FREEMAN CEMETERY
WEAKLEY COUNTY, TENNESSEE
HOGARD FAMILY
SUSAN OPHELIA (PHELLY) MEEK HOGARD (1848-1885) and WILLIAM EWEN HOGARD (1849-1898) married in 1871 and had four healthy children before Phelly died in childbirth in 1885. Though their fifth child was adopted by Phelly's brother MADISON (MAT) MEEK and his wife, ALACE JACKSON MEEK (later FINCH), she lived only six months. The five children of Phelly and William were:
PENOLA EDMOE (NOLA/NORA) HOGARD MEEK FREEMAN (1871-1948)
JOHN WESLEY HOGARD (1875-1950)
JAMES ALLEN HOGARD (1877-1950)
FINIS EWEN HOGARD (1880-1943)
BIRDIE HOGARD MEEK (1885-1885)
Madison and Alace Meek (later Finch) also adopted Penola, and she went by the last name Meek until her marriage.
It seems that William Hogard left the area after his wife's death, or at any rate was unable or unwilling to care for his children, and the other three children--John, James, and Finis--were taken in by Phelly's other family members, though they retained use of the last name Hogard. All three of them are in the 1893 class photo from Eastern Academy (see Historical Community Photos), along with several of Felix Meek's and other area children and youth.
Penola Edmoe (Nola/Nora) Hogard Meek Freeman (1871-1948) married Oscar Freeman (1867-1944) in 1891. They moved to Marmaduke, Arkansas, and are buried in Harvey Chapel's Cemetery there. They had nine children:
Andrew Edwin Freeman (1892-bef. 1900)
Gene Freeman (1893-bef. 1900)
Truman Harrison Freeman (1896-1972)
Lela Mildred Freeman Harvey (1897-1974)
Bessie Freeman (1900-1916)
Ollie Browen Freeman (1903-1983)
Davis Ewen Freeman (1908-1989)
Fred D. Freeman (1910-1972)
Arthur Lee Freeman (1913-2000)
John Wesley Hogard (1875-1950) married Eunice Travis Hogard (1878-1971), and they moved to Marmaduke, Arkansas, where they are both buried in Harvey's Chapel Cemetery. They didn't have any children.
JAMES ALLEN HOGARD (1877-1950) married FARRAH SUGGS HOGARD (1881-1906) in 1900. Both are buried at Freeman Cemetery, along with Farrah's sister Della Suggs Freeman. Like James's mother, his wife died in childbirth, and their youngest child died a month later. They had two children:
Leo Allen Hogard (1902-1975)
Viva O. Hogard (1906-1906)
After Farrah's death, James married Ethie Susan Fields Dildy Hogard (1882-1919). She is buried in Concord Cemetery in Dresden, Tennessee. They had two children:
Desdie S. Hogard (1911-1911)
James Otis Hogard (1914-1991)
After Susan's death, James (unlike his own father) raised not only his two sons, but Ethie's son from her previous marriage, Garrett Dildy (1904-????). Though his death date is unknown, Garrett Dildy is buried in Sunset Cemetery in Dresden.
Leo Hogard and his wife, Millie Jane Gatewood Hogard (1905-1983) are buried in Palmersville Cemetery in Weakley County. James Otis Hogard and his wife, Ida Mozelle Watson Hogard (1915-1992), are buried in Wesley Chapel Cemetery in Weakley County. It is unknown where Viva and Desdie Hogard are buried.
Leo and Millie's children were Phillip Warren Hogard (1924-2014) and Martha Lee Hogard Todd Copeland (1930-2009).
James Otis and Ida Hogard's only child is Edith Hogard Jones.
James Allen Hogard with his granddaughter Edith Hogard (Jones).
Finis Ewen Hogard (1880-1943) married Jessie Boyd Hogard (1884-1907). They had one child who died at birth:
Relma C. Hogard (1904-1904)
Both Jessie and Relma are buried in Cane Creek Cemetery in Obion County.
Finis married a second time to Leiron Newborn (1892-1977), but the marriage was short-lived.
In 1916, Finis married Bessie Lee Bell Hogard (1900-1963). They had seven children:
Paul Ewen Hogard (1918-1919)
Tilman McCoy Hogard (1919-1970)
Elvis Frank Hogard (1922-1949)
Alice Marie Hogard Nowak (1923-1998)
Jewell Dean Hogard Land (1925-1992)
Richard George Hogard (1926-1960)
Margaret Carolyn Hogard Taylor (1928-1993)
Although Finis is buried in Cane Creek Cemetery in Obion County, Bessie went to Illinois with some of her children and is buried there. Their children lived in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arizona. They left numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Finis and Bessie.
Finis Ewen and Bessie Bell Hogard, probably on their wedding day in 1916.
Finis Ewen and Jessie Boyd Hogard (standing). In front of them (seated, right) are James Allen and Farrah Suggs Hogard. Seated to the left are possibly John Wesley and Eunice Travis Hogard. We surmise this photo was taken before John and Eunice left for Marmaduke, Arkansas, after 1900 and before Farrah died in 1906.