THE COMMUNITY OF BLOOMING GROVE, COLLOQUIALLY KNOWN AS WHITE CHURCH  AND GRADYVILLE, WAS SETTLED STARTING IN THE 1840s. IN 1868, DR. JOHN MARION DAVIS (1815-1888) AND HIS WIFE, SARAH SIMPSON DAVIS (1840-1918), ALLOWED SIX ACRES OF LAND FOR A CEMETERY AND COMBINATION CHURCH AND SCHOOL BUILDING.  A CHURCH WAS BUILT, PAINTED WHITE AND NAMED "THE WHITE CHURCH" IT WAS THE REGIONAL SOCIAL CENTER. THE EARLIEST GRAVES HAVE BEEN LOST DUE TO LACK OF HEADSTONES, INCLUDING THAT OF MARY "MOLLY" JENKINS (1859-1869). THE OLDEST KNOWN GRAVE IS THAT OF ELIZABETH ANN OUTLAW (1869-1870) WHO DIED AT NINE MONTHS. IN 1888, THE ST. LOUIS SOUTHWESTERN RAILWAY BYPASSED THE TOWN, AND THE TOWN RELOCATED TO THE RAIL LINE.  THE NEW TOWN WAS ALSO CALLED BLOOMING GROVE. THE ORIGINAL CHURCH BUILDING WAS MOVED INTO THE NEW TOWN IN THE LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY, BUT THE CEMETERY CONTINUED TO BE USED.

WHITE CHURCH CEMETERY IS ONE OF THE OLDEST IN BLOOMING GROVE. THE CEMETERY IS ORIENTED EAST-WEST WITH GRAVES FACING EAST AND BORDERED ON THE WEST BY RUSH CREEK. THOSE BURIED HERE INCLUDE MANY PIONEER FAMILIES, MINISTERS, TEACHERS, DOCTORS, COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS LEADERS.  AT LEAST 20 VETERANS ARE BURIED HERE.  THEIR SERVICES SPANS FROM THE TEXAS REVOLUTION TO WORED WAR II AND 21ST CENTRY CONFLICTS. A TEXAS RANGER IS ALSO BURIED HERE. HEADSTONES ARE COMPOSED OF FIELDSTONE, MARBLE, GRANITE AND LIMESSTONE. THE ENTRANCE FEATURES FEDATURES A WHITE IRON GATE WITH A CHURCH SILHOUETTE, RECALLING THE SMALL WHITE CHURCH THAT GAVE THE CEMETERY ITS NAME.  TODAY THIS ACTIVE CEMETERY CONTINUES TO SERVE THE DESCENDANTS OF THE PIONEER FAMILIES WHO SETTLED THIS AREA, AND IS A LIVING REMEMBERANCE OF THIS RURAL COMMUNITY.