Oaklynn Cemetery
Edgewater, Volusia County, Fla.

This is a black cemetery located by an airport west of Edgewater. It has been abandoned and neglected for some time and heavily vandalized. There are 13 above ground vaults made of brick or concrete blocks that have been broken into and one had remains lying on the ground. I called the Sheriff's dept. And they took pictures and are supposed to take care of the problem, I am also going to submit it to the State of Fla. Task Force for action. 11/18/98
MH = Military Headstone
GPS N 28° 58.832 W 080° 55.656
Parcel 8438-01-00-1362

ALDERMAN, John, b. July 17, 1904 - d. Feb. 22, 1969

ALDERMAN, Name Broken off, b. July 25, 1905 - d. Mar. 25, 1968

ALDERMAN, Elliotte Evans, b. Mar. 17, 1917 - d. Jan. 27, 1946, "My Trust is in God"

FRANKLIN, Geo., b. 1900 - d. 1933

HUTCHINSON, Catherine, "Daughter", b. 1936 - d. 1939

LAMBRIGHT, Curtis, Georgia, Pfc QM Corps, WWI, b. Jan. 22, 1893 - d. May 27, 1947, MH

MEEKS, Shedrick, b. 1887 - d. 1950

MEEKS, Ellis, Fl. Pvt, 540 Eng., b. Aug. 6, 1895 - d. May 18, 1945, MH

SEALS, Mary E., b. 1866 - d. 1950, "Mother"

SIMPSON, Lizzie, b. 1891 - d. 1946

TURNER, Mary D., b. 1889 - d. 1929

WILLIAMS, George S., Pennsylvania, S2 USNR WWII, b. Apr. 2, 1906 - d. Apr. 8, 1949

The Following is information on the cemetery compiled and submitted to the state of Florida by Dot Moore in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

OAKLYNN CEMETERY

HISTORY AND DOCUMENTATION :

Oaklynn Cemetery is located in Township 17S, Range 34E, Section 54, in southeast Volusia County. The cemetery was platted on June 19, 1926 as a subdivision of Lot 137, Assessors Subdivision of Samuel Betts grant, recorded as Parcel No. 8438-01-00-0010 in the Volusia County Tax Assessor’s Office, De Land, FL.

Research of this historic Black cemetery was conducted in County Deed Records in De Land, FL. This search produced information that Lot 137 was sold by H. N. Pollitz and Annie Laurie Pollitz (his wife) to L. E. McMahon, single, on June 18, 1926. A warranty deed for this sale was recorded on June 21, 1926 in County records (microfilm Roll 198, page 561). Sale price was $100 and other valuable considerations, with a $600 mortgage assumed by McMahon.

A plat of this cemetery, drawn for L. E. McMahon, was found in Volusia County Map Book 11, page 10. This plat, approved for record on June 21, 1926, shows Oaklynn Cemetery (spelled Cemetery on the plat map) as being a subdivision of Lot 137. The cemetery, an area measuring 470 feet on each side, was surveyed and laid out in rows, each plot being 17 ft. by 21 ft. in size. The map shows a total of 310 plots. Space was reserved in a north-south direction for walkways between each row of plots. What appears to be a central open square is drawn near the middle of the cemetery. The outer perimeters of the cemetery, with the exception of the western side, depict a wider area without grave plots, possibly driveway access. This map shows Myrtle Avenue, a 50 ft. wide road, separating the westernmost two rows of cemetery plots from the rest of the cemetery. (The Myrtle Ave. shown on this plat was renamed Airpark Road [Dan Cory, personal communication, 2000]) This division of the cemetery by the road places two rows of grave plots on the west side of today’s Airpark Road.

The size of the burial plots, 17 ft. by 21 ft., indicates that perhaps six burials or more could be accommodated on each plot.

It is not known if burials may have been interred on Lot 137 prior to the purchase and platting as a cemetery by/for L. E. McMahon in 1926. Further research regarding the Pollitz’ ownership or of an earlier owner of this lot may provide data that this lot was or was not utilized for earlier burials. Local informants have reported burials were interred in this cemetery with present ownership of the cemetery area. This is reflected by the dates of the two latest known recorded interments, in 1968 and 1969.

