 1919
There is rest in Heaven"
Three other Bedingfields are on the frint tow, Pinkmet Monroe Bedongfield (1898-1967), Ida Day Bedingfield (1876-1973) and Joh Davis Bedingfield (1894-1956)
Well of course we are going to be curious. So we did a little poking around in death certificates on Ancestry.
The first thing we found out is that Samuel Bedingfield (husband of Ida Day Bedingfield) is Franklin and Jerry Bedingfield's father, which makes Jerry and Franklin brothers.
We also immediately discovered that there is no connection between Samuel and Franklin's deaths, despite their close proximity in time. It's just tragically horrible timing that Jerry Bedingfield died 13 days after his brother and father.
According to his Texas Death Certificate, Jerry Alexandria Bedingfield died of influenza and pneumonia . He got sick around the time his brother and father died. He went to see Dr. J. F. Corry on 26 Jan 1919 and was attended by him from 26 Jan 1919 until 4 Feb 1919.
So what killed Jerry's brother Franklin and father Samuel? Did they die of the flu epidemic too?
No.
From the death certificates of Samuel P and his son Franklin Pierce Bedingfield:
Cause of death: Killed by Train at 210pm on 24 Jan 1919, as certified by Dr. Corry.
We looked but have been unable to find any news articles about these deaths.
All the Bedingfields in this plot are related: Samuel and Ida are the parents, and Franklin, Jerry, Pinkney, and John D are sons. Ida outlived them all -- she died in 1973 in Garland, at the age of 97.
Dr. Corry is also buried in Old Rockwall Cemetery, not far from the tragic Bedingfield family. We found him in the 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 US Censuses. See: (
visit link)