Gray/Thomas family plot, Woodlawn cemetery, Independence, MO

My GGG-Grandparents, William and Martha (Berryman) Thomas, were early settlers of Independence, MO, just on the other side of metro Kansas City from my home. They are buried there with many other family members.

When I moved to the area, I was sure that they were buried in this cemetery, but I didn't have any information about where the plot was located. I looked all around one day, and must have walked right by the big central stone without seeing it. Once I found the person who was writing the guide book to the cemetery, she was able to point me right to it.

(To see any of the photos larger, just click on it)



This large stone is a recent addition to the plot (in this case, "recent" means "during the 20th century"). At the time that my GG-Grandmother, William's daughter Harriet, passed away in 1916, her oldest son, my G-Grandfather James William Thomas Gray, was living in Colorado, and I'm almost sure that the base of this stone is made of Pikes Peak granite from Colorado, this is an unusual stone color in this cemetery.

Below are closeups of the sides of the stone.

This side lists William and Martha



This side lists their daughter Harriet, my GG-Grandmother, and her husband, James L. Gray, as well as their infant son Ernest C. Gray.



This side lists James and Harriet's daughters, one who died as a teenager and the other as a young wife.



There are also original stones for William, Mattie and Eugenia, shown below, William's is well-preserved for its age. If there were old stones for the others, they are gone, but several "foot stones" with initials are still there.





Harriet's sister, Henrietta Meador. She kept a family bible, of which I have copies. I will publish this in the blog later.



Harriet's brother, Willoughby Mortimer Thomas, his wife Fannie, and their daughter, Eugenia Thomas.