According to County deed records accessed for this research (on microfilm), L. E. McMahon began selling cemetery plots on July 23, 1926. Warranty deeds to lots in Oaklynn Cemetery were recorded in County records to three different buyers on this date. Lot No. 29 was sold to Earnest Meeks for $12.50, per Roll 208, page 68. Lots No. 16 and 17 were sold to W. A. Alderman for $25, per Roll 199, page 472. Lot No. 8 was sold to V. Badger for $12.50, per Roll 211, page 149. On Aug. 28, 1926, Lot No. 67 in Oaklynn Cemetery was sold to Parker Meeks for $12.50, per Roll 225, page 218. A copy exists of a deed, issued by seller L. E. McMahon to Malcolm Slaton, for Lot 59 for $12.50, dated July 24, 1926. This deed recording was not found during my search and may not have been formally recorded on County records by McMahon. Time for research in County records ended at this point but continued research may produce additional sales of lots in this cemetery.

Evidence of at least 12 and possibly 13 above ground vaults, some constructed of red brick, still exist in this cemetery. Most have been vandalized. A set of three vaults connected together are there but possibly one of these was not used, according to a local informant. This recorder has not personally visited the cemetery, posted as private property.

A list of people said to be buried in Oaklynn Cemetery was found on a Web site with this message: "File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Bill Morgan, ( )." The site lists the following (with my assumption all data listed was recorded from visible engravings on each marker):

Alderman, John (b. Jul 17 1904 d. Feb 22 1969)

Alderman, (name broken off) (b. Jul 25 1905 d. Mar 25 1968)

Alderman, Elliotte Evans (b. Mar 17 1917 d. Jan 27 1946, "My trust is in God")

Franklin, Geo. (b.1900 d. 1933)

Hutchinson, Catherine (b. 1936 d.1939, "Daughter")

Lambright, Curtis (b. Jan 22 1893 d. May 27 1947, "Pfc QM Corps WWI, Georgia"),
military headstone

Meeks, Shedrick (b. 1887 d. 1950) [per informant, she was Geo. Franklin’s mother-in-law]

Meeks, Ellis (b. Aug 6 1895 d. May 18 1945, "Fl. Pvt 540 Eng") military headstone

Seals, Mary E. (b. 1866 d. 1950, "Mother")

Simpson, Lizzie (b. 1891 d. 1946)

Turner, Mary D. (b. 1889 d. 1929)

Williams, George S. (b. Apr 2 1906 d. Apr 8 1949, Pennsylvania, "S2 USNR WWII"

Local informants, descendants of people buried in Oaklynn Cemetery, provided additional information about relatives also buried in this cemetery:

There is a headstone in place for Theodore R. Brown, Feb. 9 1906 - Nov. 17 1941.

A young (sub-teen) daughter of Curtis Lambright was buried next to him (see his entry above).

The wife of Geo (George?) Franklin was buried beside her husband (see his entry above).

Eleanor Meeks Walden, d. 1927, and her husband, Henry Walden, Jr., d. 1945-46, are both buried in this cemetery.

Archie Robinson and Julia Robinson, his wife, are buried there.

Olie Hadley Custard is buried there.

The wives of two doctors, Mrs. Norris and Mrs. McDaniel, are buried there. Dr. McDaniel was said to be cremated. The location of his ashes are unknown but may be buried with his wife. Dates of death are not known for these three people.

Three people named Slaton (mother, father and grandmother) are said to be buried in this cemetery. (NOTE: The recorded sale of Lot 59 to Malcolm Slaton was not found during research.)

A man named Moten (first name unknown) also said to be buried in this cemetery.

The above documentation indicates at least 26 people may be buried in Oaklynn Cemetery. There are possibly a number of unmarked graves within the perimeter of this historic cemetery.

Research time did not permit following L. E. McMahon’s ownership of this cemetery through time up to the present owners, but this should be done. It is not known why this cemetery was desirable at the particular location in which it was established. Edgewater Cemetery (organized in 1865) is located approx. 1 ˝ miles east of Oaklynn Cemetery. It had a section for Black burials. Visible today in Edgewater Cemetery is a headstone engraved with a death date of 1887, the earliest marked grave seen in this section. There was not a known Black settlement in the vicinity of Oaklynn that might have required closer access to a cemetery.

Report prepared by Dot Moore, New Smyrna Beach, FL

2/27/2000

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